PM's tsunami fund may touch Rs 10 bn

About 1,00,000 donors have contributed the Rs 5.5 billion that has been collected so far. HT Relief Fund

The Prime Minister's Relief Fund, which stands at a record Rs 5.5 billion ($125.9 million) for tsunami victims, is expected to touch Rs 10 billion by March 31 when it stops taking donations for tsunami relief.

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Officials monitoring donations for the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) say only about 1,00,000 donors have contributed the Rs 5.5 billion that has been collected so far.

"That is only a third of the number of donors after the Gujarat earthquake (300,000), though only Rs 4.2 billion were collected in the latter," an official said.

The relief fund is usually kept open until three months after the disaster, which in this case is Mar 31, 2005.

"So far it has been an unprecedented deluge - and quite a revelation of the support and confidence that people have shown. It is not possible to make an estimation, but with donations continuing in the same pace, we can expect Rs 10 billion before closing the tsunami benefit."

Chunks of donation are expected to come from cricket matches and celebrity shows.