Ola and Kendriya Sainik Board kick off a special awareness drive on the eve of Armed Forces Flag Day

~ Ola Sainiks to lead the drive by creating awareness to mobilise funds by educating customers & fellow driver partners ~

• Ola Sainiks named brand ambassadors of the week-long multi-city fund raising drive
• Kendriya Sainik Board flags off special cabs to create awareness among millions of Ola customers

New Delhi, December 6, 2017: Ola, India’s most popular app for transportation has partnered with Kendriya Sainik Board, New Delhi to raise awareness to mobilise funds for Armed Forces Flag Day (AFFD). This initiative is part of a week-long, multi-city fundraising campaign that was kickstarted by the Defence Ministry of India from December 1 to December 7, 2017.

As part of the event, Ola Sainiks, ex-servicemen who are associated with Ola as driver partners and operators were felicitated as the brand ambassadors for Ola’s contribution towards AFFD. As ambassadors, Ola Sainiks will be engaging with fellow driver partners and Ola customers sensitising them about Armed Forces Flag Day.

Commenting on the initiative, Pranay Jivrajka, Founding Partner at Ola said, “As young citizens, it’s our duty to contribute towards the rehabilitation and welfare of the dependents of our brave martyrs and disabled personnel. We have launched a week-long campaign and are proud to have our Ola Sainiks raise awareness and mobilise funds from the vast pool of driver partners as well as the customers for the Armed Forces Flag Day. I would like to personally thank each one of them for their dedication towards this cause and I urge all our customers to come forward and donate in their individual capacity.”

Brig M H Rizvi, Secretary Kendriya Sainik Board said, “We are glad that Ola has come forward to help us in raising awareness and funds for the families of the soldiers who have made so many  sacrifices for the nation in the line of duty. Every single rupee counts as it will help the cause of rehabilitation and welfare of the families of martyrs and disabled ex-servicemen. Ola Sainiks have served the nation earlier and now they are the serving the common man. I am inspired to see their commitment towards gathering funds for Armed Forces Flag Day and wish them the very best in their endeavour.”

As part of the fundraising drive, Ola employees have also, pledged contributions for the AFFD Fund. Furthermore, Ola’s driver partners are extending their contributions to the cause. They will be donating through donation boxes set up at the driver attachment centers across 10 states. Ola is also distributing Armed Forces Flags to the general public visiting Ola Kiosks across major cities, urging customers to contribute to the fund during the week-long campaign.

About Ola Sainik:

The ‘Ola Sainik’ programme was launched in partnership with Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) under the Ministry of Defence. This partnership offers opportunities for ex-servicemen to become micro entrepreneurs with Ola. To support them in their goals of financial independence, Ola has invested in their re-skilling enabling them to grasp the technology and making it possible for them to grow as skilled micro-entrepreneurs on the Ola platform.  

About Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB)

Kendriya Sainik Board (KSB) is the apex body of the Govt. of India, which formulates policies for Resettlement and Welfare of Ex-Servicemen and their dependents. The Board has Hon’ble Raksha Mantri as its President and other members in the Board, which include Minister of Central Govt besides the three Services Chiefs, Senior Govt Officials, retired officers, ladies, and retired JCOs. The Board meets to review outstanding issues related to resettlement and welfare of Ex-Servicemen and considers new concessions and schemes. The Secretariat of Kendriya Sainik Board is headed by a serving officer of the rank of Brigadier or equivalent from the Navy / Air Force.

About Ola:

Founded in Jan 2011 by IIT Bombay alumni Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, Ola (formerly Olacabs), is India’s most popular mobile app for personal transportation. Ola integrates city transportation for customers and driver partners onto a mobile technology platform ensuring convenient, transparent and quick service fulfillment. Ola is committed to its mission of building mobility for a billion people. Using the Ola mobile app, users across 110 cities can book from over 800,000 vehicles across cabs, auto-rickshaws and taxis. Ola has also introduced a range of shared mobility services on its platform like Ola Shuttle and Ola Share for commute and ride-sharing respectively. The app is available on Windows, Android and iOS platforms. Please visitwww.olacabs.com/media for more information.

For additional details, please contact:

Amit Nanchahal | media@olacabs.com | +91 8130463737

Varnika Gupta | media@olacabs.com | +91 9999004643