Triumphant Indian football team donates ₹20L to kin of Balasore train accident victims
The Indian football team which won the Intercontinental Cup on Sunday (June 18) has decided to donate a part of the cash award it received from the Odisha government towards “relief and rehabilitation” of families affected by the recent train accident in the state.
Hosts India beat Lebanon in 2-0 in the title clash in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, to lift the trophy for the second time in three outings. Following the win, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had announced a cash reward of ₹1 crore for the team, from which Igor Stimac’s wards have “collectively” decided to donate ₹20 lakh.
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“We’re grateful for the gesture by the Government of Odisha to award the team with a cash bonus for our win. In what was an instant and collective decision by the dressing room, we’ve decided to donate ₹20 lakh of that money towards relief and rehabilitation work for families affected by the unfortunate train accident in the state earlier this month,” the Indian Football Team tweeted.
“Nothing will compensate for the loss that people have faced, but we hope that this plays its own little part in helping families cope and tide through what are very tough times.”
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As many as 292 passengers were killed and more than a thousand injured in a deathly triple train accident that occurred in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2. People from different walks of life have condoled the deaths and donated towards rescue and relief measures undertaken by the Odisha government.
Soon after the accident, several current and former players from the cricketing community including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh had taken to twitter to condole the deaths while praying for the families who lost their loved ones.
Also read: Odisha accident site, a week later: Trains have moved on, locals have not
(With inputs from agencies)