Kolkata, March 26: The BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has come forward in support of those affected by the 21-day lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, pledging to donate rice worth Rs 50 lakh for the underprivileged.

Ganguly along with Lal Baba Rice will provide for the needy people who have been put in government schools for safety and security, the Cricket Association of Bengal announced in a statement. 2020 Wimbledon Championships Likely to Be Postponed or Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Pandemic.

"Hope this initiative of Ganguly would encourage other citizens of the state to take up similar initiatives to serve the people of our state," the statement from the company added.

The 1.3-billion populated India has gone into a total lockdown from midnight in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 virus and CAB secretary Snehashis Ganguly hailed the unprecedented step.

There have been 600 confirmed cases across India and 10 reported deaths as the world's second most populous country's coronavirus graph was on the rise.

Worldwide about 400,000 people have tested positive for the virus, while the toll is around 17,000.