MUMBAI: Joining the group of news channels who have come up with various unique campaigns, Network18 has launched #IndiaGives, a campaign to financially support the country’s most vulnerable citizens during the coronavirus lockdown.
According to an official statement of the network, “As a first step, over 6,000 employees of the group have contributed a day’s salary to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, to be used to provide succour to daily-wage workers, whose livelihoods have been affected due to the shutdown.”
Hundreds of millions of Indians have little or no financial security. As per Periodic Labour Force Survey report that was released in May 2019, over 77 per cent of Indian households, or nearly 200 million households, are either self-employed or are engaged in casual labour. And, a shock on the scale caused by the three-week national lockdown due to the novel virus could be devastating.
“Considering these daily wagers, the group’s journalists and media brands such as News18 India, CNBC-TV18, CNN News18, News18 regional-language channels, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC Bazaar, Moneycontrol, Firstpost, News18.com and Forbes India will pay particular attention to the stories of those, whose livelihoods will be most badly impacted by the shutdown,” reads the statement.
Due to the lockdown, daily-wage workers are going to bear the most brunt, it is equally true that when Indians come together to fight for the common good, we uplift ourselves, emerge victorious.
The statement also reads, “The generosity of Indians is unmatched, and so are our empathy and resolve. Through the #IndiaGives campaign, the media brands of Network18 will channelise the generosity and empathy of Indians to the noble cause of protecting the Indian worker.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken about the urgent need to protect daily-wage workers and casual labourers. Contributions to the PMNRF for this purpose will be a great national service. The group also urges all large-hearted citizens to join #IndiaGives, and together we shall win.
