Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni donated Rs 1 lakh on Thursday, 26 March, to help sustain 100 families in Pune amid the 21-day lockdown in country announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Dhoni donated the amount to Mukul Madhav Foundation, a public charitable trust in Pune, through a crowdfunding website called Ketto.
The funds will be used to provide relief kits in Pune to the daily-wage workers who have bore the brunt of COVID-19 lockdown. Dhoni’s donation will provide the families with relief kits to support them for 14 days during this lockdown.
Each relief kit will contain essential items such as soap, pulses, rice, flour, oil, biscuits, tea, sugar, spices and other food items.
Dhoni, who hasn’t played international cricket since the India’s semi-final loss to New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup in England, was also set to turn up for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League this season before it was suspended till 15 April due to the COVID-19 scare.
Dhoni is not the only cricketer who has come forward during this crisis. Former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan also donated over 4,000 masks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
Shikhar Dhawan also made donation to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
In India, the number of coronavirus cases has already reached around 650, with 13 deaths recorded due to the pandemic. The number is increasing every day and the entire country is in a state of lockdown with many workers losing their jobs, with no means to sustain themselves.
Pune is currently one of the worst coronavirus affected cities in India, with over 30 reported positive cases and hundreds of people in quarantine.
Ketto, one of India’s largest crowdfunding platforms has already raised Rs 1.37 crore for its various campaigns to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
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