L&T to give teeth to India's Coronavirus fight; Rs 150 cr PM-CARES fund tip of iceberg

India's leading engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is set to donate Rs 150 crore to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) to fight against the Coronavirus crisis.

According to an official release by the company, they will be participating in fighting against the virus through funds, community welfare plans and other measures. 

As per the release, the company has set an outlay of Rs 500 crore per month to support around 160,000 contract workers by paying their wages amid the lockdown. Along with it, L&T is considering transforming its training centres and other establishments into isolation wards. They are also looking to supply critical healthcare equipment to the hospitals. Apart from this, the conglomerate has also offered to use its community Health and Medical Centres 24x7 and ambulances for COVID-19 patients. 

Further, the release stated that a business unit of the company-- L&T Smart World & Communication -- has installed smart technologies in over 20 major cities in the country that will help several state governments and the local authorities to fight against the virus. 

The PM CARES Fund

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), where citizens can contribute to aide the government's efforts in supporting those affected by disasters. This fund will provide relief to the affected from any walk of life dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation. PM Modi also urged Indians to donate generously. The fund is chaired by PM Modi and includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Read: 14 medical staff from Delhi's RML hospital including 6 doctors and 4 nurses quarantined

 The Coronavirus crisis

As of date, India has reported over 1,000 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the most in the country. Meanwhile, over 25 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Due to the outbreak, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced 21-days national lockdown. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. 

Read: 'No decision on extending 21-day Coronavirus lockdown': Govt sources put rumours to rest

Presently, there are around 723,222 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 33,989 people. Meanwhile, around 151,798 people have reportedly recovered. The US is at the top of the charts with respect to Coronavirus cases, with over 1.2 lakh infected.

Read: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan urges PM Modi to reopen Karnataka border for Covid-19 patients

Read: AIIMS to convert Trauma Centre into COVID-19 hospital