Coronavirus Outbreak: Azim Premji Foundation, Wipro Commit Rs 1,125 Crore

Corporate houses have responded to the government’s clarion call to help it fight the battle against the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) by providing assistance.

On Wednesday, Azim Premji Foundation, Wipro, and Wipro Enterprises together committed a sum of Rs 1,125 crore for tackling Covid-19, making it one of the largest such donations among India corporate houses. Of the total commitment, Wipro will pay Rs 100 crore and Wipro Enterprises Rs 25 crore, with Azim Premji Foundation, the charitable arm of the conglomerate, pledging Rs 1,000 crore.

The company said that the sums were in addition to the annual CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities of Wipro, and the philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation.

According to the group, the resources will help enable the medical and service fraternity on the frontlines of the battle against Covid-19 and in mitigating the pandemic’s impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged sections of society.

“Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the Covid-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it. These responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundation’s 1,600-strong team, in collaboration with many of its over 350 strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country,” the company said in a release. “These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro.”

Wipro follows in the footsteps of Tata Group, which pledged Rs 1,500 crore to fight the deadly disease. Meanwhile, the country’s second largest IT services player, Infosys, has committed Rs 100 crore.

On Wednesday, Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys said it would partner with Narayana Health to launch a 100-room quarantine facility for Covid-19 patients in Bengaluru. “The facility, aimed at serving patients belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society, will accommodate patients, offer regular monitoring by doctors, nurses, and provide essential medication, free of cost,” Infosys said.

Hazmat suits

Chinese short video app TikTok said on Wednesday that it was donating 400,000 hazmat (hazardous materials) suits and 200,000 masks worth Rs 100 crore in total to protect doctors and frontline medical staff in India.

“The Government of India has been making concerted efforts to contain the spread of the virus and through this donation we want to contribute towards this effort. With support from the Union Ministry of Textile, this essential gear, which meets the prescribed standards and guidelines, is being handed over to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Additionally, our contribution also covers local/state-level medical workers, as we have donated 200,000 masks to Delhi and Maharashtra governments,” TikTok said in a statement.

TikTok, owned by ByteDance, has over 20 million users in India. Last week, the company announced that it was not going to play high-definition and ultra-high-definition videos on its platform to ease network pressures.

It has also tied up with the World Health Organization (WHO), which posts informative videos, and has hosted two livestreams on March 17 and 19, which were watched across 70 markets by about 350,000 users.