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Thanks, But No Thanks. Military Won't Accept Karan Johar's Donation, Sources Say
All India | Reported by Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Edited by Deepshikha Ghosh | Updated: October 24, 2016 20:02 IST
Thanks, But No Thanks. Military Won't Accept Karan Johar's Donation, Sources Say
Donation by makers of 'Ae Dil...' to army will not be accepted, say defence ministry sources
NEW DELHI: Filmmaker Karan Johar's donation of Rs. 5 crore to the military welfare fund, described as "penance" by Maharashtra politician Raj Thackeray for the use of a Pakistani actor in his movie "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", will not be accepted, sources in the Defence Ministry said today.
The ministry is working on new rules that will ban "coerced donations". Officials say such a contribution is against the very spirit of the gesture.
"We face an unprecedented situation because such a situation was never envisaged when the Battle Casualty Welfare fund was set up," an official said on Monday.
Donations to this fund are allowed through banking channels and not from any foreign source.
"On the larger issue of unwanted money being donated, several options are being discussed," the official said.
A donation for the army was pitched as atonement for working with Pakistani artistes, by politician Raj Thackeray, whose MNS or Maharashtra Navnirman Sena was among the groups that had threatened to block the release of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" as it stars Pakistani actor Fawad Khan.
A section of politicians and filmmakers believe that Pakistani artistes should be banned to respect public sentiment after last month's Uri attack, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed by terrorists from Pakistan.
On Saturday, Mr Johar and Mukesh Bhatt, the chief of a producers' guild, met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mr Thackeray.
"All the producers who have Pakistani artistes in their film will as penance have to pay some money. I suggested Rs. 5 crore per film... and give the money to the army welfare fund," Mr Thackeray said after the meeting, during which the producers also pledged not to work with Pakistani artistes anymore.
Shah Rukh Khan starrers Raees and Dear Zindagi are also required to pay the "penalty", he said.
Retired army personnel have disapproved of the move, saying that the sacrifices of the armed forces shouldn't be politicised.
http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/thanks-but-no-thanks-military-wont-accept-karan-johars-donation-sources-say-1478449
Karan Johar's Rs 5 crore is 3 times what Army welfare fund got in 2 months
The fund was started on the initiative of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who said a large number of organisations and individuals had approached him with the desire to aid families of soldiers.
Written by Sushant Singh | New Delhi | Updated: October 24, 2016 4:24 pm
WHEN Karan Johar deposits Rs 5 crore in the Army welfare fund to ensure a hassle-free release for his film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, he would be putting in more than four times the money in the fund currently. According to government sources, from mid-August when it was started, till last week, the Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties had received donations worth around Rs 1.4 crore.
The fund was started on the initiative of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who said a large number of organisations and individuals had approached him with the desire to aid families of soldiers who had died in battle. In a statement, the Defence Ministry had said that it had received a surge of such requests after the Siachen avalanche in February, which had led to the death of 10 soldiers.
The Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties was started as a centralised fund, to accept donations and contributions from organisations and individuals, and to be managed by the adjutant general branch of the Army.
The assistance from the fund is meant to be in addition to the existing schemes for relatives of soldiers who die in battle. An SOP in this regard was approved by the Defence Ministry last month.
The ministry's statement had said contribution to the fund must be voluntary in nature, to be used exclusively for "Next of Kins of Battle Casualties". The ministry is considering a proposal to make contributions to the fund eligible for tax exemption.
http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/ae-dil-hai-mushkil-protest-raj-thackeray-karan-johar-donate-rs-5-cr-to-army-welfare-fund-3099528/
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