Swiggy has launched a Rs 10 crore fund to support delivery personnel who test positive for COVID-19. The delivery personnel's will get income of upto 2 weeks, essential goods including food and groceries; their parents and families' medical expenses related to COVID-19 will also be covered. Swiggy has so far raised Rs 4 crore, from founders, senior leaders, employees, investors, and crowdfunding, the company said. Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, who earned Rs 1 crore in FY18, has committed 50% of his current annual salary towards this fund. Swiggy has also committed all its revenues from March 22, Janata Curfew towards this fund. We have reached out to Swiggy for more details. Zomato had earlier announced a fund for its delivery persons: Swiggy’s announcement came after rival Zomato announced a fund for its delivery partners, along with offering loans to certain restaurants on its platform last week. However, at this moment, details about Zomato's fund are unknown. Swiggy’s fund is also largely similar to a fund initiated by ride hailing app Ola, in terms of coverage, and also the funding structure. COVID-19 adversely affects the gig economy: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced India to shut itself down for 21 days to curtail the movement of people out on the streets. Schools, colleges, shopping malls remain shut, and many companies around the country have asked their employees to work from home. The nationwide curfew has reportedly resulted in orders on food delivery platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato plummeting by at least 60%. Uber and Ola drivers have called for…
