Nifty500 Ahimsa Index Launched by NSE Indices

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**NSE Indices Limited** launched the **Nifty500 Ahimsa Index** in strategic partnership with the **Ahimsagain Foundation**.
This new stock index tracks **326 companies** selected from the **Nifty 500** that strictly observe animal welfare and non-violence.

It is India's first specialized rules-based equity index designed specifically to screen and track companies free from animal cruelty.
The index utilizes the proprietary **Ahimsa Investment Movement (AIM)** screening framework developed by the **Ahimsagain Foundation**.
It aims to offer retail and institutional investors a transparent benchmark that aligns financial portfolios with compassion and ethical values.
Financial institutions can use this index as a base for passive investment products like **Mutual Funds**, **Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)**, and index funds.

The **AIM Banding Framework** evaluates company business models and divides them into **Green**, **Orange**, and **Red** categories.
Only companies in the **Green band** meet all non-cruelty criteria and qualify for inclusion in the index.
The index features top-performing firms from information technology, software exports, automobiles, capital goods, and telecommunications.
It strictly excludes companies involved in meat, dairy, poultry, leather, cosmetics, fashion using wool or leather, and pharmaceuticals conducting animal testing.
It excludes commercial banks, major **NBFCs**, and nearly all **Reliance Group** entities because they provide funding to non-compliant sectors.
The index carries a base date of **April 1, 2016** with a base value of **1,000**, uses free-float market capitalization weighting, and reconstitutes semi-annually.

It expands ethical investing beyond standard ESG criteria by incorporating animal welfare as a core factor.
It promotes values-based investment products to satisfy the growing demand from socially conscious investors.