BYJU's sets up a 20 Cr Covid Relief fund for employees and their family

The second wave of the Covid pandemic has hit India harder than before. Amid the rising cases, we are already facing medical equipment crisis and a looming second lockdown. Startups and businesses around the world are helping the people, the country and its employees in ways they can. Edtech Startup BYJU'S has created a Rs 20 Cr fund to help its employees and their dependents cover medical expenses in the wake of the pandemic in the country. The company is also working on setting up vaccination support for its employees in the 18+ age group

In an email sent to the employees, founder and CEO Byju Raveendran said, "The second wave of the pandemic is affecting a lot of us close to home. These are tough times, especially for the elderly who are more vulnerable to this cruel virus. The severity of the situation is such that many of us are dealing with family members who have tested positive for COVID-19."

"I live with my ageing parents too so I understand the worry you must be going through for your family. I want to assure you that you are not in this crisis alone. We will do everything we can to help you get through," he further added. "To help you through this time we are setting up a 20 crore CEO's fund to cover COVID-19 related medical expenses for yourself, your parents, spouse and children. In the unfortunate event that you or your family is hospitalised due to the coronavirus, you can apply for reimbursement from this fund to cover the hospitalisation costs," Byju added in the email, a copy of which has been seen by CiOL.

About Byju's

Byju’s current value is at $12 billion as it has been on a fund-raising spree during the pandemic. Major investors include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tiger Global Management and Bond Capital. Byju Raveendran, a former teacher and the son of educators founded Byju's. He has who conceived the smartphone app in 2011. The app caters to K-12 students and has been adding over 5 million users a month. India has about 250 million students in the K-12 grades. The app provides lessons in maths and science through video animations and games.