Real Estate Humanitarian Initiatives In Fight Against Covid-19

BY Realty Plus

Humanity Is Facing The Biggest Crisis Of Our Times And Real Estate Fraternity Collectively And Individually Is Contributing Towards The Fight Against This Looming Pandemic.

Text: Sapna Srivastava    The real estate sector already going through an economic slowdown was further hard hit by the covid 19 pandemic that has completely stalled the construction work and sales and delivery of projects across the country. However, this is also the time when the most vulnerable communities of this sector need help and support. Standing in solidarity the developer’s community in these tough times has come forward to take care of its workers as also to keep them safe from the disease. The finance minister too has directed state governments to use the Building and Other Construction Workers' Welfare (BOCW) Cess Fund that has around Rs 31,000 crore to help those who are facing economic disruption because of the lockdown. The release of the fund would benefit 3.5 crore construction workers that fall under unorganized sector. Realty developer’s associations CREDAI and NAREDCO are already distributing grocery to construction workers at their sites. Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani, National President, NAREDCO explained, “first and foremost is reaching out to the segment of society which has no support or help – the site labor and the support staff. The site labours are being convinced not to reverse-migrate and precautions against the infection were immediately implemented. “We are also ensuring that our construction workers are provided with basic amenities to be able to cope up with the ongoing situation,” said Satish Magar, President, CREDAI National.   Responding to the Crisis Godrej Group has earmarked a fund of 50 crore rupees for community support and relief initiatives in India. The fund will back the following initiatives focused on public health and essential supplies: buying and supplying medical equipment and protective supplies for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Donated 5 crore rupees to the BMC, Donated 115 hospital beds to Maharashtra government hospitals, Helped set up a 75-bed quarantine center at the Seven Hills hospital, Andheri. As part of CSR programmes it support 1.12 lakh beneficiaries across 8 states with hand wash, sanitisers and soap. As one of India’s largest real estate players, the company is ensuring that project sites across 8 cities are sanitised frequently, have health screenings and adequate food and hygiene supplies. Setting up isolation facilities at labour accommodation and closely monitoring the needs of our people to ensure quick responsiveness DLF Foundation of DLF Group is serving cooked meals to more than 10,000 migrant labourers in Noida. For this purpose, it has roped in Akshay Patra for delivery of hot cooked meals and their kitchen is providing meals for migrant labour. Besides Noida, DLF Foundation is also feeding stranded migrant workers in others parts of Delhi NCR including Manesar, Gurugram & Delhi. It is distributing 50,000 cooked meals in Gurugram, 5000 cooked meals in Delhi and 10,000 cooked meals in Noida every day since 24th March,2020. DLF Foundation along with PI Foundation, the CSR arm of PI Industries Ltd is supporting local administration of Haryana in sanitization of large areas of Gurugram city. It has donated 2 lakh masks, these masks will be distributed by the respective departments to slum dwellers residing in various parts of Delhi. In addition, the Foundation has also donated 5,000 Personal Protection Equipment and 2500 litre of sanitizer, 5 Multiple Diagnostic Machines, 40 Hospital Beds and oxygen cyclinders. The Foundation has come forward to aid the differently abled, abandoned homeless, senior citizens and the disabled in NCR. The Foundation sent dry ration for 60 students at Rashtriya Blind School & Training Centre in Najafgarh. In addition, it sent 300 dry ration packets to Earth Saviour Foundation a shelter home in Bandhwari village Gurugram looking after homeless abandoned senior citizens and disabled citizens. Merlin Group in Kolkata, has reached out to slum dwellers, daily wage earners across different parts of Kolkata , suburbs and Howrah with essential food grains comprising rice , pulse, potatoes as well as health and hygiene items including sanitizer, soap and shampoos that would help them to keep the infection from corona virus at bay. ‘I am Kolkata’ from Merling Group has extended help to over 5000 families with 40,000 kgs of essential food items like Rice, Pulse, Potatoes at various locations like Tangra, Behala, Rajarhat, Jawgacha, Gopalpur area, Howrah, Pakuria, Domjur with its help with the support from local administration. Today I Am Kolkata has reached out to 700 poor