Dubai-based businessman announces Covid fund for Kerala

Dubai-based businessman announces Covid fund for Kerala

A non-resident Indian businessman has announced a Dh7.5 million Covid-19 assistance fund for offering monetary assistance to Keralites facing severe financial crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including those living in the UAE. Billionaire Ravi Pillai, who is the chairman and managing director of Dubai based RP Group, a global conglomerate consisting of construction, hospitality, health care and wellness, education, shopping malls, trading, travels and IT companies, said that the group's charity arm RP Foundation will disburse the amount through Norka Roots. Speaking at a virtual press conference from Bahrain, Pillai said: "Many Malayalis, including those of the expatriate community, have fallen victim to the pandemic. Usually, the death of the breadwinner pushes his or her family into penury but in certain incidents, hapless children are orphaned. Many affected have approached me directly or through the foundation and so I have decided to set apart Dh7.5 million for offering financial help to such families.“ The group established the charitable RP Foundation and a large share of the group's earnings are disbursed every year for the betterment of humanity. Since the beginning of the pandemic, RP Foundation has been actively taking part in the Covid relief work across various countries, Pillai