If you’ve scrolled through Indian business news or social media in the past year, you’ve almost certainly seen Anant Ambani’s name pop up for everything from high-profile public events to groundbreaking industry announcements. It’s no surprise so many people are asking what is anant ambani doing these days, as the youngest son of Mukesh Ambani has stepped into far more visible, impactful roles across the Reliance Group ecosystem and beyond over the last 24 months. This post pulls together verified, up-to-date details on his core focus areas, ongoing projects, and long-term goals, no unsubstantiated gossip or tabloid fluff included.
What is Anant Ambani Doing for Reliance Industries’ Core Growth Verticals?
His primary corporate responsibility right now is leading Reliance New Energy Limited (RNEL), the group’s $10 billion green energy division focused on helping the company hit its net zero target by 2035. He’s overseeing the construction of the Jamnagar Green Energy Giga Complex, one of the world’s largest integrated renewable energy manufacturing hubs, which is set to start partial operations by the end of 2024. If you’ve been wondering what is anant ambani doing to push Reliance away from its historical reliance on fossil fuels, this project is the core answer.
For example, the complex will manufacture solar panels, energy storage batteries, and green hydrogen all on the same site, cutting transportation and supply chain costs dramatically to make renewable energy products far more affordable for small businesses and low-income households. He’s also leading a cross-functional team working on cutting renewable energy costs by 40% over the next three years, a goal that industry analysts say could make India one of the cheapest producers of clean energy in the world. He also spends around 10 hours a week advising the Reliance Retail FMCG team on their expansion into tier 3 and 4 towns, focusing on affordable local food and household product lines that cater to low-income consumers.
His Leading Role in Animal Conservation and Environmental Philanthropy
Outside of his corporate work, Anant Ambani’s most well-known initiative is Vantara, the 3,000-acre animal rescue and rehabilitation facility he launched in Jamnagar in 2023. Vantara has already rescued over 2,000 animals across 40 species as of mid-2024, including elephants, big cats, and primates that were kept in abusive private zoos or displaced by human-animal conflict. He visits the facility at least twice a month to check on animal care and meet with veterinary and conservation staff, and he’s personally involved in approving all new rescue partnerships.
Right now he’s focused on expanding Vantara’s reach both within India and globally, with a series of new initiatives rolling out over the next 18 months:
- A first-of-its-kind elephant rehabilitation center with dedicated veterinary care and natural roaming spaces for 100+ rescued elephants from across South Asia
- Partnerships with state forest departments to train 500+ local youth as wildlife first responders for human-animal conflict incidents in high-risk regions
- An educational outreach program for 20,000+ school students across India to teach wildlife conservation and sustainable living practices
He’s also leading a 100,000-hectare reforestation project across degraded land in Maharashtra and Gujarat, focused on planting native tree species that support local wildlife and provide income opportunities for nearby rural communities through fruit and timber harvests. He’s been vocal about the fact that this project is just as much about supporting people as it is about protecting the environment, and 70% of the project’s staff are hired from local villages.
Public Leadership and Community Outreach Initiatives
Following his wedding to Radhika Merchant earlier this year, the couple launched a series of community welfare projects that Anant Ambani continues to oversee on a weekly basis. The largest of these is a network of free healthcare camps across 50 rural districts in 10 states, which have already provided free check-ups, medication, and minor procedures to over 2 million low-income people who don’t have access to local hospitals. Each camp has specialist doctors for pediatrics, ophthalmology, and general medicine, and patients who need more advanced care are referred to Reliance’s network of hospitals for free treatment.
He’s also leading Reliance’s national skill development program, which offers free 3-month courses in digital literacy, solar panel maintenance, and retail management to youth from low-income households. 90% of program graduates get placed in full-time jobs within 3 months of completing their training, with average starting salaries 2x the local minimum wage for entry-level roles. He’s been spotted at multiple skill center graduation events in small towns across northern India, often staying for hours to talk to students about their career goals and feedback on the program.
Many people don’t realize that he doesn’t just attend high-profile industry summits; he spends at least two days a week visiting rural project sites to talk directly to community members about what support they need. For example, earlier this year he visited a village in Madhya Pradesh that was facing frequent power cuts, and he approved a pilot project to install free solar panels for all 200 households in the village within 30 days of his visit.
Upcoming Long-Term Projects on His Priority List
Over the next three to five years, Anant Ambani’s work will focus on scaling up the projects he’s already launched, rather than taking on too many new unrelated initiatives. The top priority is the full launch of the Jamnagar Green Energy Giga Complex by 2027, which is expected to create 100,000+ new direct and indirect jobs in rural Gujarat. He’s also working on a plan to export affordable renewable energy products to neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to help them meet their own net zero goals at a lower cost.
Another major upcoming project is the national rollout of affordable solar kits for low-income households, which will let families access electricity for as little as ₹100 a month, cutting their energy costs by 70% on average. The kits will include a small solar panel, battery, LED lights, and a charging port for mobile phones, and they’ll be distributed through local self-help groups to make sure they reach the families that need them most. He’s also working on a new initiative to support small and medium farmers across India, providing them with affordable access to green fertilizers, free weather forecasting tools, and direct market linkages to sell their produce at fair prices without relying on middlemen.
For Vantara, his long-term goal is to turn the facility into a global center for conservation research, with partnerships with leading wildlife universities across the world to study endangered species and develop better rescue and rehabilitation practices. He’s also planning to launch a small grant program for local grassroots conservation groups across India that don’t have access to large institutional funding.
At the end of the day, most people asking what is anant ambani doing are looking for more than just tabloid headlines, and it’s clear that his current focus is split evenly between driving sustainable growth for Reliance, expanding his philanthropic conservation work, and supporting marginalized communities across India. Unlike many other young heirs to large business empires, he’s chosen to prioritize high-impact, long-term projects that deliver tangible benefits to ordinary people, rather than sticking to traditional corporate roles. As he continues to roll out new initiatives over the coming years, it’s likely we’ll see his influence grow across both the Indian business landscape and the global conservation space.