New Delhi: From Akshay Kumar to Virat Kohli, celebrities across the board have announced donations to the newly set up PM CARES fund to contribute to the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 30 lives across the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up a public charitable trust, PM CARES or Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations on 28 March to enable individual contributions by citizens against Covid-19. While Prime Minister Modi is the chairman of the trust, the members include Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah And Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Bollywood Actors
Bollywood actors Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Sara Ali Khan and Priyanka Chopra pledged their support to the PM CARES fund. Producer and director Karan Johar also contributed to the fund. However, they did not disclose the amount they donated.
Thank you for everything you are doing. They need your support too, and we would implore you to donate as well. I have linked to each org with a swipe up in my stories…no donation is too small. Together we can help the world beat this. ❤️
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) March 31, 2020
Actor Akshay Kumar pledged Rs 25 crore to the PM CARES fund, while Vicky Kaushal and Kartik Aaryan announced that they would both be donating Rs 1 crore each to the fund. Actor Varun Dhawan said that he will be donating Rs 30 lakh.
Shilpa Shetty, along with husband Raj Kundra, also pledged Rs 25 lakh in the fight against coronavirus.
Also read: Develop test kits, identify drugs: Science ministry calls for rapid projects against Covid-19
Corporate support
The Indian corporate sector was also not far behind.
Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi announced Tuesday that state-owned companies Coal India Limited and NLC India will donate Rs 220 crore and Rs 25 crore respectively to the PM CARES fund.
Gautam Adani, chairman of business conglomerate Adani Group, also announced a contribution of Rs 100 crore Sunday.
ADANI FOUNDATION is humbled to contribute Rs. 100 Cr to the #PMcaresfund in this hour of India’s battle against #COVID19. ADANI GROUP will further contribute additional resources to support the GOVERNMENTS and FELLOW CITIZENS in these testing times.
— Gautam Adani (@gautam_adani) March 29, 2020
In a statement, Reliance Industries Limited, headed by Mukesh Ambani, pledged Rs 500 crore to the emergency relief fund set up by PM Narendra Modi.
“We are confident that India will conquer the coronavirus crisis sooner rather than later. The entire Reliance Industries team is with the nation in this hour of crisis and will do everything to win this battle against Covid-19,” said Ambani.
Engineering and construction giant Larsen & Toubro also announced a Rs 150 crore donation to the fund. Kotak Mahindra Bank, along with managing director Uday Kotak, pledged Rs 50 crore to the prime ministers relief fund.
Kotak Mahindra Bank & Mr. Uday Kotak personally, commit immediate support of ₹50cr to PM CARES (₹25cr each).
— Kotak Mahindra Bank (@KotakBankLtd) March 29, 2020
Sportspersons contribute to fight as well
Minister of State for Sports Kiren Rijiju announced that the employees of the Sports Authority of India had raised Rs 76 lakh for the PM CARES Fund by donating a part of their salaries.
I feel honoured to share that employees of Sports Authority of India have come forward to donate 3 days salary of Group A, 2 days of group B & 1 day of all other employees to #PMCARES fund to fight coronavirus. The total amount is 76 lakhs.#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/amqYnlO1Fs
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 30, 2020
Along with them, cricketers Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina also donated Rs 45 lakh and Rs 31 lakh to the fund respectively. “We need the country back on [its] feet & the onus is on us,” said Sharma while announcing the donation.
We need our country back on feet & the onus is on us. I’ve done my bit to donate 45lakhs to #PMCaresFunds, 25lakhs to #CMReliefFund Maharashtra, 5lakhs to @FeedingIndia and 5lakhs to #WelfareOfStrayDogs.Let’s get behind our leaders and support them @narendramodi @CMOMaharashtra
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) March 31, 2020
While Indian Mens Cricket team captain Virat Kohli also announced his support to the fund, he did not disclose the amount he would be donating.
Anushka and I are pledging our support towards PM-CARES Fund & the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (Maharashtra). Our hearts are breaking looking at the suffering of so many & we hope our contribution, in some way, helps easing the pain of our fellow citizens #IndiaFightsCorona
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 30, 2020
Also read: Modi govt needs to open the JAM for public contributions. PM Care alone can’t deliver
Disclaimer: Uday Kotak is an investor in ThePrint
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