RLI was started in 1992 in North Eastern part of USA by Past RI Director David Linnett and a few other Past District Governors. It came to India in 2002. It was popularised in the Eastern and Western parts of India by Rtn. Binod Khaitan and PDG Rtn. Subhash Saraf.
In Southern India, PDG Rtn. Rekha Shetty carried on the work for several years before PDG Dr George Sundararaj took up the responsibility in 2016. Now Zone 5 Southern India RLI Division has become one of the very active Divisions in the world with all the 12 Districts doing RLI programmes and paying the certification fees to be one of the 400 recognised Districts of the world with RLI activities.
Currently, there are several volunteer Facilitators of RLI in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan who are serving Rotarians by doing hundreds of RLI sessions in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives. The club can make use of this programme and send its members and club officers to the RLI sessions, which surely will make them informed Rotarians and effective leaders.