Essel Group Celebrates 90 Years in Business with India's President Pranab Mukherjee & Prime Minister Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI and LOS ANGELES, May 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- India's leading multi-billion dollar business conglomerate, the Essel Group, parent to media giant Zee, is celebrating the completion of 90 years of innovation, leadership, growth and transforming the world. To commemorate the milestone, India's President, Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, celebrated with Essel owner & Chairman, Dr. Subhash Chandra and several hundred dignitaries at a ceremony in New Delhi at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on May 17. Several major announcements were made:  

• Launch of the DSC Foundation:  Essel contributed nearly U.S. $1 billion (INR 5000 Cr.) to the new DSC Foundation. The brainchild of MP Rajya Sabha and Dr. Chandra, DSC was launched to help budding entrepreneurs and educational professionals, by not only providing them with funds but by creating a chain of positive actions. Recipients are mandated to give back to society in a meaningful way.

• Sarthi Initiative launch: The Hindi word Sarthi means "the one who drives us in the right direction" and the initiative's mission is to become a guiding force propelling change in the lives of people through constructive interventions. Sarthi is a network of like-minded institutions (corporate foundations, non-government organizations, volunteers, trusts, community based organizations, concerned government departments) who are working towards the common goal of building a well - informed and empowered nation to bring about sustainable positive change. 

• WION English-language global news network launch:  WION – World Is One News – is a revolutionary content product from the Zee Media stable. The WION Network will reflect the voices of 2 billion South Asians to the world by presenting their vision of global events and news by engaging viewers through balanced and extraordinary storytelling on digital, mobile and TV platforms. Zee Media is currently comprised of 33 domestic Indian channels and 42 international channels around the world, producing and distributing over 220,000 hours of premium television content.

• First Zee Media Family Business Legacy Awards:  President Mukherjee presented the awards which honour India's oldest family-run businesses that have expanded their empires over successive generations. The recipients were:  Dr. Anand C. Burman, Chairman, Dabur India Ltd., Mr. Piyush Ochhavlal Desai, Chairman, Wagh Bakri Tea Group and Dr. Murtaza Khorakiwala, Managing Director, Wockhardt Ltd. 

Essel was launched in 1926 when the nation's agricultural development was gaining momentum and the Essel family began its foray into trading food and grain. Over its nine decades, Essel Group has become a multi-billion-dollar business conglomerate, with diverse business presence across Media, Entertainment, Packaging, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Education, Finance, Precious metals and Technology sectors.  The Group companies strive to bring the latest innovations and the best value to all consumers in their quest to deliver the best in class. With worldwide operations and a workforce of over 40,000 employees, Essel Group continues to grow in strength every day.

Media Contacts:

Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited

New Delhi
Abhishek Shrivastav; Mobile: +91-9999362623
Email: [email protected]

Mumbai
Jayshree Kumar / Arantxa Gonsalves; Mobile: +91 9769286661 /9820336890
Email: [email protected]  

USA MJ Global Communications LLC
(Ms.) MJ Sorenson, T: 1-646-225-6590 Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Essel Group