ZEE Entertainment to donate over 200 Ambulances, 40,000 PPE Kits and build 100+ ICU units across the nation

Media & Entertainment Powerhouse ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. (ZEE) today announced a national level CSR drive towards enhancing the Country’s healthcare infrastructure, further strengthening its fight against Covid-19. In line with its CSR Policy, approved by the Board, the Company will support state governments & local governing bodies with critical interventions across 10 cities viz. Mumbai, Noida, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi& Chennai.

The Company will be utilizing the sanctioned CSR budget (for the fight against Covid-19) to provide the following:

• Ambulances – 200+ ambulances to be donated to the municipal corporations (46 ambulances have already been donated to BMC).

• Humidifiers – 50 High Flow Heated Respiratory Humidifiers to be donated BMC.

• PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Kits – 40,000+ kits to be donated to municipal corporations across the Nation.

• Portable ICUs – 100+ ICU units to be built with state-of-the-art tech support across the Nation.

• Daily Meals – 600,000 meals to be provided to 10,000 migrants.

With the support of Maharashtra State Government, the Company has flagged off the National level CSR drive against Covid-19 with Mumbai, in the presence of Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, Minister for Tourism, Environment & Protocol, Government of Maharashtra, Mr. Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray and ZEE Entertainment managing director & chief executive officer, Punit Goenka, by donating 46 Ambulances and 50 High Flow

Heated Respiratory Humidifiers to BMC. This support will help build capacity and enhance the existing healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai.

The Company will approach and work with all state governments and local governing bodies across the Nation, to formulate an action plan that is structured on fulfilling the immediate requirements to fight the pandemic.

Over and above the support towards healthcare relief, ZEE has also partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide 600,000 daily meals which will support 10,000 migrants across the Nation for a month.

Speaking on this announcement, Punit Goenka, managing director and chief executive officer, ZEE said, “The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in India have been far reaching and calamitous for vulnerable communities. It is important that we stand up during such times and step up our efforts as responsible members of the society. ZEE is committed to continue its strong support towards the Government, with a key focus on strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure, to save our Nation from this pandemic. We are also significantly increasing our efforts on-ground to provide relief to migrants across the Country. We will continue to do our best to serve the Nation in these challenging times.”

Mr. Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray, Minister for Tourism, Environment & Protocol, Government of Maharashtra said, “The scale of this pandemic is enormous, and the Government of Maharashtra is working round the clock to enhance the modular medical facilities and support our frontline workers. Every step ahead is a successful step towards beating the current humanitarian crisis. We would like to thank Mr. Punit Goenka and ZEE for their support in this time of need towards Covid-19 response and relief.”

Mr. Iqbal Singh Chahal, Commissioner, BMC added, “We are dealing with challenging times where being ahead of the virus is key to fighting the war against Covid-19. We have implemented several path breaking innovative measures across the city to curb the increase in number of cases and are ramping up our medical facilities. We are glad to receive this support from ZEE that will further strengthen our efforts while also ensuring the well-being of the citizens. It is humbling to see organisations such as ZEE coming forward and fighting this crisis together with us.”

Earlier, vide an official press release issued on 7th April 2020, ZEE had announced financial support to over 5000 Daily Wage Earners working directly or indirectly with the Company. The Company had also encouraged all its 3400+ employees to contribute towards PM were routed to PM CARES Fund.

(We got this information in a press release).