Capitalism often can get itself a bad name — companies are thought to be faceless entities, which pursue profit at the cost of everything else. But as India has tried to come to terms with the coronavirus epidemic that it’s currently confronting, Indian companies have made themselves proud by donating generously towards relief and rescue efforts. Here are some of the major donations.
1.Tata Group: Rs. 1500 crore
The Tata Group is one of India’s most respected business houses, and during the corona outbreak it’s shown why: Tata Trusts donated Rs. 500 crore towards fighting the pandemic, while Tata Sons put in Rs. 1000 crore, making the entire group’s contribution a whopping Rs. 1500 crore.
2. Reliance: Rs. 500 crore
India’s most valuable company Reliance had earlier said it was producing masks in large numbers, and had even built India’s first dedicated Covid-19 hospital in Mumbai. It now announced that it was donating an additional Rs. 500 crore towards fighting the pandemic.
3. L&T: Rs. 150 crore
Larsen and Toubro put in Rs. 150 crore towards fighing Covid-19. “Responding to the call given by Prime Minister of India, the company will donate Rs 150 crore to the PM-Cares fund,” L&T said in a statement.
4. Adani Group: Rs. 100 crore
The Adani Group said it was putting in Rs. 100 crore towards fighting the pandemic. “Adani Foundation is humbled to contribute Rs 100 crore to the #PMcaresfund in this hour of India’s battle against #COVID19,” Gautam Adani tweeted.
5. Airtel: Rs. 100 crore
Airtel today pledged Rs. 100 crore towards fighting the pandemic. “These are extremely challenging times as the world battles the biggest healthcare crisis of the modern era in the form of COVID-19 epidemic. As a nation, our immediate priority is to collectively support the efforts of the government to mitigate the impact of this crisis,” Bharti Airtel said in a statement.
6. Infosys: Rs. 100 crore
Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Infosys, committed Rs 100 crore to support efforts towards fighting COVID-19 in India. The Foundation has contributed half of this commitment (Rs 50 crore) to the PM CARES Fund, a statement said. This sum will primarily be utilised across three broad areas of support that the Foundation has prioritised, including expansion of hospital capacity for treatment and enable hospital stays for COVID-19 patients across India, especially ones belonging to the economically weaker sections of the society, it added.
7. JSW: Rs. 100 crore
JSW committed Rs 100 crore to the PM-CARES Fund to fight the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in the country. Additionally, each employee of JSW Group has also committed a minimum of a one-day’s salary as a donation to the PM-CARES Fund.
8. Torrent Group: Rs. 100 crore
The Ahmedebad-based Torrent Group has committed Rs 100 crore to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
9. Vedanta Group: Rs. 100 crore
The mining giant Vedanta Group was one of the earliest companies to commit to a donation, putting in Rs. 100 crore towards fighting the pandemic.
10. Hero Motocorp: Rs. 100 crore
Hero Group announced its pledge for Rs 100 Crore as an aid for the ongoing relief efforts in India. The company said in a press statement that half of this sum, Rs 50 crore, will be contributed to the PM-Cares fund while the remaining Rs 50 crore will be spent in other relief efforts.
11. Kotak Bank: Rs. 50 crore
Kotak Bank Chairman and Kotak Bank together put in Rs. 50 crore towards fighting the Covid-19 epidemic.
12. Asian Paints: Rs. 35 crore
Asian Paints put in Rs. 35 crore towards fighting Covid-19. “As a socially responsible company, Asian Paints is committed to providing necessary support towards various relief measures announced by the government to combat Covid-19” said K.B.S. Anand, Managing Director & CEO, Asian Paints Limited.
13. TVS Motors: Rs. 25 crore
TVS Motors pledged Rs. 25 crore towards fighting the Covid-19 epidemic. “The Covid-19 pandemic marks an unprecedented time in modern history and it will require the best of humanity to overcome the battle. We applaud the Government’s strong resolve and numerous actions to fight this. Now, more than ever, it requires all of us to cooperate and support each other as a nation,” said Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, TVS Motor Company.
14. Patanjali: Rs. 25 crore
Baba Ramdev said Patanjali will donate Rs 25 crore to the PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund). Also, all employees of his Patanjali and Ruchi Soya will donate their one-day salary, collectively amounting to Rs 1.5 crore, to the PM CARES fund, he added.