RIL AGM 2021 | From oxygen to vaccines, Reliance launched '5 missions' to combat COVID-19, says Nita Ambani

Reliance Foundation launched five mission to help India fight the novel coronavirus crisis. The five mission – Mission Oxygen, Mission COVID Infra, Mission Anna Seva, Mission Employee Care and Mission Vaccine Suraksha – aimed at tackling various challenges ranging from the shortage of medical oxygen to the expansion of the immunization drive. (Image: Moneycontrol)

Reliance Foundation launched five missions to help India fight the coronavirus crisis, Nita Ambani, the founder and chairperson of Reliance Foundation, said while addressing the 44th annual general meeting of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

The foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of RIL. The missions were aimed at tackling various challenges ranging from the shortage of medical oxygen to the expansion of the immunisation drive, Ambani said.

Apart from the Reliance Foundation, individual employees, too, were a crucial part of Mission Oxygen, Mission COVID Infra, Mission Anna Seva, Mission Employee Care, and Mission Vaccine Suraksha.

'Mission Oxygen'

Under "Mission Oxygen", Reliance swung into the production of medical oxygen despite not being a traditional producer of the same. The mission was launched earlier this year when the country witnessed a spike in Coronavirus infections with the onset of the second wave.

"Traditionally, we have never produced medical-grade liquid oxygen. Yet when the need arose, we repurposed our Jamnagar refinery within days to produce high-purity medical grade liquid oxygen and, within two weeks, we ramped up production to a massive 1100 Metric Tonnes per day," Nita Ambani said.

"It would normally take over a year to set up a new medical-grade oxygen plant of this capacity, but it was a super-human effort by our Reliance engineers, who put in more than 85,000 man-hours of work in less than 10 days to make it possible. They delivered what mattered the most, when it mattered the most," she added.

Ambani told shareholders in her virtual address that Reliance was producing over 11 percent of India's medical-grade liquid oxygen, "the
highest by a single company at a single location".

The oxygen was being supplied to one out of every 10 COVID-19 patients in India, she said, adding that the service was being offered "free of cost".

Mission COVID Infra

Reliance Foundation launched "Mission COVID Infra" to strengthen India's health infrastructure amid the pandemic, Ambani said.

"Last year, within days of the coronavirus outbreak, we set up India's first dedicated 250 bedded COVID facility in Mumbai," she said.

India’s first COVID-19 facility with 250 beds set up at Seven Hills, Mumbai. It was set in just two weeks in collaboration with the local municipal body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

By the time the second wave hit India, Reliance Foundation had set up additional 875 beds for COVID care in Mumbai alone, she added. Across India, the foundation created a total capacity of over 2,000 beds for COVID care, all equipped to provide uninterrupted oxygen supply and
free-of-cost treatment, she said,

Reliance Foundation also launched a COVID testing lab with a capacity to conduct more than 15,000 tests a day, Ambani said, as she paid rich tributes to the frontline workers who risked their lives to minimise the fatalities due to coronavirus.

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Mission Anna Seva

"Mission Anna Seva" was launched in the early days of lockdown to feed all those in need, Ambani said. The mission was later extended to cover cattle and stray animals as well.

The mission had now taken the form of the "largest meal distribution programme undertaken by a corporate foundation anywhere in the world", she said.

Reliance Foundation had already provided more than 7.5 crore free meals to marginalised communities, daily-wage earners and frontline workers across the country, Ambani said.

RIL CSR Annual Report for 2020-21 said that the entire staff of Reliance Foundation and the larger Reliance family came together to support this mission on a war footing, with Reliance Retail employees playing a crucial role of packing, preparing and supplying provisions for the programme.

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Mission Employee Care

"Our next mission–Mission Employee Care–is an expression of our care and concern for the most precious members of our extended family, our Reliance Family," Ambani told the shareholders.

Across Reliance, it was made sure that "no jobs, no salaries, no bonuses were cut due to COVID", she said, adding all medical expenses were paid fully and fully paid leaves were granted.

Reliance also decided to "pay the deceased employee's salary to the family for the next five years; finance their children's education in India till graduation, and, ensure continuity of medical coverage to the family for life", Ambani said.

Additionally, a lump-sum amount of Rs 10 lakh would be provided to families of off-roll employees who succumbed to COVID-19, she added.

Mission Vaccine Suraksha

"Our fifth and most critical mission is 'Mission Vaccine Suraksha'.
Mass Vaccination is India's topmost and urgent priority now. It is the most reliable way out of this crisis," Ambani said.

To help speed up the vaccination drive, the foundation set up 116 vaccination centres in 109 cities across the country, she added.

"We have made the entire vaccination process very easy & accessible on our physical/digital platform JioHealthHub," Ambani said, adding the platform had the "ability to scale up to 1 lakh vaccinations a day, that's one crore vaccinations in 100 days. We are continuously working to further increase this number".

Ambani added that Reliance hopes to partner with other corporate and local authorities towards fulfilling the mission of vaccinating all Indians by the end of 2021.

"As we speak, we are already testing this platform with our Reliance family. We are currently vaccinating all 20 lakh of our extended family, including retired employees, partner company employees, and their families – free of cost," she added.

Reliance Foundation spent Rs 1,140 crore supporting programmes under a multitude of CSR initiatives, RIL's 2020-21 report says.

"And I assure you that in every challenge that India faces, Reliance Foundation has and will continue to stand with every Indian. Together, we shall overcome…as we always have," said Ambani.

Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital was part of the nation’s largest vaccination drive against COVID-19. Launched on March 5, 2021 for those above 60 and those between 45-59 years with comorbidities, the drive was opened up to all beneficiaries above 45 years from April 1, 2021 and for all above 18 years of age from May 1, 2021.

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