Mumbai, The Maharashtra IAS Officers Wives Association has donated Rs 1.75 lakh to the CM Relief Fund to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said here.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sanjay Kumar handed over a cheque for the amount to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray last evening, which will be utilized for various initiatives to combat the pandemic in the state.

After big corporates offloading their wealth into government schemes, common individuals and local volunteer groups in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra are engaged in similar efforts to help the migrants, casual labourers and others stranded to survive the lockdown ordeal, now extended up to April 30 in Maharashtra.

In an unique initiative, members of Woodland Heights CHS, Chandivali, are providing food material daily to around 500 migrant security staffers, domestic helps, conservancy staff and drivers through the local temples and volunteers in the vicinity, spending lakhs of rupees from their personal savings, said a team-member Pradeep Menon.

The Vile Parle Jain Diamond Traders group led by Dharmesh Jhaveri and Bharat Parekh is organizing weekend lunches and breakfast for 250 BEST bus drivers, conductors, pavement dwellers and migrants in the lockdown period.

A Class X student of Hill Spring International School here, Abishek Avarsekar, has raised funds of Rs 153,000 to provide food packets to 150 migrant families in Raigad.

Mumbai police constable, Rajendra Ghorpade from Govandi Police Station donated Rs 25,000 from his savings to the CMRF, besides distributing food packets to the poor for the past few days.

Bollywood actor Nana Patekar's Naam Foundation has donated Rs 50 lakh to the CMRF for Covid-19 projects in the state.

The International Society for Krishna Consciousness Temple, Reliance Foundation, Rotary Club of Mumbai Queens Necklace have joined hands with ISKCON Annamrita to provide over 225,000 meals to migrants in Mumbai, Palghar, Pune, Aurangabad, Jalna and Nagpur.

There are several silent celebs and ofilm stars besides anonymous groups or individuals, rendering big and small services to the cause of the less privileged, often as humble as feeding 5-10 persons daily from their private meagre resources, but without chasing donations, publicity or recognition.