Akshay Kumar to donate Rs 25 crore to PM-CARES Fund, Varun Dhawan pledges Rs 30 lakhs

Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar on Saturday announced that he will be donating Rs 25 crore to the emergency fund launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to combat health contingencies like the coronavirus. PM Modi had earlier on Saturday announced the creation of the Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES) where people can contribute and help the government in the fight against the COVID-19.

Taking to Twitter, Akshay said that safeguarding the lives of the people is of paramount importance right now. "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," Akshay wrote. To this, PM Modi replied, "Great gesture @akshaykumar. Let's keep donating for a healthier India." Akshay's wife, former actor and author Twinkle Khanna, praised him for the step. "The man makes me proud. When I asked him if he was sure as it was such a massive amount and we needed to liquidate funds, he just said, 'I had nothing when I started and now that I am in this position, how can I hold back from doing whatever I can for those who have nothing,'" she wrote.

Actor Varun Dhawan also announced that he has pledged Rs 30 lakh as donation to PM-CARES Fund. "I pledge to contribute 30 lakhs to the PM-CARES fund. We will over come this. Desh hai toh hum hain," the actor said.

Varun also said that he will be donating Rs 25 lakh to Maharashtra CM's relief fund. Filmmaker Karan Johar hailed the creation of the new fund as a "great initiative" and said he will be doing his bit in the battle against coronavirus.

"This is an absolutely great initiative by our honourable PM @narendramodi... In our own way and capacity we must all pledge to contribute to the PM-CARES Fund....this will go a long way for the well being of millions of our people," he tweeted. TV star Arjun Bijlani said he will be donating Rs 5 lakh each to the PM-CARES Fund and Maharashtra CM's relief fund.

"We all need each other at this time so I pledge to contribute Rs 5 lakhs to @narendramodi ji's PM-CARES Fund and Rs 5 lakh to the Chief Minister's Fund @CMOMaharashtra ... Zindagi ek safar hai suhana. Please save lives. I know it's a drop in the ocean but it matters. You do your bit," he said. A number of celebrities have come forward to donate money to various relief funds so as to help people in crisis. South superstar Rajinikanth was the first celebrity to announce that he will be donating Rs 50 lakh to help daily wage workers.

Several A-listers from the south, including Prabhas, Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan, Ram Charan and others have also donated money. In Bollywood, Hrithik Roshan and Kapil Sharma too had come forward to fund relief work.

The "War" star said he has procured masks for BMC workers and caretakers, while Kapil had donated Rs 50 lakh to the Prime Minister Relief Fund. The country is witnessing a 21-day lockdown, as announced by the PM, to contain the spread of the virus.

According to the health ministry, the number of COVID-19 cases crossed over 900 in India on Saturday with the death toll rising to 19..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)