India, March 31, 2020: As India and the world is grappling with the rising number of patients testing positive for the coronavirus, keeping the country on tenterhooks, we find that at such times, Corporates are committed to doing their part in reaching out on its own or by joining hands with the Government to fight the pandemic.
Here are a few more conglomerates joining the bandwagon.
Bharti Enterprises
Bharti Enterprises and its companies Bharti Airtel, Bharti Infratel and others are contributing a sum of over Rs 100 crore for India’s fight against COVID-19. A significant portion of the corpus will be immediately contributed to the PM-CARES Fund. The balance amount is being directed towards sourcing of masks, PPE and other key equipment for the doctors, healthcare workers and essential services personnel who are at the forefront of this massive battle. Over a million N-95 masks are being procured and will be made available on an immediate basis. In addition to the Rs 100 crore committed by Bharti Enterprises, the employees of Bharti are also making personal voluntary contributions towards this cause through a platform set up by the company. Bharti Companies will match the amount contributed by their employees, and the same will be contributed towards the COVID-19 initiatives.
Piramal Group
Piramal Group in its continued commitment towards supporting the nation in its fight against COVID-19 has pledged INR 25 Crores towards the PM-CARES Fund. The monetary commitment comes on the heels of the manpower and services that have already been deployed in collaboration with central and state government entities to address the unprecedented challenges created by this crisis. In collaboration with public health workers, Piramal Swasthya has set-up Health Helplines in seven States to provide health advisory and relief measures to the unserved and underserved communities that do not have access to information, doctors and hospitals. These Helplines receive ~50,000 calls daily, 20 per cent of which are related to COVID-19. The Piramal School of Leadership at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, has offered its 40,000 sq.ft. training facility, along with other Piramal aided schools, to the district authorities for use as isolation centres.
In his individual capacity, Ajay Piramal, Chairman – Piramal Group, along with other eminent personalities from the Indian Industry, is actively supporting the Maharashtra State Government by channelising resources behind interventions across effective utilisation of existing hospitals, creation of new isolation bed capacity, ensuring the availability of critical hospital supplies – medicines and equipment, ventilators, distribution of essential foods and fuel.
DCB Bank
DCB Bank has announced a commitment of INR One crore as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for intervention and measures to manage the outbreak of COVID-19 in India. The Bank will engage with various agencies and partners to manage the response to COVID-19 in India. It aims to deploy this fund within the next three months.
Gaurav Mehta, Head – Corporate Social Responsibility said, “DCB Bank is a part of the communities of our customers across India. COVID-19 is a challenge for it can impact the health and well being of society. DCB Bank has stepped forward to contribute Rupees 1 crore towards measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in India. The Bank is engaged with various agencies and organisations that are involved in dealing with preparations and activities related with the outbreak. Timely response, knowledge resources, on the ground expertise and DCB Bank CSR grant, all have come together rather quickly. The announcement from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) is appreciated. Their decision to permit spends on COVID-19 mitigation measures allowable under CSR expenditure for corporate organisations has galvanised organisations. In the next three months, DCB Bank will work closely with various agencies and partners and through them extend support to the society at large.”
Dalmia Bharat
In its humble bid to contribute to a national cause, Dalmia Bharat Group, one of India’s leading conglomerates, has committed Rs 25 crore to PM-CARES Fund as part of its endeavour to assist the government’s massive efforts against COVID 19.
“Both the Centre and State governments have done an exceptional job to contain the outbreak of COVID-19 in India. India’s strength is its united citizens and loving hearts. We are doing our duty by making a small contribution to PM-CARES and will wholeheartedly do everything to support our PM and State CMs in their efforts to fight this virus,” said Puneet Dalmia, MD, Dalmia Bharat Group.
Ration, grocery and accommodation are being provided to all the contractual labourers who were stuck due to the nation-wide lockdown and stoppage of all transportation. Apart from this, over 100 food packets are being provided twice daily to the local Municipalities and Police to be distributed among the needy and homeless near all the plant locations. It has also committed the use of playgrounds, guest houses and technical centres across all plants to the local authorities for using them as facilities for tackling COVID-19 cases. The canteens of the Dalmia Bharat factories across India are also being used to prepare food for local distribution in the regions.
The Hero Group
The Hero Group has pledged Rs 100 crore for the ongoing COVID-19 relief-efforts in India. Half of this sum, Rs 50 crore, will be contributed to the PM-CARES Fund and the remaining Rs 50 crore will be spent in other relief efforts. The Hero Group (BML Munjal family) companies contributing to this fund include Hero MotoCorp, Hero FinCorp, Hero Future Energies, Rockman Industries and Hero Electronix. Hero Enterprise and AG Industries have also contributed to this fund.
Dr Pawan Munjal said, “Our country, and indeed the entire world, is currently facing an unprecedented challenge in the form of COVID-19. In such critical times, it is of utmost importance and urgency that we all come together and support the marginalized sections of the society, along with those who are in dire conditions. In the extended Hero family, we are humbled in making this contribution, partially to the PM-Cares Fund and remaining towards relief efforts through other channels. I also urge the citizens of our country to support the Hon’ble Prime Minister and local authorities by staying home and help in stopping the spread of the pandemic coronavirus.”
