New Delhi/Trivandrum: Now it is Dr Azad Moopen’s plenty in Kerala. The son of the soil has ‘flooded’ his state with cash to help raise homes pulled down by ruthless rains not long ago.
Dr Moopen, the chairman of Aster DM Healthcare, having massive operations in India and UAE, announced a Rs 15 crore Aster Home Fund on the occasion of World Habitat Day (October 1). As part of this fund, Dr Moopen ( an NRI residing in Dubai) handed over the project and a cheque of Rs 2.5 crore, a part of Fund, to Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan in Trivandrum.
While announcing the project, Dr Moopen said, ‘There is no more important role for Aster DM Healthcare today than helping rebuild Kerala, which not only houses some of our flagship hospitals but is also home for a significant number of our employees and their families. Since the day the flood hit Kerala our Aster Volunteers have been the first responders to provide aid and healthcare support and have been working tirelessly to help people in need. Now that phase is completed, and it is time to rebuild the infrastructure that offers hope to thousands of people who have lost everything that they possessed.’
The additional amount of Rs. 12.5 crores will be used to build new houses and repair homes for flood affected victims, as per following scheme:
–New homes will be built for people who have lost their houses and own a land, for whom individual sustainable housing designs will be considered
–Cluster homes for group of people who have lost houses will be considered, if the government or the local bodies can provide suitable land
–Retro-fitting of partially damaged homes, as per assessment by our team, shall be done to a maximum of Rs. 1.5 lakhs per individual
–Aster employees who have been severely impacted will also be supported as a part of the initiative.
The press release from Aster DM said those who have lost their homes fully or partially are eligible to apply through www.astervolunteers.com. The applications are required to be attested by Panchayat President / MLA / Village Officer in their jurisdictions. The applications will also be accepted at help desks located at Aster Medcity, Kochi; Aster MIMS, Kottakkal; Aster MIMS, Calicut; and Aster DM WIMS, Wayanad.
Aster Volunteers programme, the global corporate social responsibility initiative of Aster DM Healthcare, was launched on occasion of the company’s 30th anniversary in 2017 and provides a platform which bridges the gap between people who would like to help with those in need. Through various initiatives the programme has been able to impact 646,764 lives across geographies. Operating primarily across 9 countries including GCC and India with 20 hospitals, 112 clinics and 213 pharmacies, Aster Volunteers have been able to treat 300,000 individuals through mobile medical camps, conducted 127831 basic life support trainings and 19416 free surgeries as well as health investigations, supported with the recruitment of 70 differently-abled people and conducted 2192 medical camps.
