That actor Akshay Kumar has been relentlessly pursuing the cause of looking after martyred soldiers’ families is not unknown. However, his efforts have now got a major boost. The Bharat Ke Veer website that was launched last year by the ministry of home affairs on the suggestion of Akshay, to allow citizens to transfer money directly to the bank accounts of martyred soldiers ‘ families, has now been granted income tax exemption under form 80 (g). Ever since the launch of the website, the actor and the Home Ministry have been working hard to make it tax free.
Union Minister of Home Affairs, Rajnath Singh, on Thursday, tweeted that Bharat Ke Veer has been made tax free, and also been registered as a Trust — all contributions to the Trust, being headed by Union Home Secretary Rajiv Guaba, will now be exempted from tax. Along with Akshay, National Badminton Coach Pullela Gopichand has been included in the team of seven Trustees.
The website has got a great response ever since its launch. In January this year, when the Bharat Ke Veer Anthem was launched in Delhi, Akshay’s impromptu appeal from the stage had fetched Rs 19.23 Crores as contribution in just ten minutes.
At the event, he had said, “Let us start now”. “I am willing to dance, sing, do anything that you’d like me to, but let us collect the maximum for the welfare of the families of those who sacrificed their lives for us.” Soon enough, several corporate honchos announced generous donations.