Odisha train accident: Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma pledges to match donations done for victims via app

Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma announced on Tuesday that the fintech company would match the donations made towards the victims of the Odisha train tragedy via the app.

Sharma took to Twitter to ask users to "Contribute to Odisha Train tragedy victims through Paytm. We will match all your contributions rupee to rupee. Thanks for your contributions."

Paytm's donation matching offer is open to all users of the app. To donate, users can simply open the Paytm app and select the "Donate" option. They can then select the "Odisha Train Accident Relief Fund" from the list of charities. For every rupee raised, Paytm will donate a rupee, i.e., will match the contribution.

"Paytm is starting a fundraising campaign for the victims and injured of Balasore Train Accident in partnership with Odisha Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) & Paytm Foundation. For every rupee raised, Paytm will donate a rupee, i.e., will match the contribution,” the company said in a statement.

The funds raised will be transferred into the bank account of Odisha Chief Minister's Relief Fund. "80G tax can be availed on the amount donated. Receipts can be downloaded from the 'Order & Bookings' section in the Paytm app," the company added. The money will be used to provide relief to the victims of the accident and their families.

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Netizens lauded the decision of Paytm CEO and posted screenshots of the payments on Twitter. 

While sharing a screenshot of Rs 5,000 payment, a user wrote, “Thanks for making it happen.” “Great , i have done my part..👍,” another one commented. “Wishing speedy recovery to the injured 🙏🙏,” a third user commented.

Paytm’s move comes after Reliance Foundation on Monday announced a 10-point relief plan for the victims of the Odisha train accident, which led to the death of 275 people and injured around 1,000 of them. The foundation has also mobilised its disaster management team to aid the relief efforts. 

The Coromandel Express crashed into a stationary goods train, derailing most of its coaches at 7 pm on June 2. A few coaches of Coromandel toppled over the last few coaches of the Bengaluru-Howrah Express which was passing by at the same time. Investigators are looking into possible human error, signal failure and other possible causes behind the three-train crash.

Meanwhile, three agencies - CBI, Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) and Government Railway Police, Balasore - have started an inquiry into the Balasore triple train crash in which at least 278 people were killed.

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