On 1 April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude towards the Indian sports fraternity for their contribution to the PM CARES fund. Sports professionals from different corners of the country have come forward to strengthen the nation's fight against the pandemic. These personalities include Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Sourav Ganguly, Rohit Sharma, Mithali Raj, Bajrang Punia, Mary Kom, Sania Mirza, etc. Let's first understand the significance of the PM CARES Fund.
What is the PM CARES Fund?
Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) has been set up for providing relief to people affected by the outbreak of the global pandemic, that is, COVID-19. An ordinance has been passed so that the donations made to the PM CARES Fund shall be eligible for 100% Tax deductions under section 80G of the IT act.
Controversy related to MS Dhoni's donation amount:
There have been media reports about the donation amount of MS Dhoni which is one lakh rupees. Many netizens have questioned this little donation from a player who is valued at around 800 crores. But soon, Dhoni's wife Sakshi came forward to clarify that the media reports were false. In fact, Dhoni has helped an NGO in funding one lakh rupees to the PM CARES Fund. He himself has not released an exact number and will not reveal in the coming days too. This is because the Dhoni we know will never look for glare and admiration. He will do what is necessary and keep silent thereafter.
The list is based on various media reports or tweets via their own handle. Here we have taken the donations to state relief funds into consideration too. Here is the current list of sportspersons and federations who have so far donated to aid the fight against Coronavirus:
Sportspersons:
Sachin Tendulkar, cricket (50 lakhs)
Sourav Ganguly, cricket (free rice worth Rs 50 lakhs)
Virat Kohli, cricket (3 crores)
Gautam Gambhir, cricket (50 lakhs, two-years' Salary as an MP)
Rohit Sharma (80 Lakhs)
Ajinkya Rahane (10 lakhs)
Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, cricket (4000 face masks)
R Sridhar, cricket (4 lakhs)
Anil Kumble, cricket (unspecified amount)
Mithali Raj, cricket (10 lakhs)
Deepti Sharma, cricket (1.5 lakhs)
Shikhar Dhawan, cricket (unspecified amount)
Poonam Yadav, cricket (2 lakhs)
Hima Das, athletics (one month's salary)
PV Sindhu, Badminton (10 lakhs)
Bajrang Punia, wrestling (six month's salary)
Sania Mirza, Tennis (food for daily wage workers)
Manu Bhaker, Shooting (1 lakhs)
Mary Kom, Boxing (one month's MP salary)
Apurvi Chandela, Shooting (5 lakhs)
Neeraj Kumar, athletics (3 lakhs)
National Sports Federations:
Hockey India (25 lakhs)
All India Football Federation (25 lakhs)
Wrestling Federation of India (11 lakhs)
Board of Control for Cricket in India (51 crores)
Indian Golf Union (10 lakhs)
Table Tennis Federation of India (5 lakhs)
Basketball Federation of India (5 lakhs)
All India Tennis Association (2.5 lakhs)
Athletics Federation of India (2.5 lakhs)
Wushu Federation of India (2 lakhs)
Handball Federation of India (1.5 lakhs)
Cycling Federation of India (1 lakhs)
Swimming Federation of India (50 thousand)
Mumbai Cricket Association (50 lakhs)
Saurashtra Cricket Association (42 lakhs)
Karnataka State Cricket Association (1 crore)
Badminton Association of India (10 lakhs)
Indian Olympics Association (71 lakhs)
Non-members/others:
WAKO India Kickboxing Federation (1 lakh)
Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (50 thousand)
Karate Association of India (5 lakhs)
Maharashtra Fencing Association (1 lakh)
Madhya Pradesh Handball Association (25 thousand)
East Bengal (30 lakhs)
Mohun Bagan (20 lakhs)
Note: This is not a conclusive list and the amount and members will keep updating.
