Several groups in Singapore have raised millions in aid, in the form of cash and supplies, for India as it battles a devastating Covid-19 wave.

The Pan Indian Institutes of Management Alumni (Piima) has raised $5.4 million with its #BreatheLifeIntoIndia campaign launched on May 1.

The amount raised includes $2.4 million in cash that will go to the Singapore Red Cross for purchasing 2,500 oxygen concentrators.

The remaining $3 million is in the form of material aid.

Individual donors, mainly alumni of the institutes, contributed $1.6 million of the cash portion.

The remaining $800,000 came from corporate donors.

Other than Piima, other organisations that have helped to raise funds for India include The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Singapore and the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI).

TiE Singapore led a campaign that raised US$2.2 million (S$2.9 million), while SCCCI donated $50,000 to the India Covid Relief Fund started by the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Little India Shopkeepers Association.

Through its campaign, Piima also helped in the acquisition of medical supplies for India by identifying suppliers, negotiating prices and coordinating with various entities to buy oxygen cylinders and concentrators with partners such as ACT Grants - a non-governmental group that handles last-mile distribution in India - Temasek Foundation and the Indian High Commission.

Piima said its volunteer sourcing team worked with its alumni network to place orders with trusted suppliers, organise logistics, make quality checks and get last-mile delivery organised. The community leveraged its networks to identify suppliers in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taipei and Turkey.

Piima president Suresh Shankar said: "The alumni community opened their wallets and their networks, but also gave the most precious asset in this crisis - their managerial time."