MUMBAI MIRROR (April 3, 2020)

After Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ajay Devgn and Varun Dhawan, among others, Shah Rukh Khan has joined the fight against Coronavirus outbreak. On Thursday, the 54-year-old actor issued a statement, outlining monetary contributions (without divulging figures) to PM-CARES and the Chief Minister Relief Fund of Maharashtra, and measures to meet requirements of medical professionals and daily wage workers, among other communities.

“Given the enormity of the task, my team and I discussed ways to contribute in our own modest way. We have come up with a series of initiatives, which we hope will make a small difference.... We have initially focused our efforts on the three cities - Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi - with the realisation that this is a start and we stand ready to contribute in whichever way possible going forward,” the statement read.

Through this step, SRK has pledged 50,000 Personal Protective Equipment kits to the healthcare professionals in West Bengal and Maharashtra, hailing them as “the real heroes who put their lives on the line every day to protect us”. Meanwhile, his NGO Meer Foundation will work closely with Ek Saath – The Earth Foundation and the Roti Foundation to meet daily food requirements of over 5,500 families for at least a month, set up a live kitchen to send out 2,000 freshly-cooked meals to hospitals and households in need and provide 3,00,000 meal kits to the underprivileged and daily wage workers in Maharashtra. According to the statement, the team has also identified 2,500 daily wage workers in Delhi and will provide them with basic essentials and grocery items for a month.

SRK’s NGO will also provide monthly stipend to over a 100 acid attack survivors, taking care of their basic needs. The survivors have been identified across UP, Delhi, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand.