Mumbai:
As Maharashtra grapples with severe drought, citizens across the state are donating generously to the Chief Minister's relief fund. Rs. 116 crore has been collected so far from citizens and organisations.
Leading the list of donors are the Sai Baba's temple at Shirdi and Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple, which have donated Rs. 25 crores each. Corporate India is also pitched in by making significant contributions to the fund. The Mahindra Group has donated Rs. 2 crore while Kumarmangalam Birla has donated Rs. 1 crore.
While help continues to pour in, Parineeta Dandekar, a Member of South Asia Network for Dams, Rivers and People says the administration needs to look beyond that. She says, "This is a man-made drought. Collecting funds is fine but this is not the solution."
Bollywood though remains non-committal about donating to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. While singer Asha Bhosle has personally donated Rs. 5 lakh, so far there are no other notable contributions. Except from superstar Salman Khan, whose charitable trust has promised to provide 2500 water tanks in Marathawada and Vidarbha.
Gaurav Ghai, the Factory Manager of Syntax, which is arranging for the supplies, says, "We are sending 400 tanks in 25 trucks to Osmanabad, Beed, Jalna, Aurangabad and Nanded. We have a supply order for 2500 water tanks and it will be completed by May 31."
But Salman Khan's donations have led critics to argue that this could be a move aimed at improving his image, especially since he has two court cases against him. Lawyer and Activist YP Singh says, "The best charity is done in an anonymous manner and when a star indulges in some charity, and the charity is propagated by means of a massive PR machinery, it has to do with some sort of hidden agenda. And I think this invisible agenda is the one related to the criminal cases."
Experts say while donations from the aam aadmi or common man will help, what's more important is that the state must find a sustainable solution to the water crisis. And that, experts say, is possible only if water management policies are rectified and properly implemented.