Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases and the skyrocketing demand for medical oxygen, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi on Thursday announced that it will donate Rs 3 crore to procure over 1,000 oxygen concentrators for hospitals across states in India.
Manu Jain, Managing Director, Mi India, in an open letter, said, "Given the rising medical oxygen requirements in the country during the second COVID-19 wave, we at Mi India, are pledging to donate over Rs 3 crores to procure 1000+ oxygen concentrators"
The oxygen concentrators will be donated to hospitals and state governments where the need is the highest, for example, Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and few other states, the letter added.
The company has also partnered with non-profit organisation GiveIndia to raise Rs 1 crore for COVID-19 warriors in the country. The donation page will be live on mi.com.
"Also partnering with @GiveIndia to raise Rs 1 crore for #COVIDwarriors," Jain wrote on Twitter.
Dear All,
Given the rising #Oxygen requirement due to #Covid19, we at @XiaomiIndia, are pledging ₹3 Cr. to procure 1000+ oxygen concentrators for hospitals across states.
Also partnering with @GiveIndia to raise ₹1 Cr. for #COVIDwarriors. 🙏#IndiaFightsCorona #TogetherWeCanpic.twitter.com/kghiqVPCT5
- Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) April 22, 2021
He added, "These are small steps that we are taking to support the urgent needs of the country's healthcare system and the frontline workers who are toiling round the clock to combat the threat and impact of COVID-19."
Last year, Xiaomi had pledged Rs 15 crore for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalised patients because of the infection continue to rise, many states and hospitals have complained about scarcity of medical oxygen.
In a meeting on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed the concerned officials to ensure that oxygen is supplied to various states and union territories in a smooth and unhindered manner.
India reported its highest-ever single-day spike in coronavirus infections with 3,14,835 cases on Wednesday. With this, India's total active caseload has crossed 22 lakh. The total COVID cases in India currently stands at 1,59,30,965 while the death toll has reached 1,84,657, with 2,104 deaths in 24 hours.
(Edited by Vivek Dubey)