Mumbai, March 29: India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has donated Rs 10 lakh to the Maharashtra Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per PTI report, a by a source close to Rahane confirmed the development. The vice-captain of India's Test side joins the list of sportspersons who have contributed towards the fight against coronavirus outbreak.
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has donated Rs 50 lakh, while former India player Suresh Raina has chipped in with Rs 52 lakh. Maharashtra is one of the worst-affected states battling the novel coronavirus.
The BCCI on Saturday (March 28) joined hands with the rest of the nation in the fight against the deadly pandemic as president Sourav Ganguly, 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 Rs 51 crore 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 BCCI stated in a media release on Saturday that the board will do their bit to help the nation fight the outbreak. "The outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-1) 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 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 statement further added, "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."
(With PTI inputs)