Billionaire Azim Premji commits ₹1,125 crore to fight Covid-19

After the Tata group’s ₹1,500-crore commitment to fight the spread of Covid-19, Bengaluru-based billionaire Azim Premji on Wednesday committed ₹1,125 crore for tackling the unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis arising out of the pandemic.

Premji’s listed information technology services company Wipro Ltd, unlisted consumer entity Wipro Enterprises, and his philanthropic organisation the Azim Premji Foundation would together contribute to fight the disease, which has claimed 38 lives in India so far. The total number of active Covid-19 cases in the country has touched 1,466.

Of the ₹1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd’s commitment is ₹100 crore, Wipro Enterprises’ ₹25 crore, and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is ₹1,000 crore. “These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity on 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,” read a statement from Wipro Ltd to the bourses.

“Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focussed on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the Covid-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it,” the statement added.

These responses, the statement said, would be “carefully coordinated” with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundation’s 1,600-people team, in collaboration with many of its over 350 strong civil society partners. “These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro.”

The company clarified that its stated monetary commitment towards fighting Covid-19 was in addition to the annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of Wipro, and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation. “Modern global society has not confronted a crisis of this magnitude and type. The Azim Premji Foundation and Wipro believe that we must all work together to not only deal with this crisis and minimise its human impact, particularly on the disadvantaged, but also learn from these extraordinary times, to develop a more resilient global community, based on justice, equity, humaneness, and ecological sustainability,” the statement said.

Follow our complete coronavirus coverage here.