Clariant raises Rs 32 lakh for Covid-19 relief in India

In a press note shared with PrintWeek, Clariant stated that it had supplied over 1.6 lakh litres of sterilisations solutions to local hospitals and healthcare centres for safety and hygiene purposes. It also contributed over Rs 32 lakhs to various government relief funds.

In the past weeks, the company had initiated the production of sanitiser solutions from its facilities in India to help curb the spread of Covid-19. Clariant’s sites in Roha, Maharashtra; Bonthapally, Telangana; Rania, Vadodara and Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu were operational during the nationwide lockdown to supply the necessary products that were required for the healthcare facilities.

The company’s site in Cuddalore produced a total of 1,54,250 litres of sodium hypochlorite solution for sterilisation. This is being used by local hospitals and healthcare centres in 683 panchayats in Cuddalore and around 250 panchayats in Virudunagar district.

In addition, Clariant’s Bonthapally site produced 4,000 litres of the solution with a limited workforce, which was sprayed across 14 local wards. The team handed over 1,000 disposable masks and 50 protective face shields in and around Bonthapally village, the gram panchayat office, and the local police station.

Furthermore, the company’s Roha site has been producing sanitisers for local and in-house use. The site team handed over 100 fogging hand pumps for sanitation purposes and nearly 1,000 face masks to support the safety of local authorities. The team also donated 300 litres of handwash liquid soap to the tehsildar office and 2,000 litres of the same to the Raigad collector’s office.

Clariant’s Rania site team also distributed over 100 dry ration kits to the needy from the nearby villages.

So far, Clariant in India has contributed Rs 15 lakhs towards the CM relief funds for Covid-19 in Maharashtra (Rs 10 lakhs) and Telangana (Rs 5 lakhs).

"Our employees voluntarily contributed a day’s salary and an equal amount was topped up by the management, totalling Rs 16 lakhs towards the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PMCares) fund. In addition to this, our Roha employees and the union, jointly contributed Rs 1.5 lakhs for the Maharashtra chief minister's relief fund," the company stated.

Adnan Ahmad, region head for Clariant in India, said, “We are in the midst of an unprecedented situation with the Covid-19 pandemic. Clariant's team in India is focussed on employee safety, community support and ensuring business continuity. Our teams are committed towards supporting the neighbourhood around our sites, to ensure that they are safe, too."

"Clariant has also contributed over Rs 32 lakhs to various government relief funds for Covid-19. Simultaneously, we are now meeting the demands for many essential ingredients of our key customers, especially those who are engaged in servicing the increasing needs of the health and hygiene market segments,” he concluded.