Page 61 - August-2020-Issue

Expatriates evacuated from District Administration, Police Dept and Health
Maldives arrive at Cochin Port Department.

Cochin Port lends helping hand in 'Operation BEL distributes grocery kits to
Samudra Setu' by throwing open its resources for
facilitating the smooth transition of expatriates. migrant workers through City
Samudrika Cruise Terminal has been opened up for Police
handling the expatriates and Port has taken up nec-
essary refurbishments consistent with the medical
protocols. The first group of 698 persons evacuated
from Maldives arrived at Cochin Port by the ship
'INS Jalaswa' of Indian Navy.

BEL hands over grocery kits for migrant workers.

Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has, as part of its
CSR initiatives, come forward to lend a helping
Ship 'INS Jalaswa' of Indian Navy.
hand to migrant workers in Bengaluru, impacted by
the lockdown implemented countrywide in view of
The ship was berthed at BTP Jetty and the disem- the spread of COVID-19. The Bangalore Complex of
barkation procedures was carried out at Samudrika BEL handed over 1,300 grocery kits, valued at Rs. 23
Cruise Terminal. The group comprised 595 males lakhs, to migrant workers through the City Police.
and 103 females. Of this, 14 were children below Mr. Vinay Kumar Katyal, Director, BEL-Bangalore,
10 years and 19 pregnant women. Though major- and Mr. Shivakumaran K M, Director (HR), BEL,
ity of passengers were from Kerala and Tamil Nadu handed over the kits containing rice, daal, sugar
there were repatriates of 18 other states/UTs also in and other essential commodities to migrant work-
the ship. Passengers showing COVID symptoms ers in the presence of Mr. Shashikumar N, IPS, DCP,
were disembarked first followed by others in small Bangalore North, Mrs. Nisha James, IPS, Admn
groups, district-wise. Bangalore, Office of Commissioner of Police, and
Thermal screening of passengers on arrival was car- other senior officers of BEL. In a bid to mitigate the
ried out by the Port Health Organisation. Customs hardships faced by migrant workers, the Bangalore
and Immigration procedures were carried out in- Complex of BEL has, ever since the implementation
side the Terminal, where arrangement had also of lockdown, been providing 250 food packets daily
been made for distribution of SIM cards by BSNL to the workers through the City Police.
and installation of Aarogya Setu app in mobile The employees of BEL had earlier contributed their
phones of passengers. Disinfection facility for bag- one day’s salary amounting to Rs. 2.71 Crores to
gage and free wi-fi were made available by the Port the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief
at the Terminal. Arrangements for onward travel in Emergency Situations (PMCARES) Fund. The
to hospitals/institutional quarantine centres/home Company also released Rs. 10 Crores from its CSR
quarantine were ensured by state government by Fund towards the PMCARES Fund, to combat and
deploying ambulances, state transport buses and contain the COVID- 19 pandemic in India and also
taxis. These arrangements were coordinated by the for relief efforts.

Kaleidoscope May, 2020 61