Bharti Airtel to bear COVID-19 vaccine cost for all employees

Bharti Airtel Ltd will bear the cost of covid-19 vaccination for its employees and their dependent family members, joining the likes of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) and Infosys Ltd that have pledged to pay for the two-dose shots of their staff.

According to an internal communication, all employees of Airtel have been told that the cost will be borne by the company as per the eligibility criteria of the government, and the procedures and timelines approved by the authorities. Mint has seen a copy of the letter.

The telco said it is looking to partner healthcare providers who can vaccinate its employees. “You will hear more on this as and when the government releases further guidelines,” Airtel told its employees.

“Airtel will cover the covid vaccination cost for employees and their dependant family members basis your insurance declaration, as part of our continued focus on health and wellness,” Airtel said.

Several companies have announced to bear the vaccination cost for their employees since the beginning of this month. The vaccination drive in India was expanded to include those aged 60 years or older and people above 45 suffering from multiple health conditions from 1 March.

On 5 March, India’s largest private company RIL said it will bear the vaccination cost for its 139,000 employees and their families, including spouse, children and parents. The Mukesh Ambani-led company expects to vaccinate around 900,000 people, including family members of employees.

Private lender ICICI Bank Ltd on Wednesday said it will reimburse the cost of vaccines for its employees and their dependent family members. Last week, State Bank of India, TCS, Infosys, Accenture Plc, RPG Group announced immunization plans for staff and their dependents.

French information technology (IT) major Capgemini will also cover the vaccination cost for all its eligible employees and their family members. American IT consulting firm Cognizant will vaccinate 600,000 employees in India. Business Journal