To fight the pandemic in India, Goggle has announced a commitment of ₹135 crore, as the second wave of Covid-19 infections hit hard.The commitment includes two grants from Google.org and Google’s philanthropic arm, totalling ₹20 crore, which will help in getting urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipments for India as the country sees record case numbers amid oxygen shortage.
According to Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and VP, Google India, “The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it’s needed most in India.”
Also supporting the ad support for public health campaigns, the tech giant has increased ad grants support by pumping additional ₹112 crore, helping local authorities and non-profits for more language coverage options. Additionally, more than 900 Google empolyees have contributed ₹3.7 crore for organisations supporting high-risk and marginalised communities.
The last few months, Google is adding Covid-19 features to its core products, including Search, which can be accessed in English and eight other languages. Google mentions that it will continue to improve localisation and highlight authoritative information.
Other than that, Sundar Pichai, Google CEO has pledged ₹5 crore in personal capacity to fight the pandemic in India. Pichai tweeted, “Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India.” Whereas, Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO has also extended support to fight the existing Covid crisis in India. He tweeted, “I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I’m grateful the U.S. government is mobilizing to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices.”
World’s second-most populous country, India has badly hit by the surge in Covid-19 cases, setting a world record with new 3.52 lakh cases and 2812 fatalities. There was a shortage of oxygen supplies in Delhi. To get oxygen to the far corners of the country, the government has deployed trains and military planes.
