Appeal to generously donate to ‘PM’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund)’
The pandemic of COVID-19 has engulfed the entire world and has posed serious challenges for the health and economic security of millions of people worldwide. In India too, the spread of corona virus has been alarming and is posing severe health and economic ramifications for our country. The Prime Minister’s office has been receiving spontaneous and innumerable requests for making generous donations to support the government in the wake of this emergency.
Distress situations, whether natural or otherwise, demand expeditious and collective action for alleviating the suffering of those affected, mitigation/control of damage to infrastructure and capacities etc. Therefore, building capacities for quick emergency response and effective community resilience has to be done in tandem with infrastructure and institutional capacity reconstruction/enhancement. Use of new technology and advance research findings also become an inseparable element of such concerted action.
Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected, a public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’ has been set up. Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust and its Members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
PM Narendra Modi has always believed and shown in actions that public participation is the most effective way to mitigate any issue and this is yet another example. This fund will enable micro-donations as a result of which a large number of people will be able to contribute with smallest of denominations.
The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created on 28 March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The fund will be used for combating, containment and relief efforts against the coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future. The Prime Minister is the chairman of the trust. Members will include the defence, home and finance ministers.
The fund will also enable micro-donations. The minimum donation accepted for the PM CARES Fund is Rs. 10. The donations will be tax exempt and fall under corporate social responsibility. The Prime Minister had said that the PMO had received many requests to help in the war against COVID-19. Accordingly, the fund was set up and will be used for disaster management and research.
Any contribution made to the PM CARES Fund before 30 June would qualify for a tax exemption under (80G) Income Tax Act, 1961. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs announced that contributions to the PM CARES fund would be counted as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility with additional CSR being offset in subsequent years.
Citizens and organisations can go to the website pmindia.gov.in and donate to PM CARES Fund using following details:
Name of the Account: PM CARES
Account Number: 2121PM20202
IFSC Code: SBIN0000691
SWIFT Code: SBININBB104
Name of Bank: State Bank of India
Branch: New Delhi Main Branch
UPI ID : pmcares@sbi
Following modes of payments are available on the website pmindia.gov.in –
1.Debit Cards and Credit Cards
2.Internet Banking
3.UPI (BHIM, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, PayTM, Mobikwik, etc.)
4.RTGS/NEFT
Donations to this fund will be exempted from income tax under section 80(G).
Disclaimer: All the views in the blog are personal of the author not attributing to anyone
