Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai support India's Covid fight

Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella today assured help to India as the country battles a ravaging coronavirus crisis that has left hospitals unbearably full and supplies critically low.

Sundar Pichai tweeted that his company will provide a ₹ 135 crore funding to UNICEF and the non-profit Give India for medical supplies, supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information about the deadly virus.

"Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India," the Alphabet chief tweeted.

Satya Nadella said he was "heartbroken" by the current coronavirus situation in India and added that his company will continue to use its resources and technology for relief efforts and support buying oxygen devices.

In a tweet, the Indian-American CEO also thanked the United States government that has assured help to India amid the crisis.

Several prominent people have expressed solidarity for India as the country battles the deadly second wave of the coronavirus. Infections have crossed 3 lakh per day and cases continue to rise as states flag shortage of hospital beds and oxygen supply needed for critical Covid patients.

As second wave rapidly escalates into a devastating crisis, several countries including the United States and Britain have come forward to provide critical supplies to India.

US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have assured India of all assistance, including urgently sending necessary medical life-saving supplies and equipment.

"Just as India sent assistance to the United States as our hospitals were strained early in the pandemic, we are determined to help India in its time of need," Joe Biden said in a tweet.

The United Kingdom too said it was sending life-saving medical equipment to India - including ventilators and oxygen concentrators - as India sees more new cases than any other country by far, almost half of all new cases in a global surge.

India had been doing remarkably well in battling the pandemic few months ago which soon went downhill. Heart breaking SOS messages on social media paint grim pictures now as families of patients scramble for help.

The country reported a staggering 3.52 lakh new infections in the past 24 hours with over 2,800 deaths.