Wipro, Azim Premji Foundation contribute Rs 1,125 cr to tackle coronavirus crisis

Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling crisis arising from the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in India. "These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the front-line of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society," Wipro said in a statement.

Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises will donate Rs 25 crore and Azim Premji Foundation will make contribution of Rs 1,000 crore. The company said the contribution was in addition to the annual CSR activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation.

The company said it'll take "integrated action" for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific areas to contain to the COVID-19 outbreak and treat the patients. The Azim Premji Foundation's 1,600-person team in collaboration with its over 350 strong civil society partners will lead the effort in coordinating with government institutions. "These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro," it added.

The tech giant is among scores of big contributors including Tata Sons, Reliance Industry, Paytm, Adani, L&T, JSW Group, among others who have pledged to help in India's fight against the deadly virus. Tata Sons and Tata Trusts on March 28 announced Rs 1,500 crore support towards the PM CARES Fund. Reliance Industries on Monday donated Rs 500 crore to PM's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES) Fund. The company has also scaled up its capacities to produce one lakh masks and thousands of protective gear for health workers daily.

The other companies that have also donated include PFC (Rs 200 crore), L&T (Rs 150 crore), Infosys Foundation (Rs 100 crore), Bharti Enterprises (Rs 100 crore), NMDC (Rs 150 crore) and JSPL (Rs 25 crore), among others. The PM-CARES Fund was established on March 28 to raise money to fight against COVID-19 and provide relief to the affected.

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