The State Bank of India has decided to allocate Rs 71 crore to carry out various support initiatives amid the second wave of Covid-19. According to a recent press release, the leading public sector banking body has dedicated a fund of around Rs 30 crore to establish 100 bed makeshift hospitals, 250 bed ICU facilities, and 1000 bed isolation facilities to some of those states which have been affected the most.
The banking giant will collaborate with government hospitals and municipal corporations of the respective cities to launch such facilities. SBI has contributed about Rs 10 crore for genome-sequencing equipment or lab and vaccine research equipment or lab to the govt. It has also made an allocation of Rs 21 crore to all its 17 local head offices so that it can meet the urgent medical needs of the citizens including procuring life-saving healthcare equipment and increasing the oxygen supply to hospitals.
The bank further plans to spend Rs 10 crores in partnership with NGOs to carry out community-based testing, strengthening vaccination drives, creating helplines for matters related to Covid-19, providing oxygen supply, and to undertake other critical activities.
