Its True

By Kamadi Amata

There has been a report published on a poster that has been circulating on the online stating that TATA steel LMD, will continue to pay the company’s employees who died due to the corona virus up to their retirement age of 60.

The statement sparked an online chat with many claiming it was published by crooks who want to deceive people.

The publication was not immediately accepted, with citizens and some staff members in India wondering how the company could achieve that.

Mtaani radio followed the discussion and sought to establish the truth about the report.

After conducting a thorough fact check we found that the report was true.

A series of Tweets from TATA steel LMD.

Through a tweet on the company’s official account, Ratan Naval Tata who is the retired chairman of the company announced that the families of the employees will receive their salary until they reach retirement age, 60 years.

Two days after the online publication, the BBC reported the report.

The company published an official statement to affirm their decision.

“Tata Steel stands together with a deep sense of loss at the sad demise of its beloved employees during this dreadful pandemic,” the company said in a statement.

On top of salaries, the company will also sort her employees’ housing and medical benefits until what would have been their retirement at the age of 60.

It also pledged to cover the education costs of the children of dead frontline workers until they graduate.

This week India officially reported 300,000 dead from the virus, though experts warn the number is higher. It became the third country in the world to record more than 300,000 deaths – behind the US and Brazil.

A post that was circulating online.

“The battle against COVID is far from over but I hope these initiatives will help ease out the difficulties for the families, the company’s founder Ritesh Agarwal said in a series of Tweets.

Tata Steel is the latest major employer in India to announce financial support plans for the families of its workers that have lost their lives to Covid-19.

India has recorded 26 million cases – second only to the US – and is now the epicenter of the global pandemic.

This story was produced by Kamadi Amata at Mtaani newsroom in partnership with Code for Africa’s iLAB data journalism program.