#Coronavirus: Reliance Will Pay Double Salary, Offers Free Petrol, Setup Up India’s 1st Coronavirus Hospital

As per the reports, the telecom major, Reliance Industries has announced a detailed plan to support India’s fight against Covid-19, which includes medical help through its hospital, healthcare facilities using the Jio platform, and providing free fuel for all emergency service vehicles, the Mukesh Ambani-led company said on Monday.

What Does The Announcement Say?

In the announcement, RIL announced initial support of Rs 5 crore to Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Earlier, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that the government will allow India Inc to use funds from its mandatory corporate social responsibility program for spending on combating Covid-19.

RIL said “RIL has responded to its call-of-duty to be at the service of the nation 24×7 in our collective fight against Covid-19. RIL has already initiated multi-pronged prevention, mitigation, and ongoing support strategy that is comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient. This approach can be ramped up further to scale as required by the nation,” in a press statement.

Further, RIL said it has deployed the combined strengths of Reliance Foundation, Reliance Retail, Jio, Reliance Life Sciences, Reliance Industries, and all the 6,00,000 people that work for the group on this action plan against COVID-19.

What About The Hospital?

Reliance has set up a dedicated 100 bedded center at Seven Hills Hospital, Mumbai for patients who test positive for Covid-19.

The Reliance Foundation Hospital in collaboration with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Also, the group’s H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital has offered to set up special medical facilities to quarantine travelers from notified countries and suspected cases.

Along with NGOs, Reliance Foundation, will provide free meals to people across various cities in partnership with NGOs to offer necessary livelihood relief in the current crisis.

Further, the company has built a fully-equipped isolation facility in Lodhivali, Maharashtra.

Also, the company said its team at Reliance Life Sciences is working to find a cure for Covid-19. 

Moreover, they are also importing additional test kits, and have increased their production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks per day and a large number of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.

In a statement, the company said, “Jio is combining its digital capabilities with Microsoft Teams, the unified communication and collaboration hub for teamwork in Office 365, to enable individuals, students, educational and healthcare institutions to continue their professional lives while still practicing social distancing,”.

Also, the company said that its 736 grocery Reliance Retail stores across the country will ensure a sufficient supply of essentials and will remain open for longer hours wherever possible.

What About The Contract And Temporary Workers?

While talking about the wages, Reliance Industries on Monday said it will pay the contract and temporary workers wages even in case of no work due to a coronavirus outbreak.

Further, to help its employees manage financial stress, Reliance said that those who earn less than Rs 30,000 will be paid twice a month. 

Indeed, the company has taken the step to “protect their cash flow and mitigate any overwhelming financial burden”.