Tata Sons and Tata Trust announced on Friday that they would contribute ₹250 crore each to a public charitable trust being set up for the families of the victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 that killed 260 people.
The memorial trust, to be called, ‘The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust’, would be registered in Mumbai and engage in offering immediate and continuing support to the dependents and next-of-kin of the deceased, all those injured in the accident, as well as all others who are directly or collaterally affected by the accident.
It would be managed and administered by a five-member Board of Trustees, and will also provide aid and assistance to help alleviate any trauma or distress suffered by “first responders, medical and disaster relief professionals, social workers, and government staff who provided invaluable institutional support and service” in the aftermath of the accident, said Tata Sons in a statement.
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The trust fund includes an ex gratia payment of ₹1 crore to the families of the victims, which had been announced by the Tata Sons chairman, N Chandrasekaran, soon after the accident. The group also said it would provide support in building the medical college hostel that bore the brunt of the crash.
“Tata Sons and Tata Trusts have together pledged to contribute ₹500 crores (with both committing ₹250 crores each) for the Trust’s philanthropic objects, which will include ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore for those deceased, medical treatment of those who suffered serious injuries, and support for rebuilding the B.J. Medical College hostel infrastructure which was damaged in the accident,” said the statement by Tata Sons.
It added that the trust will begin work after registration with tax authorities and completing other formalities.
The AI-171 flight crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board, as well as 19 others on the ground.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is investigating the air crash, has released a preliminary 15-page report this past Saturday that points the finger of suspicion to the engine fuel switches that were moved to the “cutoff” position only seconds after the plane took off.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner experienced a double-engine failure and crashed soon after.
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