Reliance Industries has also said that it is enhancing its production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day along with suits and garments.
Even as the number of COVID-19 positive cases rises across India, Reliance Industries Limited, the country’s largest private sector company, has helped set-up a dedicated 100-bedded centre at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai, for patients who test positive for the disease. Set up in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the company says that the facility includes a negative pressure room that helps in preventing cross-contamination and helps control infection.
“All beds are equipped with the required infrastructure, bio-medical equipment such as ventilators, pacemakers, dialysis machine and patient monitoring devices,” a statement from the company said.
A fully-equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra, has also been built for the purpose and handed over to district authorities. Additionally, the Reliance Foundation Hospital has offered to set up special medical facilities to quarantine travellers from notified countries and suspected cases identified through contact tracing.
The foundation has said that it will tie up with NGOs to provide free meals across various cities. Even as frontline workers and doctors continue to report a shortage of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), RIL has said that it is enhancing its production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day along with suits and garments.
RIL has revealed that its Jio Haptik powers the Indian government’s new WhatsApp chatbot, called ‘MyGov Corona Helpdesk,’ to answer queries on the pandemic. “This Chatbot has been developed by Jio Haptik for the Government as per their requirement, free of cost, and updated on real time,” it said.
Jio has said that it would provide Basic JioFiber broadband connectivity (10 Mbps), wherever it is geographically feasible, without any service charges, for this period.
“For all existing JioFiber subscribers, Jio will provide double data across all plans,” it said.
Reliance has also promised free fuel for emergency service vehicles transporting COVID-19 patients to and from quarantine and isolation facilities as well as quarantined people on the basis of lists provided by government agencies.
RIL has also announced an initial support of Rs. 5 crore to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund
With regard to Reliance Retail, RIL said that its groceries stores across the country would ensure sufficient supply of essentials, including staples, fruits and vegetables, bread, breakfast cereals and other items of daily use so that citizens need not stock up.
Wherever possible, grocery stores will be open longer from 7 am to 11 pm.
With regard to its own employees, RIL has said that it will continue to pay contract and temporary workers, even if work has halted due to this crisis. “For those earning below Rs. 30,000 per month, salaries will be paid twice a month to protect their cash flow and mitigate any overwhelming financial burden,” said the company.
