PM Modi foregoes cash part of Lata Mangeshkar Award, family donates to PM Cares

New Delhi, May 26

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that he would forgo Rs 1 lakh cash component, part of the maiden Lata Deenanath Mangeshkar Award he received recently, the family of the late legendary singer on Thursday said it would donate the amount to PM CARES Fund.

In a Twitter message, Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar’s younger brother Hridayanath Mangeskhar lauded PM’s decision to donate the amount to charity and said the family had decided to donate the same to PM Cares.

Earlier, PM Modi wrote to Hridayanath Mangeshkar extending thanks for the warmth and affection shown to him at the time of presentation of the Award in Mumbai last month.

“As I rose to receive the award and make my remarks, I was overcome by a variety of emotions. Most of all, I was missing the presence of Lata Didi. It was when I was receiving the award that it fully dawned upon me that I will be one Rakhi poorer during Raksha bandhan,” the PM said in his letter to Hridayanath Mangeshkar.

The PM added that the realisation hit him hard that he would no longer be receiving those phone calls enquiring about his health and wellbeing and discussing a variety of subjects with him.

In the same letter the PM requested the family of the late singer to donate the cash component to any charitable institution of their choice so that the money could be used to make a positive difference to the lives of others, “something Lata Didi always wanted to do”.