Thoothukudi, May 11, 2020: One of the most important goals of the government during the COVID-19 lockdown has been to ensure adequate food and nutrition for all citizens at home.
Endeavouring to support this goal, employees of Sterlite Copper volunteered to put together kits comprising of essential provisions and distributed them to 12000 families across 18 villages in Thoothukudi.
These kits are designed to provide essential sustenance to families, and therefore include 5 kilograms of rice, 1 kilogram of pulses (toor dal), salt, seasonings (turmeric, chili, coriander and sambar powders, and jeera), and 1 litre of cooking oil.
Supported by Sterlite Copper, the employees also partnered with local well-wishers, NGOs, civic volunteers and community leaders to ensure effective distribution to all those who are in need of support. Together, they ensured that in addition to the villages located near the company’s plant, provisions were also provided to the homeless and other at-risk individuals in Thoothukudi.
The villages in Thoothukudi covered under this endeavour include Sillanatham, Nainarpuram,
Ayyanadppu, A.Kailasapuram, Sorispuram, Therkku Silukkan Patti, Rajavin Kovil, Saminatham, Puthurpandiyapuram, Sankaraperi, Vadkku Silukkan Patti, Madathupatti, Muthusamy Puram, TV Puram, Kayaloorani, Kumararediyarpuram, Silverpuram, Madathur.
In addition to this initiative, Sterlite Copper has also undertaken a slew of other measures to mitigate and slow the spread of the coronavirus. These include producing and distributing 30000 masks in partnership with SHG groups, providing 1300 litres of liquid handwash, 13000 bars of soap and 1000 bottles of hand sanitizer to 5200 families, and donating over 400 sets of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for the use of frontline health workers in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
Sharing his thoughts on the initiative, Mr. Pankaj Kumar, CEO, Sterlite Copper said “Ensuring access to basic nutrition is a critical need of the hour as people need to stay home and help control the spread of the coronavirus. This kit is our endeavour to fulfil that fundamental need of all human beings: the comfort of having a square meal.”