Amitabh Bachchan Announces " Banega Swachh India”

RB partners with NDTV & Facebook to launch

“Dettol - Banega Swachh India”

·         Commits INR 100 crores to the 5 year ambitious program aimed at addressing the rising need for hygiene and sanitation in India

·         Announces Amitabh Bachchan as the program ambassador

Mumbai, September 26^th, 2014: As the global leader in consumer health and hygiene, RB (formerly called Reckitt Benckiser), today announced a 5 year ambitious program in partnership with NDTV and Facebook - “Dettol - Banega Swachh India”. With a commitment of making India healthier and cleaner by 2019, RB has made a commitment to invest a sum of INR 100 crores towards this initiative across the next 5 years. The program aims to spread awareness around the importance of hygiene and sanitations to millions across the country and has introduced Indian film actor and legend, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as the program ambassador for this mega campaign.

With a history of over 150 years of innovation and the DNA engraved in health and hygiene, RB has powerbrands such as Dettol and Harpic, which are considered as gold standard in hygiene and sanitation segments. Through the partnership, RB aims to combine the on-ground expertise and vast presence of NDTV network with the massive reach of Facebook through online and mobile to address one of the most critical challenges faced by our country. NGO partners such as CAF will bring on-board their implementation expertise to execute the programs and will be supported by the Sulabh International & WaterAid as knowledge partners.

To kick off the program, a “Dettol - Banega Swachh India” bus will be flagged off in October, which will cover around 400 villages across 8 states - Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, MP & Maharashtra. The objective of the bus will be to create awareness around hygiene and sanitation through interactive videos, flyer distributions, posters, hand-washing sessions and street plays. The partners in the initiative will continue with an ongoing dialogue for the next year to explore more opportunities for making a difference towards this initiative.

Emphasizing on the lack of hygienic conditions in India, Mr. Nitish Kapoor, Managing Director, RB India said, “As a global leader in consumer health and hygiene, our purpose is to improve the hygiene and sanitation in the daily lives of our consumers. We have been committed to the cause for a long time, but now it is time to step up and reach out to a much larger audience. Our commitment to the program and collaboration with like-minded partners is just the beginning of our journey towards a healthier and cleaner India by 2019.”

Speaking at the occasion, campaign ambassador, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, said, “There are a few causes that I feel very strongly about like Saving the Tiger, Eradicating Polio and TB. Sanitation has been on my mind for a very long time & when this opportunity presented itself, I had to be a part of this movement.  Banega Swachh India is a dream each one of us should have in our hearts and minds and make it a part of our daily lives; only then can our country prosper.”

Vikram Chandra, Group CEO, NDTV said, "It is disturbing to realize that for all its many successes India still suffers from lack of sanitation in most parts of the country. NDTV is pleased to support such an initiative. Sanitation is a fundamental human right and we are proud to partner with Dettol, to try to do something about this problem. We hope that we can make a significant contribution to this cause."

"Through Dettol - Banega Swachh India, RB is showing that the right combination of people and technology can lead to effective social solutions that tackle some of the largest and most difficult challenges we face in India,” said Kirthiga Reddy, Managing Director, Facebook India. “ We are excited to join hands with RB and help this national initiative build a presence by reaching over 100 million people on Facebook across India by leveraging our strength in mobile — both smartphone and feature phone. Our collaborative efforts make this movement social, personal and relevant by inspiring people to action through powerful stories to keep India clean.”

About RB:

RB* is the world’s leading consumer health and hygiene company. The company has operations in over 60 countries, with headquarters in the UK, Singapore, Dubai and Amsterdam, and sales in almost 200 countries. The company employs approximately 37,000 people worldwide.

With a purpose of delivering innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes, RB is in the top 20 of companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today it is the global No 1or No 2 in the majority of its fast-growing categories, driven by an exceptional rate of innovation. Its health, hygiene and home portfolio is led by 19 global Powerbrands of  Nurofen, Strepsils Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Air Wick, Woolite and French’s.  At the start of 2014 RB had 43% of its core revenues coming from its 2 emerging market Areas and 57% from its developed market Area; 72% of core revenues came from the health and hygiene categories of the portfolio.

Fuelled by a new breed of talent who blend intellectual curiosity with commitment to the highest quality standards, RB is set to redefine the world of consumer health and hygiene.  RB people and its culture are at the heart of the company’s success. They have an intense drive for achievement and a desire to outperform wherever they focus, including in sustainability where the company is targeting a 1/3 reduction in water impact, 1/3 reduction in carbon and to have 1/3 of its net revenue coming from more sustainable products by 2020. It is also the Save the Children charity’s largest FMCG global partner, with a new partnership vision to radically reduce the world’s second biggest killer of under-fives, diarrhoea.  Overall RB wants to reach 200 million people to improve their health and hygiene behaviour.  

For more information visit www.rb.com

*RB is the trading name of Reckitt Benckiser group of companies