Kalyan Jewellers announced that it will be supporting the daily wage worker community from the gems and jewellery industry as well as the film industry, in association with Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘We Are One’ initiative that aims to support 1,00,000 families. On its part, Kalyan Jewellers will provide 50,000 households with monetary relief during these tough times.

For the ‘kaarigars’ or artisans and the daily wage workers who are part of the gems and jewellery industry, Kalyan Jewellers has launched the ‘Goldsmith Relief Fund’ and will be working closely with Jewellery Manufactures Association (Kerala), Coimbatore Jewellers Association and Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (Mumbai). The fund will be used to provide relief material and monetary assistance to the daily wage workers.

Talking about the initiative, T S Kalyanaraman, Chairman and Managing Director, Kalyan Jewellers said, “We are witnessing an unprecedented global pandemic. During these testing times, it is important to support the daily wage worker community which has been most affected due to the shutdown. The Goldsmith Relief Fund is a humble initiative that we have put together to try and bring some semblance of financial relief to the artisans working in our industry.”

Simultaneously, the company will be working closely with All India Film Employees Confederation (Mumbai) and Film Employees Federation of Kerala (Kochi) to support workers from across the country with effective distribution of monitory funds and/or rations.

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN), has decided to contribute a fund of Rs.100 million to support the daily wage workers in the Media & Entertainment industry.

With the entire media ecosystem including all television, cinema shows and films production coming to a halt since 20th March, the M&E industry is grappling with mass unemployment. It has especially impacted the sustenance of the daily wage earners from production crew involving a gamut of people like artists, camera men, spot boys, light boys and their dependent families.

N.P. Singh, Managing Director and CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, “In light of the global pandemic, we are witnessing large communities across the world coming together to tide over the crisis. These unprecedented times have had a cascading impact on the media and entertainment industry, which employs a huge number of daily wage workers. As a conscientious conglomerate, it is our responsibility to direct efforts towards ensuring aid reaches our primary beneficiaries who have contributed to the success of the network.

Besides this initiative, we are also providing coupons to the migrant workers from this daily wage workforce, which they can trade off at certain retail outlets for groceries and essential supplies. We will leverage every opportunity to help our country at large to get through trying times like these.”

The network is reaching out to the daily wage earners identified by their respective trade associations with free coupons which they and their families can exchange for their daily necessities like food and essential items at select retail stores. SPN is also working with its various commissioned production houses to disburse a month’s salary to each daily wage earner.