families in Domjur area with the help of members of legislative assembly. It is also serving the migrant construction workers across different project sites of Merlin Group like Tollygunge, Dumdum with its food grains and enabling them to cook and serve their needs. In doing this, I am Kolkata is reaching out to more than 100 migrant workers. Lodha Group, the leading Mumbai developer has initiated free food centers for providing lunch and dinner facilities across the city of Mumbai. Lodha volunteers are also reaching out to people sheltered under bridges and giving out packed food to the poor and the underprivileged. While they are providing food to the needy. Earlier the group had also announced full waiver for its retail partners as COVID-19 crisis deepened in India. Retail partners, who have renting spaces in Lodha’s retail properties are exempted from paying the rent since March 15, until the government permits reopening of retail operations. Maintenance charges are reduced as per the actual expenses during this period. Additionally, Lodha group also declared special initiatives for its contract workers and employees to help them combat the implications of lockdown. Contract workers and daily wage earners are the most affected during these times with no source of livelihood or access to food and basic amenities. Lodha Group took up this responsibility and ensured sufficient food supply arrangements are in place for tens of thousands of workers who are currently staying at their sites. Further, they also provided advance salaries for the month of March 2020 to all their employees from lower to mid management level, so that they can take good care of their daily needs and families in such scenario. Piramal Group has pledged inr 25 crores towards PM CARES Fund. Piramal Foundation, working in partnership with the government, in the remotest parts of the country has set-up Health Helplines in 7 states, that provide health advisory and relief measures The Piramal School of Leadership at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, has offered its 40,000 sq. ft. to the district authorities for use as isolation centers. Piramal Sarvajal provides safe drinking water to 700,000 beneficiaries daily, through its 627+ water ATMs that are now enabled with a contactless smartcard technology to mitigate transmission of the Coronavirus. The Prestige Group, one of the leading real estate players in South India, through the Prestige Foundation is providing meals and provisions to about 10,000+ daily wage workers, underprivileged children and the needy in Bengaluru daily. In addition, they are providing the same to all the daily wagers at their labour colonies across India. They have also set up a 24-hour national helpline to aid the needy. Salarpuria Sattva Group, in areas across Bengaluru from Old Airport Road (near Rajeshwari Theater), Royal Orchid Road (near Manipal Centre), Challaghatta, Nagasandra, Murugeshpalya to Jyothi Nivas College at Koramangala, has initiated food distribution. In addition to this, the group has organized ration packets consisting of essentials like rice, wheat flour, oil, lentils, salt and other necessities for the next 10 days, aiming to touch the lives of 2500 migrant workers near Electronic City. Greenwood High School, the educational entity of the group has also come forward to provide cooked food to more than 600 people at Varthur and other nearby localities. Brigade Group, a leading real estate developer, has allotted through Brigade Foundation Rs. 2.5 Crores on an immediate basis, towards the welfare of 10,000 construction workers. Brigade is also allocating these funds across multiple outreach efforts, including direct provision of daily rations, sponsoring 60,000 meals through Akshaya Patra, and wherever possible, direct transfer payments to their Jan Dhan accounts. Brigade is making all efforts to keep the construction workers motivated, safe and healthy, by conducting counselling sessions and exercise sessions to stay mentally and physically active.  In addition, Brigade has contributed Rs.10 lakhs towards the Chief Minister Relief Fund COVID-19. Another South India developer Aparna Constructions and Estates Private Limited has donated inr 2 crore to Prime Minister’s Care Fund, INR 2 Crores to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and INR 1 Crore to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Signature Global, a renowned name in affordable housing donated Rs 21 lakh  to Chief Minister Corona Fund Haryana, Rs 6 lakh to Apna Ghar Ashram and INR 1.5 lakh to an NGO. Besides, the company is providing essential things like ration, vegetables, fruits and masks to the labours and marginalised people. the regular supply of these things have been initiated to help them so that they may not think about migrating back to