75-Yr-Old Donates Rs. 10K, Collected From Begging, To TN CM’s Public Relief Fund

Karur: The activity of a 75-year-old man, involved in begging, attracted the attention of the general public and staff of the Karur collectorate when he deposited Rs. 10,000, earned through begging, at the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) branch at the collectorate on Monday, towards the Chief Minister’s public relief fund.

Pool Pandiyan, hails from Alangkinaru village, in Thoothukudi district. He is used to begging, and approached Karur Collector C. Muthukumaran saying he wanted to donate Rs. 10,000 towards the Chief Minister’s public relief fund through the Collector.

But the Collector advised him that instead of giving hard cash to him, to remit the money in the Chief Minister’s public relief fund through the bank.

Following this, the elderly man went to the IOB branch at the collectorate and remitted the money. He later showed the bank challan to the Collector, who appreciated the gesture of the senior citizen.

Pool Pandiyan told mediapersons that after begging in different districts, he has so far provided financial assistance to more than 400 schools across the state. During the Corona pandemic, he said, he had donated Rs. 1.60 crore towards Corona relief.

He said he has so far sent Rs. 30,000 in three instalments to the Chief Minister’s public relief fund through the Karur collectorate, and also claimed he had donated Rs. 2 lakh as contribution to the newly-formed TVK government.