Coronavirus: Kalyan Jewellers to spend Rs 10 cr to provide food, essential items to needy

Kalyan Jewellers has said it will set aside Rs 10 crore towards fighting the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The company will partner with local and government bodies to ensure that the funds are allocated in a meaningful and efficient manner, ensuring availability of supplies and providing food and other essentials to the vulnerable sections of society, Kalyan Jewellers said in a statement on Saturday.

"The situation created by COVID-19, and the tremendous impact that the pandemic has had on humanity globally, is unprecedented. These have proved to be very challenging times, and our Central and state governments are doing everything they can to combat this," Kalyan Jewellers Chairman and Managing Director T S Kalyanaraman said.

"We understand the magnitude of this crisis, and would like to extend our humble contribution of Rs 10 crore towards the fight against COVID-19," he said.

Early last week, Kalyanaraman, in a letter addressed to employees of Kalyan Jewellers, had said that there would be no salary cuts in non-operational showrooms. The company also committed to pay full salaries for March and April to all of its over 8,000 employees, regardless of the impact on Kalyan Jewellers' overall business.