BENGALURU: The challenges being thrown at the corporate sector by a slumping economy have not held it back from supporting the government and health agencies in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic. India Inc has been advised to donate generously to the PM CARES Fund which will be counted as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending in a new set of FAQs released by the corporate ministry on Saturday.
The guidelines state that any contribution by the enterprises to the State relief funds will not be considered as their CSR expenditure.
Although Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was one of the first state heads to announce a separate CM relief fund, the state’s corporate sector has largely donated to the PM CARES Fund. Right from the global IT companies to small manufacturing firms, the businesses have put their best foot forward to solve the various problems arising due to the COVID-19 crisis.
The measures announced by the private sector include feeding millions of daily wage labourers, augmenting the infrastructure of healthcare facilities as well as ensuring continuity in the food supply chain among others. Azim Premji-led Wipro and Azim Premji Foundation have shown the way by announcing a Rs 1,125 crore fund dedicated towards fighting the virus with special support to frontline healthcare workers as well as underprivileged sections of the society. The Foundation’s 600-member team will work with the government and other stakeholders to treat those affected as well as help contain the disease. Infosys Foundation has also committed Rs 100 crore.
A half of it (Rs 50 crore) has been announced for the PM CARES Fund. Infosys will also support the construction of an exclusive COVID hospital in Bengaluru in addition to supplying Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), ventilators and masks for healthcare workers throughout the country. Bengaluru-based real estate firm Embassy Group said that they are working to aid the 3,800 Traffic police personnel deployed in Bengaluru amidst the lockdown by setting up hydration stations across the city, supplying them with healthcare and food supplies as well as distributing masks/sanitizers to the residents in North Bengaluru oustkirts.
The company’s employees have also announced voluntary pay cuts to contribute Rs 72 lakh to fight the virus. Ride hailing firm Ola will provide at least 500 vehicles to the Karnataka government for transporting the medicos and other frontline workers. CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said that a string of measures for the financial and health safety of its drivers have also been undertaken. K Ganesh, Investor, Promoter, HungerBox, Big Basket, Fresh Menu has partnered with Venkat K Narayana – CEO, Prestige Group, and Juggy Marwaha – Executive MD, JLL India, to provide nearly 10,000-15,000 meals every day to daily wage workers/ homeless across the city.
HungerBox said that the meals are being prepared in its cloud kitchens and being distributed to the thousands of labourers living across migrant camps, slums in Bengaluru. Business conglomerate Atria is serving at least 1.5 lakh meals across 100 locations in Bengaluru in which over 300 employees of the company are participating voluntarily. “We decided to feed the people who have been worst hit through ‘Serve Bengaluru’,” Kaushik Raju, Director, Atria Groups, said.