Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has received ₹247 crore so far in the COVID-19 relief fund set up last month.
The Chief Minister’s Relief Fund-COVID 19 was opened on March 28, with Mr. Thackeray urging for “every kind of help” to save lives.
On Thursday, among others, the LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation donated ₹1 crore to the fund, along with hundreds others coming forward to donate, taking the total to ₹247 crore so far, the Chief Minister’s Office said.
Leading names to have contributed include the Adani Group, Motilal Oswal Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank and Cello Group. The Shirdi Charitable Trust has donated ₹51 crore and Siddhivinayak Temple ₹5 crore. Cricketers and actors too have contributed, including Sachin Tendulkar, Ajinkya Rahane, Varun Dhawan, and YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani.
There had been controversy after an appeal from the Central government said only contributions to the PM Cares Fund would qualify as Corporate Social Responsibility, and not State funds. The Centre later issued a clarification on the matter.
