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In yet another example of a company looking out for its own, Amazon India has announced that it will be providing assistance to its team of frontline workers during the on-going pandemic. The company said that it would provide financial support to associates hired through agencies and all eligible employees as a part of its COVID-19 Relief Scheme (CRS).
Amazon India employees will be entitled to a COVID-19 allowance of Rs 30,600 for in-house COVID care, medical equipment and other healthcare related expenses. This will be a one-time grant for all eligible individuals.
In case any employee exceeds their insurance cover due to COVID-related hospitalization, Amazon India will reimburse all insurance-approved hospital charges up to Rs 1.9 lakh. The company is also a strong proponent of the vaccination program, urging its employees to get the dose at the earliest. A special pay of Rs 1,500 has also been drawn up to ensure that its agency-hired associates can get themselves vaccinated.
Additionally, Amazon India also announced that it would cover vaccination charges for over 10 lakh individuals, including its employees in India, sellers and its network of Delivery Service Partner (DSP), drivers, store partners and their eligible dependents. It has also started an on-site vaccination drive for all its frontline workers which will be expanded to cover Amazon India employees down the line.
The second wave of the deadly coronavirus has made the healthcare infrastructure reach a critical breaking point. The CSR activities of companies like Amazon have been a saving grace for the country. When the country faced a severe shortage of medical supplies, Amazon Europe was quick to react, committing $2.5 million to fund the procurement and transportation of the supplies to India. Oxygen concentrators from Italy, ventilators from the UK and inhaler devices from Germany were amongst the equipment delivered by Amazon.
Although the spread of COVID-19 has been somewhat arrested, millions will still require additional aid and support to make a recovery. Amazon India has reiterated its commitment to the cause and will continue to cooperate with groups like Indian Red Cross.
