Victorious Indian Football Team Donates Rs 20 Lakh To Families Affected by Balasore Train Tragedy

Bhubaneswar, June 19: In a noble gesture, the Indian Football team has announced to donate Rs 20 lakh towards the relief and rehabilitation of families affected by the deadly Balasore train accident. 

Host India has defected Lebanon 2-0 in the Intercontinental Cup held at Kalinga Stadium here, following which Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 1 crore for the team.

"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 Rs. 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 on Monday.

It added that 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.

The Balasore train accident, dubbed one of the worst in India’s railway history, has claimed 290 lives so far. A CBI probe is currently underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

The Indian team’s warm gesture found spontaneous support from the followers on the team’s Twitter handle. “Kudos to the team, beautiful gesture,” said one follower while another follower said, “Football, always the people’s sport”.

The Football team also thanked the city of Bhubaneswar for the immense support and the beautiful memories they gathered during their tournament.