Maruti, India's largest car maker opens larger heart, feeds Haryana villages

Maruti Suzuki's manufacturing facility in Manesar near Gurugram in Haryana is where a bulk of the company's best-selling vehicles have taken shape. The state-of-the-art facility may currently be temporarily shut but that has hardly stopped the country's largest car maker from working overtime to look out for communities in close proximity.

Maruti Suzuki recently revealed that it has taken several steps to fulfill the basic needs of communities in Manesar and Gurugram while also coming up with initiatives for welfare of its own employees amid a national lockdown in place till April 14 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

While social distancing is the primary focus, the company has managed to put its in-house canteen to use despite production being suspended. The food prepared here is being distributed to temporary workmen and student trainees staying in close proximity. Additionally, 7,000 food packets are being served for lunch as well as dinner in Gurugram and Manesar.

Ration which includes kasan, alihar, dhana, baas-kusla and kho are being distributed to five villages in Manesar.

Reaching out to the local administration in Gurugram, Maruti Suzuki is also supplying 500 kits of dry ration each day. The kit includes rice, wheat, cooking oil, sugar, soap and other essential items.

Photo courtesy: Maruti Suzuki

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Photo courtesy: Maruti Suzuki

Essential medical equipment like masks and clinical thermometers are also being distributed.

And while taking all these steps, Maruti Suzuki states that it remains committed to the welfare of its own employees. It has launched an online Family Connect program which reaches out to employees' families via video conferencing for fun activities that seek to motivate them during the lockdown. “Regular communication is being undertaken with all regular and outsourced employees through established employee communication channels. In a unique initiative, we are also connecting with family members of employees through video conferencing to engage and motivate them during lockdown days," said Rajesh Uppal, Member Executive Board (HR&IT), Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. "Our supervisors and managers regularly enquire about health conditions of employees through informal and formal channels like team con-call. Employees are directed to strictly follow all Government advisories."

Previously, Maruti Suzuki raced off the blocks to help in the production of ventilators that are crucial medical equipment in the fight against coronavirus. It entered into an agreement with AgVa Healthcare, an approved manufacturer of ventilators, to help with the process of rapidly scaling up production of ventilators. (Full report here)

The other major automaker which is at the forefront of developing ventilators is Mahindra. The company, however, is not ignoring the basic needs of people either and has supplied 50,000 meals and 10,000 in the last week alone, according to Pawan Goenka, MD at Mahindra.

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