India Inc aides in fight against the coronavirus

New Delhi: India Inc seems to have geared up to take on COVID-19 and aide the country’s crusade against the dreaded virus.

Accordingly, many companies have found a “business purpose and a social cause” to come out in full force against the pandemic.

Many have allowed their staff to work from home or taken precautionary measures even before the Centre’s specific recommendation to do so. Be it — Dabur, PharmEasy, Air India — and others, they all are playing their respective parts from the manufacturing of sanitizers, developing software to keep track of patients, to rescuing Indians stranded abroad.

Last week, Dabur India entered into the Sanitiser to fill in the shortfall of the essential protective liquid.

“The product was initially scheduled for launch in April this year but the launch was advanced in view of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rajeev John, Head of Marketing - Home and Personal Care, Dabur India said.

“We are now ramping up production....” E-pharmacy PharmEasy has offered the government to digitize health records of patients who are tested positive or under quarantine and people with travel history who are advised to stay in self-isolation.

“This software helps doctors and healthcare services to manage the current COVID-19 crisis better. The software primarily helps doctors to monitor possible or asymptomatic individuals on day to day basis,” Dharmil Sheth, Co-Founder PharmEasy, said.

“It also allows doctors to document vitals and other important details of such individuals in a few seconds. This crucial data is accurate and will help the government plan better to fight the pandemic. We currently doing a pilot with the BMC in Mumbai and hopefully roll out pan India.” On its part national carrier Air India has been called upon to rescue Indians stranded around the globe, be it from the COVID-19’s epicenter of Wuhan in China to Rome and Milan.

“This is a specific and specialized duty in the national interest. Air India has operated under such circumstances before as well to rescue Indians stranded abroad.”

However, the economic fall out of the COVID-19 would be borne by the entire industry and society.

At present, COVID-19 has had a severe impact on several sectors, including aviation, hospitality, and tourism along with the overall economy.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has held separate meetings with ministers who hold key economic portfolios. The decisions and recommendations of these meetings will be used as inputs for the economic response taskforce.

The task force is likely to announce measures, such as extension of loan tenors for the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and relaxing NPA (non-performing assets) norms, while on the taxation part, GST may be waived on hospitality and tourism sectors. (IANS)

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