The Maharashtra Chief Ministers Relief Fund has disbursed Rs 106 crore to 10,582 people for medical requirements in the past 10 months, a senior official said Saturday.
The official added there was no dearth of money in the CMRF but those wanting to donate were welcome.
"A total of 10,582 needy people have been given a sum of Rs 106 crore in the past 10 months for various medical procedures. Since Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis took over in 2014, the total amount disbursed is Rs 553 crore and the number of people benefitted stands at 56,000," a senior functionary of the CMRF's medical assistance cell said.
The official pointed out that the total amount disbursed between 2009-14, when the Congress-NCP government was in power in the state, was Rs 40 crore to 16,000 people.
The Fadnavis government had also raised the amount of financial help from Rs 25,000 initially to Rs one lakh and further to Rs three lakh, the official said.
"The present government has incorporated a few more categories to the financial assistance scheme. Apart from heart surgeries and cancer, help can also be availed for liver, heart and bone marrow transplants," another official said.
On Friday, Mission Muskan, a joint initiative of the Rotary International and Chief Minister Medical Assistance Cell organised a fund-raiser at the Bombay Stock Exchange, after which a cheque of Rs 3 crore was handed over for the CMRF to Amruta Fadnavis, the CM's wife.
Suresh Chokhani, Mission Muskan chairperson, said apart from the Rs 3 crore that was handed over, another Rs 7 crore will soon be deposited in the CMRF.
Rajiv Singal, a trustee of Manav Kalyan Kendra which runs a few charitable hospitals in the city, appreciated the efforts of the Fadnavis government, adding that a request made by him for help for a child's surgery last month was acted upon immediately.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
