Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) will be contributing a sum of Rs.100 million to help out the daily wagers working in the media and entertainment industry, and have been impacted by the lockdown.
Owing to the lockdown, the media and entertainment industry has been facing huge unemployment, particularly affecting artists, camera men, spot boys, light boys and their families.
The network is offering the daily wage earners free coupons, which they can exchange for daily essentials, including food from select retail stores. In collaboration with its various commissioned production houses, SPN will also be disbursing a month’s salary to each daily wage earner.
A contribution has also been made by SPN to the ‘Swades COVID Fund’, established by the Swades Foundation founded by Zarina & Ronnie Screwvala. The Foundation is offering medical equipment and consumables to the authorities of various districts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai, to fight the pandemic.
In Mumbai, the Foundation is supporting infrastructure, healthcare staff, volunteers and consumables in identified government and private hospitals.
According to NP 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.
Additionally, the network has made its channel Sony PAL, available free of charge on all DTH and cable networks to its viewers for a period of two months. This is a way to ensure that people restricted to their homes during the lockdown have access to wholesome entertainment and good content.
