The coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19, has posed huge problems and challenges in front of the world, including the strongest economies. The nations are taking extraordinary measures, thinking out of the box to fight the outbreak. Amidst this, several sectors have come forward to the rescue helping the government, one such sector is the automobile sector.
The automobile manufacturers recorded a sharp decline in their sales, reporting disappointing performance, owing to production shutdown amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, a similar deterioration in sales is anticipated in the coming months. Despite all this, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arms of various automobile companies have come forward to contribute to the COVID-19 relief.
Beginning with India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki, the company tied up with AgVa Healthcare with the aim of producing 10,000 ventilators a month to bridge the shortfall of the life-saving medical equipment in the ongoing battle against the pandemic. Mahindra and Mahindra also boasted of having developed a low-cost RS. 7500 ventilator and would take assistance from two PSU’s to develop it further. The chairman, Anand Mahindra would also donate his 100% salary to the fund. Likewise, Hyundai Motors ordered 25,000 advanced diagnostic kits from South Korea as its contribution to the battle. TVS Motors, along with Sundaram-Clayton, planned Rs. 30 Crores aid towards making a million masks, providing food to daily wage laborers, and exploring the possibility of making ventilators.
Volkswagen India has been working to set up an 1100-bed facility in Pune to fight coronavirus, having donated Rs. 1 Crore to Sassoon Hospital based in Pune. Moreover, it has also produced certified reusable face shields of offer protection to healthcare providers and along with an NGO, it would also donate 35,000 sanitizers and 50,000 food packets in support of the cause. The Honda Group pledged a Rs. 11 Crore contribution towards the COVID-19 relief and prevention measures. The Group would also make available 2000 units of high-pressure backpack sprayers which would be used for disinfectant fumigation and would provide its ambulances for medical emergencies and for distribution of food packets. MG Motor India announced a donation of Rs. 2 Crore to government hospitals and health institutions, of which Rs. 1 Crore would be funded by its employees. The contribution would include masks, gloves, beds, ventilators, etc. depending on the requirements. Therefore, the automobile sector has come forward as an essential helping hand for the country in this difficult time.
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