Citizens have been donating generously to Dispur’s Assam Arogya Nidhi kitty to help the state government fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Till Friday evening, over 45,367 people have donated almost Rs 100 crore and counting, a gesture the state’s health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said was unprecedented in his active political career since 1991.

Last month, the state government had appealed to the people of the state as well as those who belong to Assam but living in other parts of the world to help the government financially to address the ongoing crisis. The appeal reached out to many and as soon as the government had shared the bank account number, contributions started to pour in from March 26. On the first day itself, a sum of Rs 12.6 lakh was credited to the Arogya Nidhi account.

“Every drop counts,” said Sarma, expressing his gratitude to the donors. The minister tweeted: “Inching towards historic Rs 100 crores! Never before in my long political/ govt. career I have come across a moment like this when people so overwhelmingly came out to join a cause. We’ve 97.92 crores under Assam Arogya Nidhi as donations for #Covid_19”

Earlier, Sarma said that the money raised from the donations would be helpful for the construction of the five pre-fabricated hospitals in the state to treat Covid-19 patients. The cost of one such hospital was estimated at around Rs 40-45 crore. He said that the pre-fabricated hospitals will have 300 beds as well as ICUs and each hospital can be set up in two months’ time.

From children giving up their piggy bank savings, to big firms donating a handsome amount, even state legislators have donated. All donations have been exempted from tax. Besides, the state government employees, too, donated one day’s salary to help the government. “The current crisis has led many states to cut the salaries of their employees. We’re not taking any such measure so far. The fiscal health of the state in coming days is a major concern and we are trying to balance it. However, the state government is yet to take a call on giving the salary of the state government employees in the next month,” Sarma said adding that the state government will decide on the matter next week.

Sadou Asam Karmachari Parishad (SAKP) president Basab Kalita said, “We are ready to cooperate with the state government. But at the same time, government must also take effective steps so that the economic crisis of the state can be addressed to keep the government functionaries active.”

Kalita said that they are ready to discuss the matter with the state government if the latter wants to. “We had earlier told the state government that we were ready for a pay cut but the government decided not to. In the coming days, if needed, we are ready to find a solution to the situation too,” he said. Already, the state government employees have started distributing relief to the needy. On Saturday, the state government called for 33 per cent attendance in government offices from April 21.