Helping hands in the times of Coronavirus

By Puja Gupta

New Delhi, March 25  In the wake of the pandemic which in the coming days might spread across the country, the Prime Minister declared a complete lockdown in India till April 14. Considering the global exposure India has already faced, it”s population and vulnerability to exposure, the measure was taken to break the cycle.

The world is under threat, as more than 16,000 people across the globe have lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus. The pandemic in India has till now killed ten and is reported to have affected more than 500 people. The figures are increasing and the count is predicted to only rise. There are health advisories being put up to maintain social distance during this medical crisis and maintain hygiene by sanitising and washing your hands frequently.

Everyone is doing their bit to fight against the virus by staying at home and maintaining social distance. The corporate world too stepped up to the plate to lend a helping hand in this time of crisis.

One of the leading producers of distilled spirits, NV Group initiated talks to provide the Punjab government with thousands of litres of sanitisers to be used in hospitals. Even though the company has closed all its operations in its distilleries in Haryana, Chandigarh, Goa and Maharashtra, the Punjab unit has been working to produce hand sanitisers.

Varun Jain, Director – Marketing and New Business Development of NV Group, said: “We were anyway getting ”Smoke” sanitizers done for our vodka brand because sanitisers technically are made of alcohol. So the thought was there, but we never knew that Corona will kick in. We spoke to the Punjab government and told them that we are ready to provide them with sanitiser, depending on how much they need. Right now, the requirement is 50,000 litres.”

He added, “It is always an expense, but we are not looking it as an expense but an activity which is to the benefit of the government and the people. With all the permissions in place we will be are providing 50,000 litres of sanitisers in 20 litre bottles in the next 2-3 days. If they need more, we will give them more.” After NV Group initiated it, the Punjab government is planning to make it mandatory for all distilleries to provide it with a certain amount of alcohol to make hand sanitisers, he said.

To meet the shortfall, beauty and wellness brand VLCC has also started manufacturing hand sanitisers to meet the sudden spike in demand in the market for hygiene products. The company announced the commencement of production of hand sanitisers at its manufacturing facility in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

Jayant Khosla, Managing Director and Group Head, VLCC, said: “We have decided to manufacture and distribute hand sanitisers as our humble contribution to the collective national effort of tackling the COVID-19 crisis and have accordingly diverted a part of our manufacturing capacity to produce them. The pricing of the product will be in keeping with the latest statutory regulations for all pack sizes”.

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(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)