IIM-B alumni launches 'donate a vaccine' fundraising initiative

Alumni of IIM-Bangalore have launched the 'donate a vaccine' fund raising initiative to donate one lakh vaccines for the countrys urban and rural poor, as part of their recovery, rehabilitation and prevention plans for COVID-19. Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Dr Devi Shetty, Chair, IIM-B Board of Governors, jointly launched the initiative virtually on Saturday, to vaccinate people from the underprivileged sections of society, IIM-B said in a statement.

"This initiative (Donate a Vaccine) comes at the right time and such an effort from the alumni of IIM Bangalore is worth emulating; something that every institution in India can learn from," Sitharaman was quoted as saying in her address.

The Minister also drew attention to the myriad COVID-19 response initiatives that the union government has been planning on a war footing for improvement and sustainability of healthcare infrastructure, not just in the metro cities, but also in small towns and rural areas.

"We must all join together to deliver a three-pronged approach of 'rebooting, reimagining and reconnecting' India, and that technology will play a bigger role, now more than ever, for us to realise these ambitions across all sectors, be it healthcare, education, agriculture or finance," she added.

IIM-B Director Rishikesha Krishnan, Dr Devi Shetty, Chair, IIMB Board of Governors and Founder Narayana Health and Harish Mittal, President of IIMB Alumini Association, also spoke on the occasion.