PM Narendra Modi while spearheading India’s fight against COVID19 created Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance & Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) on 28th March ,2020. The fund will be used for combating,containment and relief efforts against coronavirus outbreak and similar pandemic like situations in the future.
Soon Crores of Rupees started pouring in as voluntary deposits by individuals and organisations across the country. PM CARES Fund was also given exemption under the FCRA and a separate account has been opened for accepting donations and contributions from individuals and organisations based in foreign countries.
All was going well but within two days Congress President Sonia Gandhi raised questions on creation of PM CARES Fund and said all money under the PM CARES fund be transferred to the PM National Relief Fund to ensure efficiency , transparency , accountability and audit. She termed it as a waste of effort and resources to create two separate heads for distribution of funds. Even the Left parties said that receipts for donations to the PM CARES fund are not available Congress CMs also said that CSR Fund is not eligble for exemptions under CM Relief fund..
Finance Ministry in its reply clarified the following
- Donations to PM CARES fund are voluntary and are eligible under section 80g for 100% exemptions under IT Act 1961.Even CSR Funds donated to PM CARES are eligible under Companies Act 2013.
- PM CARES Fund will be audited by one or more qualified independent auditors who will be appointed by the Trustees.
Trustees to the fund – PM (Chairman), Home Minister,Defence Minister , Finance Minister.Even three independent members can be nominated as trustees to the fund by the chairman from the field of research , health ,science , social work , law , public administration and philanthropy. Moreover any person appointed as Trustee shall act in a pro bono capacity.
- Contributions of funds to the state disaster management authority for combating COVID-19 shall be counted as CSR expenditure and thus companies can make CSR contributions to any state government for fighting COVID-19 through the disaster management authority route.
With the above clarifications government called out on the bluff of the opposition parties and check mated the sinister campaign being run by them of spreading fake news to malign the image of the government and create doubts in the minds of the people.
To conclude even I will request readers not to believe in the vicious campaign of opposition parties and contribute as per your capacity towards PM CARES Fund and be a part to the campaign of ‘India fights corona’being run by the government.
Thoughts for this Article IV visualized by author
Gautam Agarwal
Indian Businessman
Swayamsevak, BJP Karyakarta & a Nationalist
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