PM Narendra Modi on Saturday announced the launch of a new fund to combat the coronavirus crisis and similar situations arising in the future, instantly drawing a flood of pledges including one of Rs 25 crore from Bollywood star Akshay Kumar.
Called the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund or PM CARES, the fund will see the Prime Minister as the chairman of the trust and its members will include the Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
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://t.co/dKbxiLXFLS
— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) March 28, 2020
“Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’ has been set up,” it added.
The announcement of the fund comes amid widespread criticism of the government’s abrupt announcement of a lockdown – two months after the global outbreak – that has triggered a huge crisis for migrant workers and people who live on daily incomes.
To stop the spread of the highly-contagious COVID-19 disease, the government has banned all activity except essential ones and asked people to stay at home to observe social distancing.
With all public transport stopped, many left without food, shelter and income have been forced to undertake journeys for hundreds of kilometres on foot.