Wipro, Azim Premji Foundation commit Rs 1,125 crore to tackle COVID-19

Bengaluru: Wipro Ltd, Wipro Enterprises Ltd and Azim Premji Foundation on Wednesday said they have together committed Rs 1,125 crore towards tackling the "unprecedented health and humanitarian crisis" arising from the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

These resources will help enable the dedicated medical and service fraternity in the frontline of the battle against the pandemic and in mitigating its wide-ranging human impact, particularly on the most disadvantaged of our society, Wipro and the foundation said in a joint release.

Of the Rs 1,125 crore, Wipro Ltd's commitment is Rs 100 crore, Wipro Enterprises Ltd's is Rs 25 crore and that of the Azim Premji Foundation is Rs 1,000 crore.

These sums are in addition to the annual CSR activities of Wipro and the usual philanthropic spends of the Azim Premji Foundation, it said.

Integrated action will be taken for a comprehensive on-the-ground response in specific geographies, focused on immediate humanitarian aid, and augmentation of healthcare capacity, including containing the COVID-19 outbreak and treating those affected by it, it said.

The responses will be carefully coordinated with relevant government institutions and would be executed by the Azim Premji Foundation's 1,600-person team, in collaboration with many of its over 350 strong civil society partners, who have a deep presence across the country, the release added.

These efforts will fully leverage the technology expertise, sourcing systems, infrastructure, and distribution reach of Wipro, it added.