Sachin Tendulkar donates Rs 50 lakh to combat coronavirus

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has donated Rs 25 lakh each to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra's Relief Fund to aid the battle against COVID-19.

Various athletes have come forward to help the country in its fight against the coronavirus.

Among them is Indian sprinter Hima Das, who on Thursday said that she will donate a month's salary to the Assam government's coronavirus relief fund.

Indian shuttler PV Sindhu, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, and wrestler Bajrang Punia have also contributed their bit for the cause.

The number of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus rose to 724 on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The number of those who have been cured or discharged stands at 66, while there are 640 active COVID-19 patients in the county. Seventeen people have died from the disease while one person has migrated, the Union Health Ministry stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday announced a 21-day lockdown in the entire country to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.