Here Are Some Startups Helping Out With Chennai Floods

A handful of startups and companies from around the country are stepping in to provide relief efforts in whatever way they can. 

Paytm is offering Rs. 30 worth of free talk-time to anyone who would like to remain connected. Users who want to avail of this facility can dial Paytm's hotline (18001030033).

Practo has a spreadsheet with phone numbers of verified doctors and hospitals available for help in an online spreadsheet.

Zomato has launched a scheme where they will provide meals for flood relief victims, and is offering to buy one meal from their end for every one purchased on the website. Meals can be purchased for two, four, or a hundred people, at Rs. 100, 200, and Rs. 5,000 respectively. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal tweeted that over 25,000 meals were ordered by users, making for a total of 50,000 meals served, once the company adds in its share. 

Zoomcar is providing free pick up and drop facilities to the nearest hospital, requests can be tweeted to them, and accessed on its hotline at 044-42052772.

Several Chennai residents have opened up their homes to the stranded, and there's an online spreadsheet cataloguing places available for shelter, food offerings, rescue needed, helplines, and doctor numbers, as well as volunteer details.

Ola has created safety zones equipped with relief supplies and first aid. This service is open to everyone, free of cost, with address details and contact numbers provided on its blog. A fortnight ago, it launched OlaBoats, employing professional rowers and fishermen to offer assistance in Chennai's waterlogged areas. 

Delhi-based Urbanclap, a marketplace for local service providers had reportedly offered free pest control services in rain-affected areas last month.

Airtel, while not exactly a startup, is providing free credit of 50MB mobile data for Airtel prepaid mobile customers with a validity of two days. 

Vodafone is offering pre-approved chota-credit of Rs. 10 to all pre-paid customers, and a credit of ten minutes for Vodafone to Vodafone calls, and 100MB of mobile data to all customers with data-enabled handsets.

source