New Delhi, March 31: A Class 10th student, concerned with the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in India, appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mandatorily seek funds from religious authorities. In a letter written to Modi, the student - Abhinav Kumar - asked the PM to order all religious bodies to donate "80 percent of God's wealth" in the PM-CARES fund incorporated for fighting coronavirus. Catch all the live updates related to the coronavirus outbreak in India and other parts of the nation.

The 15-year-old, a pupil of the Dehradun-based St Joseph's Academy, expressed admiration for the lockdown measures imposed by the Narendra Modi government to contain the transmission of coronavirus. In his letter to the PM, Kumar pointed out the dearth of resources which India may face in the days to come in the mammoth battle against COVID-19.

If all religious institutions, irrespective of faith, would donate 80 percent of their overall funds, it would bolster the government's financial backing in the fight against coronavirus, the student wrote. "I am sure God would be happy to bless us if this money saves God's children. We all have more faith in humanity," he added.

See Abhina Kumar's Full Letter to PM Modi

The PM-CARES fund was announced by Modi on Saturday, seeking donation from all self-sufficient individuals and organisations across the nation to combat coronavirus. On the Prime Minister's appeal, several industrialists as well as top Bollywood stars and sports fraternity members donated their share and urged others to follow suit.

The Opposition, however, raised questions over the manner in which the PM-CARES fund was incorporated and asked the government to explain why no Opposition leader was consulted or listed as a member of the fund-collection trust. Further, the Congress party asked the Modi government to explain why they are not using the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) which already has a balance of Rs 3,800 crore.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2020 11:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).