Dehradun, May 20 (PTI) Uttarakhand's Forest and Environment Minister Harak Singh Rawat on Thursday donated Rs 25 crore on behalf of the state pollution control board to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to strengthen the government's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rawat handed a cheque of Rs 25 crore to Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat at the latter's office at the state secretariat in the presence of principal secretary forest Anand Vardhan and Member Secretary of Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board S P Subuddhi.

Harak Singh Rawat held a press conference to inform the media about the donation and appealed to all institutions and organisations to come forward and make their contributions to the CM relief fund.

"The state government has limited resources at its disposal while the battle against coronavirus may continue for long if the scientists' predictions about a third wave of the pandemic come true. In a situation like this a helping hand from any quarter will be of immense help," the minister said.

The state pollution control board had made a donation of Rs 50 crore to the CM relief fund to strengthen the fight against coronavirus last year too.

"The battle against corona can be fought and won only collectively," he said.

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