The Federal Bank on Saturday said it had provided 400 part-time jobs with a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 at its branches in Kerala to date, with the aim of helping those who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Appointed as “Covid Wardens”, the men were hired to manage the crowds, provide masks and sanitizer to the visiting government branches, “he said.
The health improvement project was launched as part of its social cohesion (CSR) initiative in August 2020 and is still ongoing.
Speaking to PTI, Ajith Kumar K K, Chief Bank Human Resource Officer Federal Bank, said: “This is a temporary job assigned to look after the situation, not full-time employment.”
The bank hired these people for a monthly salary of Rs 18,000 a month. About Rs 6 crore was used to earn a salary in the last 10 months, he said.
As many have lost their jobs as a result of the epidemic in the province there have been applications to create part-time jobs for several organizations.
“We have considered finding a way to heal people who have lost their jobs due to the epidemic and help them cope with the economic crisis. That is why we have decided to hire such people,” he added.
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Kumar went on to say that crowd management at the branches has become a major problem during the epidemic as the Kerala government has blocked the entry of no more than five people at a time.
“Therefore, we thought that hiring part-time” Covid Wardens “would help both of them. We have provided jobs for about 400 people in Kerala,” he said.
The hiring was done in Kerala because the state had many good conditions at the time and in addition the collapse of the branches was also high.
Although in some provinces, “Covid Wardens” could be hired as there were security guards with a crowd at the bank branches, added Kumar.
Asked if the program would continue, Kumar said the bank would stop if the Covid-19 rate dropped below 5 percent in one area.
“We are very careful about the level of confidence in the government,” he said.
Kumar also pointed out that the poor are employed regardless of having a degree from well-known organizations and organizations, and salaries are paid through these entities.
Although there is a lack of employment in many sectors as a result of the epidemic, the bank is unable to take care of all unemployed people, Kumar said, adding that “we are playing our part under our CSR program”.
The Kochi-based Federal Bank said it had spent all the $ 35 million allocated to the CSR by 2020-21. The bank expects this year’s CSR budget to be about 40 crore.
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The bank has been using CSR methods for the past ten years through the Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation.
Among other CSR plans, the bank used Rs 4 crore to build a separate 100-bed ward and ICU hospital in Kochi. It runs an outreach program “Sanjivini Vehicle” in five districts for vaccination awareness.
In addition, the bank offers scholarships for up to 150 students, select facilities for health facilities, equipment needed to treat neurological disabilities without running skills training centers for local youth.
