Life support

The Week: The Emergency Medical and Research Institute (EMRI), a brainchild of disgraced Satyam Computer Services founder B. Ramalinga Raju, has decided to continue its operations in 11 states and is looking for donors and corporates to replace Raju and family. 

The nonprofit organisation, which was launched in 2005, operates 1,650 free ambulances in Andhra Pradesh and plans to increase the fleet to 4,000 by December. It has 12,000 employees.?Several board members and chairman emeritus A.P.J. Abdul Kalam  resigned in the wake of the Satyam disgrace, but CEO Venkat Changavalli said the project would go on.?Apparently, some corporates and philanthropists have come forward to sustain it. The state governments are bearing 95 per cent of the operational costs. The organisation has fixed assets of Rs 51 crore in the form of 1,20,000 sq.ft built-up area, an emergency response centre, ambulances, hardware and equipment.