Strength of spirit

In a country of 1.3 billion people, a nationwide lockdown to help halt the spread of COVID-19 in India is complex and challenging.

Aravindan Madhava Murthy, Chief Operating Officer of the Bengaluru Service Centre at ANZ says with millions of migrant labourers working in cities across India, the struggle of disabled, migrant workers and daily wage workers has increased significantly as people stay home.

“It is not easy in a country of our size to get people to follow social distancing and our police force is working incredibly hard to enforce the guidelines and help stop the spread of the coronavirus,” he says.

But these people are not forgotten. Government, citizens and ANZ’s team in Bengaluru are coming together to help the broader community who have been hit hard both financially and emotionally.

“This is the time to think beyond oneself, to open one's heart and to lend a helping hand. This is the time to live our purpose. We will continue to look for opportunities to support the wider community wherever we can,” Aravindan says.

ANZ in Bengaluru has donated INR 1.5 million (AUD $30,948) to the Karnataka State Chief Minister’s COVID-19 fund, the local LGBTIQ community, and daily wagers and migrant labourers through its Non-Government Organisation (NGO) partners such as HelpAge India and Samarthanam.

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Employees from ANZ’s Bengaluru team also contributed through ANZ’s employee payroll giving program and raised INR 850,000 (more than $17,000 AUD) for Rapid Relief Kits for the local community.

“Aakash Sharma and Sanjay Purandare, who are leading our CSR initiatives, are working with our NGO partner Samarthanam to deliver Rapid Relief Kits with basic food essentials, safe drinking water, sanitisers and hygiene products for people whose income has been impacted throughout the pandemic,” Aravindan says.

Helping the frontline

“The coronavirus pandemic has shaken us all but it has failed to crush the spirit of our front-line workers across the globe, be it doctors, nurses and the police who are working tireless hours to keep the rest of us safe,” Aravindan says.

“As a token of our indebtedness, my colleagues Sanjay Purandare, Gerard Lobo, Felix Arnold and I presented more than 1,600 hygiene kits containing face masks, antiseptic soap, hand wash and hand towels to the Karnataka State Police."

He adds, "This is our way of thanking them for their relentless service and will provide two kits for each police officer.”

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The hygiene kits were presented to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). ANZ partnered with NGO partner, United Way to deliver the kits.