SUMMARY
TikTok will provide around 400K hazmat medical protective suits and 200K masks
TikTok said that it is open to further extending the support through additional ways
Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon and other companies are also helping the government in the fight against the virus
Covid19 Tech Impact
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Supporting India’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic, Bytedance-owned TikTok is committing to donate INR 100 Cr worth of medical equipment to healthcare professionals in the country.
TikTok will provide around 400K hazmat medical protective suits and 200K masks to doctors and other medical staff who are in regular contact with positive cases of Covid-19.
The short video sharing platform said that doctors and supporting medical staff are the real heroes in the fight against the spread of Covid-19. But they are also the most vulnerable and exposed to the coronavirus.
The company also applauded the Indian government’s efforts. TikTok is providing equipment to the ministry of health and family welfare with help from the textile ministry. TikTok claimed that all the gear meets prescribed standards and guidelines.
The company added that it would be offering further support through additional ways in the coming weeks.
Besides this donation, TikTok is also working on a campaign asking people to stay inside their homes and promote social distancing. The #GharBaithoIndia campaign, launched last week in partnership with United Nations Development Programme, is also inviting users to come up with ideas on how to stay safe.
Startups Take On Covid-19
Besides TikTok, many other Indian startups are also extending their help to the government. For instance, payment giants Paytm and PhonePe are aiming to donate INR 500 Cr and INR 100 Cr, respectively. Ecommerce major Amazon is also looking to raise INR 100 Cr from the users as well. As part of these grants, the company has decided to make an additional donation of 10%.
Also, some startups founders, prominent venture capital funds, and advisors have formed an Action Covid-19 Team (ACT). They have also pooled INR 100 Cr to invest in startups which have promising ideas which can play a larger role in the battle against coronavirus. Another ecommerce platform Snapdeal has decided to contribute a day’s salary of the entire team to the PM-CARES Fund.
In addition to helping the government and healthcare professionals, many startups in India are also coming forward to help their partners as well. For instance, Swiggy is looking to raise INR 10 Cr for a special relief fund to provide financial and medical stability to all its delivery partners and their family members. Cab aggregator Ola is also running a similar relief fund for its driver-partners.
