Tata Group on Friday announced the formation of a dedicated Rs 500 crore welfare trust to support victims of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 260 lives, including 19 on the ground.In an official statement, Tata Sons and Tata Trusts said “The Trust will provide both immediate and continuing support to the dependents/next-of-kin of the deceased, to those who were injured, and to all others who are directly or collaterally affected by the accident.”The trust, named ‘The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust’, has been registered in Mumbai and will be managed and administered by a five-member Board of Trustees. The initial two trustees appointed are S. Padmanabhan, a former Tata veteran, and Sidharth Sharma, General Counsel at Tata Sons. Additional trustees will be appointed in due course.The group has pledged Rs 500 crore — Rs 250 crore each from Tata Sons and Tata Trusts — toward the trust’s philanthropic objectives. These include an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to the families of each of the deceased, full medical treatment for those with serious injuries, and aid for the rebuilding of the B J Medical College Hostel infrastructure, which was damaged in the crash.The statement also noted that the Trust would extend assistance “for alleviation of any trauma or distress suffered by the first responders, medical and disaster relief professionals, social workers and governmental staff who provided invaluable institutional support and service in the aftermath of the accident.”The trust will begin operations after the completion of required registration and tax formalities, which are currently underway, the statement said.The Air India aircraft, flying from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, resulting in one of the country’s worst aviation tragedies in recent years.
