The Care Today Fund was set up by the India Today group in 1999, honoring the desires of the readers who wanted to help people affected by tragedies and lighten the burden of those affected. It became a platform for the readers to contribute generously, with the knowledge that their contributions were being used judiciously and would have a positive impact on the lives of the victims. Care Today is governed by a Board of Trustees that includes Mr. Aroon Purie the Editor-in-Chief of India Today. Day-to-day operations are managed by a three-member team, headed by the Executive Director.
Since its inception, with the help of contributions from its donors and working in partnership with some well-known NGOs, Care Today has been able to reach out to thousands of disaster-affected families. In the past 18 years, since Care Today's formation, many special programs have been launched to respond to major tragedies. It started with 'The Lest We Forget Fund' that worked towards providing a secure future for 38 soldiers from the Indian Army who had sustained permanent disabilities in battle. 'The Hope for Orissa Fund' has worked with orphans and widows from the 1999 super cyclone, and also built shelters for coastal communities to ensure that disasters do not cause such damage in the future. 'The Fight the Drought Fund' worked towards sustainable solutions for drought-affected communities in western Rajasthan and northern Gujarat. 'The Rebuilding Gujarat Fund' worked with the worst affected individuals and communities from the 2001 earthquake, rebuilding and retrofitting homes, and building special homes for those who were disabled, ensuring financial security for widows and the aged, and rebuilding community infrastructure. Similarly projects such as 'Make a Difference Tsunami' 'Comfort Kashmir', 'Bihar Flood Relief Fund', 'Ganga Floods Relief Fund', 'Jammu and Kashmir Flood Relief Fund', 'Care Today Couch Cares Fund', 'Help for Gudiya' have made a lasting impact on the lives people struck by tragedies.
In March 2014 Care Today Fund established 'Care Today A/c Clean Toilet Fund' project with the donations received from the participants of the 13th edition of the India Today Conclave. 750 household toilets were constructed for needy women from poor communities in the states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.
In 2015, with the CSR grant received from TV Today Network limited 'Care Today A/c TV Today Network Ltd' project was established. With these grants, 869 household toilets have been constructed so far; and another 200 more toilets are under construction in the states of Maharashtra, Odisha, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Our NGO partners are regularly applauded by communities we serve and appreciated by local administrations. One such example is that one of our Partner NGOs, Society for Himalayan Agriculture & Rural Development (SHARD), implementing TV Today Network's project, was awarded the Uttarakhand Raajya Swachhata Gaurav Sammaan (State Sanitation Distinction Award) on 22nd June 2017. The award was given by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, recognizing NGO's contribution towards Government of India's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiatives.
