New Delhi, Apr 16 (IANS): PepsiCo India has joined hands with CII Foundation (CIIF) on Wednesday to commit two million meals to the marginalized sections impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of PepsiCo's #GiveMealsGiveHope global programme, these meals will be distributed amongst families of farmers, Self Help Groups (SHGs) and migrant workers across key states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, a company statement said.

With this partnership, PepsiCo India has upped its commitment to provide over 7 million meals to the underprivileged & marginalized families impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak across India.

Under the joint initiative, CIIF will provide dry rations to the underprivileged families in partnership with the Local administration and Police Authorities in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

"We believe that companies have a bigger role to play in these challenging times. We have been working very closely with CII foundation to take stock of key on-ground requirements and how communities are getting impacted due to COVID-19 outbreak. We are partnering CII Foundation to reach out to these communities and offer assistance in expediting the relief measures," Ahmed ElSheikh, President, PepsiCo India, said.

PepsiCo India had recently partnered with Akshaya Patra Foundation and Smile Foundation to provide 5 million meals to families across India. Now, with this partnership with CII Foundation, the company has upped its commitment to provide over 7 million meals to the underprivileged & marginalized families most impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.