In a surprising turn of events, Rajeev Juneja, the Managing Director of Mankind Pharma, revealed that the company ended up contributing approximately ₹250 crore for COVID-19 relief, a significant increase from their initial pledge. The decision was driven by a miscalculation that resulted in the donation being ten times more than originally planned.
Juneja shared the backstory, stating, “After a family debate, we recognized our abundance and decided to contribute ₹21 crore. However, my son, considering our substantial business, urged us to give more, especially after learning about Akshay Kumar’s ₹50 crore donation. His insistence led us to promptly increase our contribution.”
The Managing Director explained that the company had committed to donating a specified amount on the unfortunate demise of chemists, police officers, nurses, or doctors. However, a miscalculation in estimating the donation amount led to a discrepancy, resulting in an unexpected tenfold increase in the contribution.
“We ended up giving around ₹250 crore at that time. We gave without any expectation. But we got so much love and appreciation for that. It was all unexpected. It happened just like that. Something big happened out of a mistake,” Juneja revealed during a recent show.
Highlighting the importance of empathy and compassion in the business world, Juneja emphasized that successful businessmen should prioritize these values. He shared, “We lost many of our people during Covid. We gave 13 years of salary to the families of employees we lost during the pandemic. If you call them your family members, if you love them, then you ought to do something. At Mankind, we believe that one should not express grief only through words, we should participate in it. This is our company’s culture. If someone is in trouble, everyone will contribute.”
