How brands are contributing to the fight against Coronavirus

• As the number of Covid-19 cases keep going up in India, various brands and business tycoons have come ahead to donate to help the government in its drive to control the spread of the virus.
• While many companies have created funds to contribute to the PM Cares Fund, a lot of other brands are contributing by donating sanitizers, masks and even food, to help those in the need.

The world, as we knew it even till a month back, has changed. With the Coronavirus outbreak, our country, along with many other countries across the world has announced complete lockdown. The effects of this pandemic, both on the economy, and on human life, will be massive.

At the time of writing this report, the number of positive cases in India crossed 1,050, and the death toll stands at 29. And the number is growing with each passing day.

While governments across the globe are working tirelessly to come up with ways of minimizing the impact of this pandemic, we have seen many brands come forward, and contribute in different ways, to help out in these trying times.

Since we are seeing a lot of brands come up with many initiatives almost every day, we will keep updating this space with the latest happenings.

Tata Group:
Ratan Tata, Chairman Tata Trusts and Chairman Emeritus Tata Sons, pledged Rs 500 crore to protect and empower all affected communities. The money will be spent on personal protective equipment for medical personnel, respiratory systems for treating increasing cases, testing kits to increase per capita testing, setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients and knowledge management and training of health workers and the general public.



Mahindra Group:
Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group said he will donate 100% of his salary to create a fund to help small businesses and self-employed people who are expected to be impacted the most due to the outbreak. He also urged our businesses to also set aside contributions for those who are the hardest hit in their ecosystem.


ITC:
ITC is setting up a Contingency Fund of Rs 150 crore to address and manage the challenges arising out of the Covid-19 outbreak. The fund will be utilised primarily to provide relief to the vulnerable and most needy sections of society who have been harshly impacted by the pandemic and have faced significant disruption in their livelihoods. Additionally, the fund will collaborate with District Authorities to provide assistance to the district health and rural healthcare eco-system that reaches out to the weakest sections of society. Furthermore, the brand added that the resources under this fund could also be channelised towards the protection and well-being of the ground forces doing commendable work to reach medicines, groceries, other essential goods, sourcing of agri-commodities and so on for people across the country during the lockdown, by providing protective personal gear and hygiene products to such frontline warriors.

Reckitt Benckiser:
Reckitt Benckiser has launched the RB Fight for Access Fund to improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. As part of this fund, an additional £32 million has been mobilized to address the urgent collective fight against the spread of Covid-19 by breaking the chain of this fast-spreading infection. In India, the brand will be distributing 10 million units of Dettol Soap to the most vulnerable. RB will also be donating 1 million litres of its disinfectant products including Lizol disinfectant liquid and Harpic toilet cleaners to aid India’s states in fighting this crisis especially in public health institutions and at the frontline with health and sanitation workers. It will donate critical protection equipment, 3.5 million N95 masks with a focus on pharmacists and health care workers. These will be distributed across their major markets. Dettol is also partnering with Bollywood actress, Madhur Dixit to release an engaging public service announcement #ApniSurkashaApneHaath to encourage viewers to practice handwashing.

Godrej Group:
The Godrej Group announced that it is earmarking a fund of Rs 50 crore for community support and relief initiatives in India. This is an initial outlay and the corporate said that it hopes to supplement it over time. It has been buying and supplying medical equipment and protective supplies for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). As a part of the initiative, the group has donated Rs 5 crore to the BMC, donated 115 hospital beds to Maharashtra government hospitals and helped set up a 75-bed quarantine center at the Seven Hills Hospital. Moreover, it has supported the free distribution of 1 million packets of Godrej Protekt Mr. Magic powder-to-liquid hand wash in Maharashtra through partnership with the BMC and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), partnered with communities linked to their CSR programmes to support 1.12 lakh beneficiaries across 8 states with hand wash, sanitisers and soap, donated sanitisers to the Mumbai police force, begun ramping up capacity to meet the demand for soap, hand wash and sanitisers and initiated outreach through various networks and hand wash education programmes.

Reliance Group:
Mukesh Ambani has pledged to donate Rs 5 crore to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Led by Nita, Ambani Reliance Foundation has promised to provide a free meal to needy people across the country. Additionally, Ambani has also donated a hospital for the patients battling with infection of Covid-19 and will set up a dedicated 100-bed centre at Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai, along with a fully-equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra.

Paytm:
Paytm said that it is aiming to contribute ₹500 crore to the PM CARES Fund. For every contribution, or any other payment done by consumers on Paytm, the online payment app said it will contribute an extra up to ₹10.



PhonePe:
PhonePe has launched a #100CrorePledge, urging 10 crore Indian citizens to donate to the PMCARES Fund to show their solidarity in fighting the menace of COVID-19. PhonePe has pledged to contribute Rs 10 for every Indian who donates even Rs 1 to the PMCARES Fund via the PhonePe App using UPI by April 30, 2020. In total, PhonePe has pledged to contribute a maximum of up to Rs 100 crore.



Zomato:
Along with announcing measures to help its partner restaurants, delivery staff, and other daily wage workers in India who are currently income-starved due to the lockdown, Zomato set up ‘Feeding India’, a fund to support families of the daily wage workers in India in the absence of employment opportunities. Known as ‘Feeding India’, the initiative has successfully received more than Rs 6 crore in funds.



Parle:
Parle, makers of the much loved Parle-G biscuits announced that it is joining hands with the government to give away 3 crore packets of Parle-G to people in need over the next 3 weeks. The brand made the announcement after PM Narendra Modi made an announcement of the country’s lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus.



Diageo:
Diageo India, the liquor firm that sells McDowell’s whisky and Smirnoff vodka, will produce 3 lakh litres of hand sanitizers to help overcome its shortage in the country due to the Covid-19 outbreak. A stock exchange filing by the company stated that 15 of the liquor firm’s manufacturing units are being repurposed to manufacture hand sanitisers and donation of extra neutral alcohol (ENA).

Kansai Nerolac:
Kansai Nerolac Paints has announced that it will do an early disbursement of funds to its painter community falling under the Nerolac Premium Painter Pragati (NPP Pragati) Programme. Over 30,000 painters can benefit from Nerolac’s initiative, upto Rs 36,000 approximately.

Mankind Pharma:
Mankind Pharma has pledged to donate Rs 51 crore to CM Relief fund to manage the outbreak. The brand will be donating ventilators, Personal protective equipment (PPE) and medicines to the states reporting maximum number of positive cases. Mankind Pharma will be working closely with the Governments of Kerala, Maharashtra, UP, Uttrakhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, AP, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, HP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, West Bengal J&K and Orrisa.