Coronavirus pandemic: Sterlite Copper contributes Rs 5 cr towards Tamil Nadu CM's Public Relief Fund

Sterlite Copper, a Vedanta Group entity, on Saturday said it has contributed Rs 5 crore to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Vedanta has already provided Rs 101 crore to the PM-CARES Fund and has set up a Rs 100-crore corpus for daily workers, preventive healthcare and welfare of employees and contract partners across the country, the company said in a release.

"We have 1 lakh people working at Vedanta and each of them, along with their family members, are empowered to do whatever it takes to help people in distress. We are facing multiple problems but it's the country that comes first," Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said.

The employees of Sterlite Copper along with group businesses have contributed their one day's salary for local communities.

Sterlite Copper has already teamed up with 10 self-help group (SHG) partners, comprising 150 members, to manufacture and distribute masks and personal hygiene items across 20 villages in Thoothukudi, providing the local communities with preventive safeguards against the virus.

It has so far distributed around 30,000 masks to 5,200 households and truck drivers in the district and is planning to distribute another 20,000 masks over the next few weeks.

As part of its ongoing community outreach programme, the company has provided around 1,300 litres of liquid handwash, 13,000 soap bars and 1,000 bottles of hand sanitiser to people in the district.

Sterlite Copper has distributed 200 sets of personal protective equipment (PPEs) for frontline health workers at the Tuticorin Medical College Hospital and Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital.

The company is in the process of securing an additional 200 sets of PPEs for use by the healthcare personnel.

Disinfectants such as Sodium Hypochlorite and Bleaching Powder along with appropriate disinfecting tools are being distributed across villages, positively impacting the lives of around 2 lakh people in the area, the company added.