New Delhi : In a recent interview, MD Rajeev Juneja of Mankind Pharma stated that the company’s initial donation of Rs 21 crore for Covid-19 relief efforts for frontline workers was miscalculated by one zero, resulting in an unexpected donation of Rs 250 crore.
After a family argument over funding donations for COVID-19 relief, Juneja revealed in an interview with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia on The Ranveer Show that the enormous amount was the consequence of an error in computation.
“We had a debate at home. We felt that we have a lot, and we should definitely give. We thought of donating Rs 21 crore. But my son said, you have such a big business, you should donate more. At the same, it was reported that Akshay Kumar donated Rs 50 crore. My son came to me and pressed upon the topic again. And we immediately went ahead with it,” Juneja, told Allahbadia on his podcast called “The Ranveer Show”.
Juneja, 58, said that making contributions known to the public, instead of keeping it discreet, can inspire others to give.
“There is a popular saying that when you are giving from one hand, the other should not know. I think the other hand should know, it inspires other people”.
The pharma giant donated towards the Prime Minister’s relief fund, and also to various other funds as well as oxygen cylinders.
“We donated plenty of stuff. It was an emotional thought. As a family, when we think of a noble deed, we announce it to the family. We understood that doctors and nurses were dying and we started calculating estimates. However, due to miscalculation, the estimated donation amount had one less zero than the actual amount we donated,” Juneja said.
Additionally, Mankind Pharma had pledged to donate a specific sum of money in the event that any front-line workers—such as pharmacists, police officers, nurses, or doctors—pass away.
“What we had pledged, we had to donate 10x more. So we ended up giving around Rs 250 crore at that time. We gave without any expectation. But we got so much love and appreciation for that. It was all unexpected. It happened just like that. Something big happened out of a mistake,” he further added.
Juneja stated that the company’s contributions were met with unexpected love and appreciation, turning a mistake into a remarkable act of kindness.
“It happened just like that. Something big happened out of a mistake,” he told the host.
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