MUMBAI: AkzoNobel India is supporting the painter community by providing an out of turn pay-out through the annual loyalty program – Colour Guru. As part of this initiative, direct online transfers is being made to the bank accounts of over 12,000 painting contractors.

AkzoNobel India MD Rajiv Rajgopal said, “At AkzoNobel, our priority is to keep our employees, their families, and our partners safe and well. As the situation continues to evolve, we are constantly adapting our actions. We launched several initiatives to help communities cope with challenges caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. Painting contractors are a significant part of our ecosystem and their livelihoods has been impacted by the pandemic. This early disbursement of funds is aimed at placing cash in the hands of painting contractors so that they are able to fulfil their essential needs and cater to any emergency during the extended lockdown period in India.”

AkzoNobel India has adapted several existing projects launched as part of the company’s People. Planet. Paint. initiative – in response to the virus situation. These include e-health initiative for providing initial screening for coronavirus in villages near Bangalore. More than 1,000 people have been tested to date. Essential food items have been provided to 6,000 people who are mostly daily wage earners in Gurgaon, Gwalior and Navi Mumbai, including underprivileged children studying at AkzoNobel supported education centers.