Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar has donated Rs 25 crore to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative PM CARES Fund to lend support to the ongoing battle against the coronavirus pandemic.
Akshay wrote on Twitter: “This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to Narendra Modi ji’s PM-CARES Fund. Let’s save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai.”
Akshay Kumar✔@akshaykumar
This is that time when all that matters is the lives of our people. And we need to do anything and everything it takes. I pledge to contribute Rs 25 crores from my savings to @narendramodi ji’s PM-CARES Fund. Let’s save lives, Jaan hai toh jahaan hai.
https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/1243861543185305603 …
Narendra Modi✔@narendramodi
Replying to @narendramodiThe PM-CARES Fund accepts micro-donations too. It will strengthen disaster management capacities and encourage research on protecting citizens.
Let us leave no stone unturned to make India healthier and more prosperous for our future generations.
Earlier, the government set up the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund, or the PM CARES Fund, with the objective of dealing with emergency situations such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Contributors to the fund will enjoy tax benefits, it has been announced.
“People from all walks of life expressed their desire to donate to India’s war against COVID-19. Respecting that spirit, the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been constituted. This will go a long way in creating a healthier India,” PM Modi announced in a tweet on Saturday.
The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust that includes the home minister, the finance minister the defence minister.
(With Inputs from INAS)
Prasanta Patnaik