Samsung India
Samsung is committed to working together with the people of India in this hour of difficulty. As a first step, Samsung has begun supporting local authorities in the states in their preventive drive to combat the spread of the epidemic by providing thousands of Preventive Masks and Personal Preventive Equipment (PPE) kits to hospitals. The PPE kit is an essential preventive healthcare utility and each kit includes: Surgeon Gown, Face Mask, Gloves, Preventive Eyewear, Hood Cap and Shoe Cover. In addition, Samsung will also be providing a large number of Infra-red Thermometers and Public Address systems that can be used by the authorities at hospitals and at other facilities. Along with these, Air Purifiers that are vital to improving the ambient air quality in medical facilities are also being provided.
Samsung is also supporting local police in providing cooked food packets to local communities around its manufacturing facility.
State Bank of India
In the fight against COVID-19, around 2,56,000 employees of the country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) have decided to contribute two days’ salary to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. With this collective effort and commitment of SBI employees, Rs.100 crore will be donated to the PM-CARES Fund which is created to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, SBI had committed 0.25 per cent of annual profit for FY 2019-20 as a part of its CSR activities to fight COVID-19.
Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, SBI said “It is a matter of pride for State Bank of India that all our employees voluntarily came forward to pledge their two days’ salary to the PM-CARES Fund. This is the time where we all need to combat this battle of COVID-19 outbreak with united efforts. We at SBI would keep continuing our support the government in all its endeavours to address the challenges of this pandemic.”
LG Electronics India
LG Electronics, India’s leading consumer durable brand pledges support towards India’s Fight against COVID-19. Reaffirming its commitment towards people of India, LG announces several initiatives to help the community in every possible aspect. Due to the nation lockdown, there are a huge number of migrant labourers and daily wage workers who are struggling each day and yearning for essentials to survive. LG takes up the responsibility in partnership with Akshaya Patra Foundation, to serve meals to these people across India. LG will be sponsoring over one million meals.
In addition to this, and with an aim to provide basic amenities to the doctors and patients, LG India is also donating products to the hospitals allotted for quarantine/ isolation wards. The brand will cover 50 State and district hospitals to further enhance the set-up by providing water purifiers, air conditioners, refrigerators and TV. Several State Governments have appreciated LG Electronics support to fight against this pandemic.
Commenting on the initiatives, Young Lak Kim – MD – LG Electronics India said, “In these precarious and uncertain times, LG India believes in helping and supporting the government and citizens of India with a meaningful contribution. We are donating over a million meals to those who are affected by this necessary lockdown in order to fight the coronavirus. We are also providing a range of our products for various states hospitals set up for COVID-19. Our initiative is designed to help those in need and contribute to society at this critical juncture in a positive way. We will further monitor the situation and accordingly align our CSR endeavours.
Sundeep Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer – Akshaya Patra said, “Hunger has emerged as a big challenge due to COVID-19 and a large number of people need to be supported. We are extremely thankful to our Corporate partners like LG Electronics India for coming forth and extending generous support towards the provision of over a million meals to people in need during this lockdown. We will continue to work together and serve people in this uncertain situation.”
Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered has committed USD One billion of financing for companies that provide goods and services to help the fight against COVID-19, and those planning the switch into making products that are in high demand to fight the global pandemic. Companies in scope include all those associated with helping to tackle COVID-19, including manufacturers and distributors in the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare providers, as well as non-medical companies that have volunteered to add this capability to their manufacturing output – goods in scope include ventilators, face masks, protective equipment, sanitisers and other consumables.
Simon Cooper, CEO of Corporate, Commercial & Institutional Banking at Standard Chartered, said: “Clearly there’s a cost for companies to switch into these hugely in-demand items, so it’s an area where we can help them get up and running more quickly. At the same time, we want to make sure that existing manufacturers and service providers get the support they need.”
The bank intends to provide, at preferential rates, at least USD1 billion of financing to those companies in the form of loans, import/export finance or the working capital facilities that they use for day-to-day business operations to help them tool up, and help existing manufacturers get their products to market. Standard Chartered is also trying to identify companies that may wish to switch into or add anti-virus products to their output but haven’t indicated that they will do so at this stage. “Our industry teams are looking across our client base and, given our understanding of clients’ current manufacturing processes, we’re assessing which companies might want to consider adding these items to their production line,” Simon added.
Micron Technology
Micron Technology has committed USD 35 million to help those disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The company will launch a new Micron Foundation USD10 million relief fund, increase employee gift matching, and introduce financial assistance for team members through grants. Micron will also provide in-kind support by accelerating payments to small business suppliers, and donating facilities and supplies for emergency medical response.
“Micron is prioritising the health and safety of our team members and partners, and the well-being of the communities in which we operate. As the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic becomes more apparent, we are immediately accelerating our efforts to provide funding, resources and support to those most impacted by this health crisis,” said Micron President and Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Mehrotra.
The new $10 million Micron Foundation COVID-19 Relief Fund will go toward global initiatives focused on economic recovery, addressing both current and future community needs. Funding will help support a range of charities and initiatives, from food banks and school meal programs to health facilities and online learning resources for students. n addition, Micron has implemented a 2-to-1 company match for all designated COVID-19 donations to our Micron Gives charitable program to double the impact of these contributions. As part of its plans to offer greater community resources, Micron will provide up to 300,000 protective masks to local health officials and make Micron facilities available as additional capacity for overflow patients if hospitals become overwhelmed.