Akshay Kumar, Arya, Chiranjeevi, Puneeth Rajkumar to feature in FICCI's COVID-19 awareness campaign

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed tens of thousands of lives and disrupted normal life and livelihoods across India.

To increase awareness and sensitize audiences about the need to maintain COVID-appropriate behaviour even though the wave appears to be subsiding, the media and entertainment committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the apex industry association in the country, has launched a multilingual mass media campaign called 'Corona Ko Harana Hai'.

A communication plan in different languages, featuring celebrities Akshay Kumar in Hindi, Marathi and Punjabi, Arya in Tamil, Chiranjeevi in Telugu, and Puneeth Rajkumar in Kannada, has been created.

Speaking about the importance of vaccination, Sanjay Gupta, who chairs the FICCI media and entertainment committee, said, “Thanks to the heroic efforts of our health-care workers and various NGOs, we are at a point where it is beginning to feel like the tide is turning.

"But we must remain vigilant to protect ourselves, our families and our communities from the continued spread of the virus.

"This is a crucial period to scale vaccinations and implement an effective preventive programme to ensure that we are prepared for the future and minimize the impact of the virus on lives and livelihoods.

"It is incumbent on us to come together to inform and provide specific education through effective communication to all Indians and enable everyone to adopt Covid-appropriate behaviour," he added.

FICCI is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group established in 1927. It is the largest, oldest and apex business organization in India.