Companies can create Covid-19 health infrastructure as CSR activity

Companies using their corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to create health infrastructure for Covid-19 is an “eligible activity”, said the government on Wednesday as it encourages resources to fight a second wave of infections.

Resources to establish medical oxygen generation and storage plants and manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders and other medical equipment for Covid-19 will be regarded as CSR activities, said the corporate affairs ministry in a circular posted on Twitter. Companies, including state-owned, can work on Covid-19 healthcare either themselves or in collaboration with others.

The ministry had in April said that spending funds on setting up makeshift Covid-19 hospitals and temporary care facilities will be considered as an eligible CSR activity. It was a clarification of circular it issued last year during the first wave of Covid-19 infections.

Spending funds on awareness campaigns and public outreach programmes to promote vaccination is an eligible CSR activity, said the ministry in June.

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