The Tata Group donated 40,032 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) kits worth Rs 8 crore to the Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday. PCR kits are used to test for the novel coronavirus.
Tamil Nadu has received Rs 134 crore from various individuals and firms towards the state's fight against the spread of coronavirus. An official release said government employees, firms, banks, trusts, organisations and celebrities among others have so far contributed Rs 134.63 crore towards the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.
Among those who have made contributions to TN CM’s relief fund are TVS Motor Company and Sakthi Masala, who have donated Rs 5 crore each. Actor Ajith donated Rs 50 lakh. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit had donated Rs 1 crore to the CM Relief Fund and to the PM CARES Fund respectively. Earlier this month, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said he has cleared utilisation of Rs 1 crore from the MLA Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS) for COVID-19 relief work.
Tata Trusts has committed Rs 500 crore to help fight the spread of novel coronavirus in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Following suit, Tata Sons pledged an additional Rs 1,000 crore.
Earlier this month, Tata Group announced that it was setting up a speciality hospital in Kerala’s Kasaragod district. According to reports, the hospital, set up using the group’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund, will have 540 isolation beds and quarantine facilities for 450. This new hospital will be constructed using prefabrication technology and will come up at the Thekkil village in the Chemnad gram panchayat. In prefabrication technology, a technique aids in fast construction, parts of the structure that are already built are assembled at the construction site.
(With inputs from PTI)