The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has contributed Rs 51 crore to Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund in its fight against coronavirus.
“Mr Sourav Ganguly, President, Mr Jay Shah, Honorary Secretary and Office Bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) along with the affiliated state associations on Saturday announced to donate INR 51 crores to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) to contribute towards strengthening the nation’s disaster management capacities and encourage research to combat COVID-19 and protect Indian citizens,” the board said in a press release.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also took to Twitter to make the announcement on Saturday.
“The outbreak of coronavirus is first and foremost a public health emergency and the BCCI has a firm resolve that the nation gets all possible help to cope with the testing times,” the release added.
“The BCCI will contribute to Hon’ble Prime Minister’s initiative, which is a dedicated national fund (PM-CARES Fund) with the primary objective of dealing with emergency or distress situations.”
“The Board along with its state associations will continue to monitor and work closely with the Government of India, state governments and other state regulatory bodies and are committed to providing support to the state machinery in the face of adversity,” it said.
It may be noted that cricketers Suresh Raina and Sachin Tendulkar have announced a donation of Rs 52 lakh and Rs 50 lakh already.