Coronavirus: Ola commits Rs 50 lakh to Haryana CM's fund, rolls out host of measures

Ola Group is strengthening its support towards relief efforts in the state by committing Rs 50 lakh to Haryana Chief Minister's Fund. The contribution aims to support the state's efforts to enable aid at the ground level, strengthen emergency response and also facilitate longer-term COVID-19 relief and recovery initiatives. Last week, the Ola Group contributed Rs 5 crore to the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund to help in the fight against COVID-19. The Ola Group comprises various business arms including Ola Mobility, its ride-hailing arm, Ola Financial Services, Ola Electric, as well as Ola Foods.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO of Ola Group says, "As India continues to address the COVID-19 outbreak, the State Governments are working tirelessly to ensure containment and relief work for affected citizens and communities. Through our humble contribution to the Haryana State Chief Minister's Relief Fund, we stand in support of these efforts in every way possible. The Ola Group hails the efforts of the state and the commitment of the thousands of healthcare workers and essential services staff on the frontlines who are selflessly serving citizens in these challenging times. We are also grateful to the Government for collaborating with us to enable emergency services for citizens in the state, to and from hospitals."

Ola had also recently launched 'Ola Emergency' feature on its app to enable essential medical trips on its platform in cities such as Bengaluru, Gurugram, Visakhapatnam, Nashik, and Bhubaneswar. This new category was designed to bring a much-needed mobility solution for many citizens who do not have any mode of transport to access a hospital in case of a medical emergency. Ola aims to introduce this service in more cities in the coming weeks ahead.

Other than the contribution, Ola has also undertaken several steps to reduce the strains faced by communities. For instance, through its social welfare arm, Ola Foundation, the company had launched the "Drive the Driver Fund". This is a crowdfunding initiative to help affected cab, auto-rickshaw, and kaali-peeli taxi drivers across India. The co-founder and CEO of Ola, Bhavish Aggarwal, pledged salary for a year towards the cause while Ola employees contributed Rs 20 crore. Providing additional financial relief, Ola is offering its driver-partners interest-free microcredit. Strengthening essential mobility for healthcare workers, medical and paramedical staff in Mumbai, Ola partnered with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to help ferry them to and from hospitals.

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