Bayer Group in India gives a helping hand to the Indian Red Cross Society

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck South Asia on Saturday, October 8, 2005. The epicenter of the quake was in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, which is in the Himalayan foothills 96 kilometers northeast of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The effects of this earthquake were felt from Afghanistan in the East to Western parts of Bangladesh.

Agencies like the Red Cross, Red Crescent, UNICEF, Concern, CARE and Oxfam began relief activities, but their work in the Kashmir valley was hampered as most villages are remote and roads that led to the villages were blocked by landslides triggered by the quake.

The Bayer Group worldwide has always been a firm supporter of humanitarian causes such as the Gujarat Earthquake in 2001, Tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Bayer in India took the initiative to send aid to help alleviate the suffering of those affected in the J&K earthquake. As an initial measure, Bayer Group in India dispatched relief aid consisting of blankets, milk powder, kitchen utensils and medicines. The total cost for this was Rs.650, 000.




The above consignment left from Jammu in 2 trucks on October 16, 2005 and reached Srinagar on the evening of October 17, 2005. This consignment of relief aid was flagged off from Jammu by Mr. Haq, Director - Agriculture, J&K and his colleagues, along with Mr. P. N. Pawar, Manager – Transport, from Corporate Services, Bayer CropScience Limited, Thane.

This relief aid was sent directly to the Indian Red Cross Society in Srinagar. Mr. Nehavi, Hon. Secretary, J&K State Branch of Indian Red Cross Society ensured distribution of this aid to 500 affected families in the areas of Kashmir. Mr. Nehavi, also expressed his gratitude to the Bayer Group for sending the relevant and much needed aid to the affected families, whose belongings were ravaged in the earthquake.

In addition to these initial efforts, the Management of Bayer in India proposed that a day's gross salary of the employees along with an equal contribution from the Company would be handed over to the Red Cross to help towards the rehabilitation of those affected. A total of Rs.1, 927,962 (Euro 36,380) was collected in this effort and handed over to Dr. (Mrs.) C.J. Batliwalla, Hon. Secretary of the Indian Red Cross, Maharashtra Chapter.

From the above amount, certain funds have been utilized for disaster management . The balance amount has been used to buy a vehicle – a Chevrolet Tavera, which is essential to carry personnel and supplies for emergency relief operations as well as special projects in which the Red Cross is involved, in various parts of the country.

The vehicle was officially handed over to the Indian Red Cross on March 22, 2006. In a function which was convened at the Mumbai headquarters of the Red Cross, Mr. Stephan Gerlich, Country Speaker and Country Group Head, Bayer Group in India handed over the keys to Mr. Kersi M. Gherda, Chairman, Indian Red Cross Society, Maharashtra State Branch. Also present at the occasion were Mr. Mulchandani, Chairmain of the Mumbai chapter of the Red Cross, Dr. (Mrs.) C.J. Batliwalla, Hon. Secretary and Mrs. Homi N. Modi, Jt. Hon. Secretary.

Mr. Gerlich also had an opportunity to tour the facilities and see the various activities undertaken by the NGO. He was extremely impressed with their services, especially the centre for blood donation and the Thalassimia unit which caters to children, who cannot otherwise afford blood transfusions.

Over tea, there was an opportunity to interact with the personnel and discuss the various initiatives of the Red Cross. Mr. Gerlich remarked that the Red Cross was one NGO that could be trusted completely, which is why Bayer was extremely proud to be associated with the NGO. He sad, “we know that our funds will be put to the correct use for the benefit of those truly in need and it is a privilege to be in the company of people who had dedicated their lives to helping others.”

Dr. C.J. Batliwalla, in her comments said, “we are overwhelmed by the generosity of the various arms of the Bayer Group of Companies and needless to state that through personal supervision of our volunteers and monitoring by our office bearers, we will ensure that your valuable donation is put to productive use in providing relief to the victims of disasters that uproot the lives of countless number of families”.

There were also some media personnel present at the function.