MUMBAI : The Tata Group--Tata Trusts and Tata Sons-- is the latest to join the fight against coronavirus and will together donate ₹1,500 crore towards coronavirus relief fund, chairman Ratan Tata announced in an Instagram post on Saturday.

The funds will be utilized for providing protective equipment to medical personnel, respiratory systems for treating increasing cases, testing kits to ramp up testing in the country and setting up treatment facilities for those who have already caught the virus. The group has also said that it will train health workers and the general public to empower them against coronavirus.

“Urgent emergency resources need to be deployed to cope with the needs of fighting the COVID 19 crisis, which is one of the toughest challenges the human race will face," Ratan Tata said in his post. Tata Sons, the holding firm of the Tata group companies, announced an additional ₹1,000 crore support towards Covid-19 and related activities over and above ₹500 crore pledged by Tata Trusts earlier in the day.

In a statement, Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the group is also bringing in necessary ventilators and are gearing up to also manufacture the same soon in India.

"The current situation in India and other parts of the world owing to the impact of COVID-19 is very worrisome and requires our very best action," he said in a statement, PTI reported.

Announcing an additional ₹1,000 crore support towards COVID-19 and related activities, Chandrasekaran said, "We will work together with the Tata Trusts and our Chairman Emeritus Tata and would be fully supporting their initiatives, and work in a collaborative manner to bring the full expertise of the group."

He further said, "In addition to the initiatives articulated by Tata Trusts, we are also bringing in the ventilators necessary and are gearing up to also manufacture the same soon in India. The country is facing an unprecedented situation and crisis. All of us would have to do whatever it takes to alleviate and enhance the quality of lives of the communities we serve".

Tata Group joins the likes of Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra to provide relief measures to fight against Covid-19.

Ambani's Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on Monday said it has provided initial support of ₹5 crores to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.

The company also said it is boosting production capacities to produce 100,000 face-masks daily and a large number of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as suits and garments, for the country's health workers to help them in their fight against the challenge posed by the pandemic.

RIL's Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital in collaboration with Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has also set up a dedicated 100-bed centre at Seven Hills Hospital in Mumbai for patients who test positive for Covid-19.

The Mahindra Group, on the other hand, is working on making available ventilators that are crucial to the healthcare of Covid-19 patients. The group has also offered Mahindra Resorts as a care facility for Covid-19 patients.

Several FMCG companies including ITC, HUL, and Godrej among others have also pledged help to help the government.

The number of the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, cases had crossed 900 in India with the death toll rising to 19, according to the Union Health Ministry.

With inputs from PTI

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