Google donates Rs 135 crore to help India fight COVID-19, Microsoft also extends support

Microsoft and Google CEOs Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai have extended their support to India as the COVID surges.

New Delhi: India is facing the second wave of coronavirus and the country is severely affected by the pandemic. The global community has come forward and extended its support to India. In a recent development, leading tech firms Google and Microsoft CEOs Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella have announced help to the country amid the COVID surge.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted: "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 Crore in funding to @GiveIndia,@UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information".

The donation includes two grants from Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, totalling Rs 20 crore.

"The first is to GiveIndia to provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses. The second will go to UNICEF to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it`s needed most in India," said Sanjay Gupta, Country Head and VP, India.

It also includes donations from Google's ongoing employee giving campaign so far more than 900 Googlers have contributed Rs 3.7 crore for organizations supporting high-risk and marginalized communities.

Heartbroken at the grim Covid situation in India, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on Monday that the company is mobilising its resources to help the Covid-ravaged nation that saw 352,991 fresh infections, taking the cumulative caseload to 17,313,163.

In a tweet, Nadella said that he is grateful the US government is mobilising to help.

"I am heartbroken by the current situation in India. I'm grateful the U.S. government is mobilising to help. Microsoft will continue to use its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts, and support the purchase of critical oxygen concentration devices," Nadella tweeted. 

In a break from the 'America First' policy, President Joe Biden's administration is "working round the clock" to immediately send India raw material needed for making Covishield and other products needed in the fight against the COVID-19 surge overtaking the nation, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

The US will also send India anti-COVID supplies like test kits, ventilators, medications and personal protective equipment used by frontline workers.

The US is also deploying an expert team of public health advisors from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and USAID to work with the embassy in Delhi, India's Health Ministry, and India`s Epidemic Intelligence Service.

India on Monday (April 26, 2021) recorded, yet again, the highest single-day spike with 3,52,991 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total active cases to 28,13,658, as per the health ministry update on Monday morning.

As per the union health ministry data, five states of the country, namely Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Kerala, contribute 54 per cent of the cases.