As India is grappling with the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, multinational corporations that operate in India are stepping up to help.
Google, Amazon and Microsoft have pitched in to help India fight its second — and more serious — Covid wave. “Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information,” wrote Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
“Today we’re announcing 135 Crore INR ($18 million USD) in new funding for India. This includes two grants from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, totalling 20 Crore INR ($2.6 million USD). The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it’s needed most in India. It also includes donations from our ongoing employee giving campaign — so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed 3.7 Crore INR ($500,000 USD) for organizations supporting high-risk and marginalized communities,” Google wrote in its blog.
Amazon meanwhile has said that it’s airlifting over 8000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore. “In the urgent fight against the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, Amazon has joined hands with ACT Grants, Temasek Foundation, Pune Platform for COVID-19 Response (PPCR) and other partners to urgently airlift over 8000 oxygen concentrators and 500 BiPAP machines from Singapore. All the organizations are working closely with the Indian Government to expedite the entry of these oxygen concentrators and BiPAP machines into the country. These medical equipment will be donated to hospitals and public institutions to augment their capacity to help COVID-19 infected patients across multiple cities,” Amazon said in a blogpost.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that his company too would purchase critical oxygen concentration devices. “Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices,” he tweeted.
Several Indian companies too have stepped forward to help the country procure oxygen for critically ill patients. Reliance said it’s supplying 700 tonnes of oxygen per day from its Jamnagar plant, and steel companies like Tata, JSW and Jindal Steel are also supplying oxygen. Logistics companies like ITC and Delhivery said that they were helping transport oxygen cylinders and containers.