The COVID-19 pandemic has dented India quite hard. It has not only impacted the functioning of businesses or employment of people but has also resulted in loss of many innocent lives. While nothing can compensate for the loss of a loved one, any small step of assistance or generosity towards the community is always a welcome gesture.

Seeing the scenario, many companies in India have come forth to help their employees and the community at large with different initiatives and schemes. It includes the giant brands as well as the start-up community.  For instance, O₂ Cure; which is an air purification brand installed more than 200 air purifiers that can neutralize coronavirus by 99 percent in the COVID-19 wards of hospitals like Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Lilavati Hospital, Nanavati Hospital, and Medicity Hospital. Their parent company, Zeco Aircon conducted a Covid-19 vaccination camp at their Bahadurgarh (Haryana) factory premises in which 140 people were vaccinated which includes the company’s employees and social workers.

On the same lines, Co-Founder of Supreme Incubator, Ms. Disha Singla shares the initiatives taken by her brand to help the community during the pandemic; “We are trying to encourage startup founders and innovators in the community to contribute towards covid relief-related initiatives. Our mentor network has stepped up to provide one-on-one strategic mentoring sessions to startup founders in the ecosystem who are contributing to covid-relief causes. Donations pooled for covid-relief efforts will go a long way toward mobilising funds and resources for obtaining necessary supplies and coordinating logistics. Any growth stage startup founder or early stage entrepreneur who provides valid proof of such donation is eligible for a venture development mentoring call with an industry expert on their startup company!”

Similarly Adloid; an AR based technology company has come up with an initiative to help the small and middle class retailers. They will deploy their AR feature application on the retailer’s micro website and will facilitate them to share a 360 degree trial run experience of the products their customers wish to buy. If the business is not having a website then Adloid will provide them with an online link that can be shared with customers in the form of text or messages. This will lead to contact-less and virtual try-on of products and will help these small scale businesses to regain customers and boost their businesses.

Such tough times call for a superlative effort from the top management towards their employees as they are fighting with both corona and mental pressure. Sharing his thoughts along the same lines Mr. Diwakar Chittora, Founder & CEO of Intellipaat says: “The situation with COVID-19 has deteriorated, and we are now facing huge global challenges. As a result, the Intellipaat team took a step forward to prevent the virus from spreading. As we have always been concerned about our employees, we regularly interact with them on their well-being, and if they have any health issues, we guide them to the best doctors and hospitals. We have a covid warrior team which includes top management and TL. We’ve shared the best practices on what to do if you have covid, which will help you increase your immunity and oxygen levels. If someone requires assistance, we will make every effort to arrange for a hospital bed, medications, an oxygen cylinder, or a doctor appointment as soon as possible. The company is also communicating with private hospitals for vaccination programs for the office and has set aside separate funds for it.  However, the government is currently handling the whole procedure, and once private hospitals have been given the green light, we will organize a vaccination campaign for the entire office at Intellipaat’s expense.”

The pandemic did post many challenges in front of us but seeing the combined efforts from the Indian community, we can be assured that assistance is round the corner. If we keep pushing collectively as a country, days are not far away that the deadly virus will no longer be deadly, it might take some time but is very much doable!

Summing up the overall scenario in the country Ms. Sonica Aron, Founder & Managing Partner of Marching Sheep highlights “The 2^nd wave of the pandemic hit the country like a tsunami that no one was prepared for. This time around it was far more vicious than it was last year, with numbers rising each day at an alarming rate. No one remained unaffected, across states, districts, social stratas. As the numbers rose, so did the fear, stress and anxiety. These were extraordinary times calling for extraordinary efforts, and we have seen a plethora of initiatives not just by good Samaritans and NGOs but by corporates as well. From providing medical assistance, to setting up food delivery services, to setting up self-quarantine spaces. What is most note-worthy is that organizations have taken cognizance of the emotional trauma that people are going through as a result of this pandemic. Fear of infection, worrying for their loved ones, grief over loss, feeling helpless over the entire situation, these are all very natural emotional responses that people are experiencing, and some organizations like RepIndia and Godrej Properties have proactively taken steps to help their teams rest and heal by shutting operations for 4-5 days. On the other hand, Swiggy has announced a 4 day week in May. Many organizations are proactively conducting sessions on emotional wellbeing. There is no one right answer, but every effort is commendable and will make a difference.”