The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) contributed Rs 51 crore to Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country. "Mr Sourav Ganguly, President, Mr 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 INR 51 crores 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 board said in a press release.
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly also took to Twitter to make the announcement on Saturday.
"The outbreak of the Coronavirus 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 release added.
"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," it added further.
"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," it concluded.
Earlier in the day, India batsman Suresh Raina took to Twitter to announce that he has donated Rs 52 lakh to fight the pandemic.
On Friday, Sachin Tendulkar donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the pandemic that has wreaked havoc globally.