Hima Das pledges one month’s salary to Assam COVID-19 relief fund

India sprinter Hima Das is donating a month’s salary to Assam’s COVID-19 relief fund to accelerate efforts to combat the global pandemic. She announced her decision on her Twitter account.

“Friends it’s high time to stand together & support people who need us. I am contributing 1 month of my salary to Assam Govt. in Assam Arogya Nidhi Account made to safeguard the health of people in the wake of Covid-19,” Das tweeted, tagging the accounts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Rijiju lauded her gesture and said that her hard-earned money meant a lot.

“Great gesture @HimaDas8. Your hard-earned one month's salary means a lot and it will be very purposeful! #IndiaFightsCorona,” he tweeted.

India has reported over 700 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. A nationwide lockdown was announced from Wednesday in a bid to contain the spread of the deadly virus, which has claimed 20 lives so far in India. The pandemic has wreaked havoc around the world as over 24,000 people have succumbed to COVID-19 since its outbreak in China’s Wuhan region in December 2019.

Other sportspersons to have contributed towards COVID-19 relief include ace badminton player P.V. Sindhu who has pledged Rs 10 lakh, cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly who have contributed Rs 50 lakh towards the cause, tennis star Sania Mirza who is raising money to provide food and other essentials to daily wage workers, and wrestler Bajrang Punia, who is also an officer on special duty with the Railways, pledging six months’ worth salary.