Wipro Group, Azim Premji Foundation commit Rs 1,125 crore to fight Covid-19

Technology conglomerate Wipro Group and the philanthropic foundation of its promoter Azim Premji have committed Rs 1,125 crore to help fight the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Azim Premji Foundation will contribute Rs 1,000 crore to the fund, while flagship company Wipro will put in Rs 100 crore and Wipro Enterprises, Rs 25 crore, a joint statement from the three entities said.

The fund will go to the medical and service fraternity helping the disadvantaged sections of the society through this crisis, the statement said.

The foundation will also use the funds to coordinate its on-the-ground response, through its 1,600-person team and 350 civil society partners, to provide humanitarian aid and healthcare facilities to those affected by the disease, it said. Wipro will provide technology expertise, sourcing systems and infrastructure to hospitals, it added.

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“Wipro and the Azim Premji Foundation believe that we must all work together to not only deal with this crisis and minimise its human impact, particularly on the disadvantaged, but also learn from these extraordinary times, to develop a more resilient global community, based on justice, equity, humaneness and ecological sustainability,” the statement said.

The Azim Premji Foundation focuses on school education and supports not-for-profit organisations through multi-year financial grants. It also runs the not-for-profit Azim Premji University.

The flagship company of the group, Wipro, provides cognitive computing, automation, robotics, cloud and analytics services. Wipro Enterprises is a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) business, which focuses on home care, lighting, office furniture and engineering services.

The Wipro Group is the second Indian conglomerate to commit a substantial amount to help the fight against the Coronavirus outbreak. Last week, Tata Trusts and Tata Sons together pledged Rs 1,500 crore for the cause.

Bharti Enterprises, the promoter of Bharti Airtel and Bharti Infratel, and Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of technology major Infosys, had earlier announced commitment of Rs 100 crore each to deal with the crisis.

Earlier, global search engine Google pledged $800 million to help small business and health organisations affected by the pandemic.