Yash Raj Films has been at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. The production company has now launched Saathi Card under the Yash Chopra Foundation. The card will provide health insurance, school fee allowance, annual health checkups, ration supply, and several other benefits to the daily wage earners and their families from the film industry. Any member of the Hindi Film Federation in Mumbai, who is 35 years or above, and has a minimum of one direct dependence, can apply for a Saathi Card through www.yashchoprafoundation.org. The cardholders can also avail of health insurance of up to Rs. 2 lacs, free annual medical check-ups, and rebates on medical bills. Children’s education is also supported under the card’s criteria which will help in covering expenses on fees, stationery, and uniforms. Besides, the card can also be used for buying ration supplies. Notably, the daily wage earners are the ones who got hit the most when the pandemic struck and caused subsequent lockdowns. Thereafter, Yash Raj Films, which is the biggest production house in the country, started the Yash Chopra Saathi Initiative that provided basic support to the industry’s daily wage earners that were affected the most due to the pandemic by initiating a direct transfer benefit of Rs. 5000 to women and senior citizens and also distributed ration kits for a family of four for a few months. Aditya Chopra, who is at the helm of Yash Raj, also rolled out a plan to vaccinate a thousand workers from the film fraternity which therefore helped to start the shoots again. Akshaye Widhani, Senior Vice President at Yash Raj Films says that this card is YRF’s way of being there as a friend and support system to those who are the backbone of the industry.