their hometowns Gaurs Group, the Noida based leading developer is standing with all the labors working in its projects. The Group, is taking care of the nutrition of all the labours working in its projects including Gaur Yamuna City, Gaur Siddhartham, Gaur City Center, Gaur City 7 Avenue, and Gaur City 14 Avenue. The labors are being given ration supply and other necessary things. Besides giving shelter to all the laborers working on their many projects, the Group has also extended financial help to the administration by giving a cheque of Rs 5 lakhs. M3M Foundation the philanthropic arm of m3m Group has extended support to 5000 daily wage earners and construction workers. The relief work is being carried out in gurugram under its impower program. through this initiative, M3M Foundation is providing rice, pulses, vegetables, clean drinking water, and milk for toddlers and growing children. Apart from this, they will also be providing soaps for personal use, washing clothes and handwash. Fumigation and sanitization of the camps are also being undertaken. Experion, another Gurugram-based Company has pledged INR 1.85 crores to PM- CARES and contributed INR 20 lakhs to Haryana Corona Relief Fund. Additionally, to address public health and safety, Experion Developers shall extend the material supply of medicines and essential items to the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG). Likewise, JSW Group has committed INR 100 Crores to PM-CARES Fund in support to all on-going relief efforts. The Group has also earmarked funds to source and import Ventilators for immediate use in all healthcare facilities across the country and to fund Testing Kits, as well as Personal Protective Equipment (masks, gloves etc) for health care workers. Communities around the JSW Group Facilities will be provided with staples and other essential dietary requirements along with converting a number of facilities across JSW Group locations to Isolation Wards. Shapoorji Pallonji Group recognizing the need to support their construction workforce of 1,10,000 (includes 45,000 workers manning 430 sites in India, and 25,000 workers at 130 sites abroad; and also the 40,000 subcontracted workers) have set worker camps providing lodging, boarding, transport, medical/hygiene facilities, regular sanitization, hospital tie-ups, etc. All personnel in these camps get adequate food and water, visits by trained medical staff and medicines as required and isolation facilities for special medical care are created in major camps. Ashwin Sheth Group in mumbai conducted food and medical essentials supplies distribution drive at Sheth Zuri and Sheth Avalon, Thane for the construction workers. The Group is supporting over 1250 workers by providing food and medical essentials to the workers. Additionally the company also ensured that their volunteers adhered to sanitation, hygiene and social distancing directives as prescribed by the government. The Group has taken these steps to ensure that their workforce is provided with the daily necessities during these unprecedented times. Sunteck Realty in Mumbai has more than 2000 workers at projects site. To discourage the migrant workers from travelling back to their hometowns and make their stay comfortable, the developer is ensuring that they get adequate food facilities and their hygiene requirements are fulfilled at the site during this turmoil. The project team is continuously facilitating necessary staple foods, water and hygiene products to our construction workers. The company has an emergency fund for site labours to combat any unwarranted circumstances. Health condition of construction workers is continuously being monitored through onsite medical assistance.   Some Other Contributions • Jaypee Group, contributed Rs 51 lakh to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Relief fund. Rs 50 lakh to Uttar Pradesh CM Relief Fund and Rs 21 lakh to Uttarakhand CM Relief Fund. • Hiranandani group has donated rs 5 crore to maharashtra cm fund. • Puravankara Group supports COVID-19 response efforts of Karnataka Govt. by providing approved testing kits to ensure wider accessible testing in districts for under privilege. • Shriram Properties, ATS, Ace group, Arvind SmartSpaces, Central Park, ABA Corp and Bhumika group are providing meals, dry rations, masks, gloves and hand sanitisers to their workers on construction sites. • CREDAI-Gujarat chapter has donated s 5 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Tags : Latest News Real Estate Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani NAREDCO Brigade Group Piramal Group Prestige Group Signature Global Lodha Group Salarpuria Sattva group developer COVID-19 Gaurs Group Real Estate Humanitarian DLF Foundation Godrej Group Merlin Group PM CARES Fund M3M Foundation JSW Group Humanitarian Initiatives