PM CARES Fund

21-Sep-2022: PM chairs meeting of Board of Trustees of PM CARES Fund

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the PM CARES Fund on 20.09.2022.

A presentation was made on the various initiatives undertaken with the help of PM CARES Fund, including the PM CARES for Children scheme which is supporting 4345 children. Trustees appreciated the role played by the fund at a crucial time for the country. PM Shri Narendra Modi appreciated the people of the country for contributing wholeheartedly to PM CARES Fund.

It was discussed that PM CARES has a larger vision on effectively responding to emergency and distress situations, not only through relief assistance, but also taking mitigation measures and capacity building.

Prime Minister welcomed the Trustees for becoming an integral part of the PM CARES Fund.

The meeting was attended by Trustees of the PM CARES Fund, i.e. Union Home Minister and Union Finance Minister as also, the newly nominated trustees of the PM CARES Fund:

Justice K.T. Thomas, Former Judge, Supreme Court,
Shri Kariya Munda, Former Deputy Speaker,
Shri Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons.

The Trust further decided to nominate following eminent persons for constitution of Advisory Board to PM CARES Fund:

Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India
Smt. Sudha Murthy, Former Chairperson, Infosys Foundation
Shri Anand Shah, Co-founder of Teach for India and Former CEO of Indicorps and Piramal Foundation.

Prime Minister said that participation of new Trustees and Advisors will provide wider perspectives to the functioning of the PM CARES Fund. Their vast experience of public life would impart further vigour in making the fund more responsive to various public needs.

7-Oct-2021: PM dedicates to the nation PSA Oxygen Plants established under PM CARES

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, dedicated 35 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Oxygen Plants established under PM CARES, across 35 States and Union Territories, in an event held at AIIMS Rishikesh, Uttarakhand today. With this, all districts of the country will now have commissioned PSA Oxygen Plants. Union Ministers, Governor, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, State Ministers and healthcare professionals were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister noted the beginning of the holy festival of Navratri from today. He said Maa Shailputri is worshipped on the first day of Navratri. He remarked that Shailputri is the daughter of Himalaya. “On this day I am here, coming here to bow to this soil, saluting this land of Himalayas, what can be a greater blessing in life than this,” said the Prime Minister. He also congratulated the state for splendid performance in the Olympics and Paralympics. The Prime Minister stressed that his relationship network with the land of Uttarakhand is not only of heart but also of action, not only of essence but also of element.

Continuing with the significance that today’s date holds for him, the Prime Minister recalled that on this day 20 years ago, he got a new responsibility to serve the public. He added that his journey of serving the people, living among the people was going on for many decades, but 20 years ago today, he got a new responsibility as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also noted that the beginning of this journey coincided with the formation of the Uttarakhand state as he took over as the Gujarat Chief Minister a few months after that. He said he never imagined that he would, with the blessings of the people, reach the position of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the people of the country and Uttarakhand as he entered the 21st year of this unbroken journey as head of the government.

Shri Modi expressed happiness that from the land where life-giving forces like Yoga and Ayurveda gained strength, today, oxygen plants are being dedicated. The Prime Minister said the facilities India prepared in such a short timespan to fight the Corona pandemic, shows the capability of our country. Network of about 3000 testing labs were created from just 1 testing lab, before the pandemic. India has transformed from being an importer to an exporter of masks and kits. Facilities of new ventilators were made available even in remote areas of the country. India has made rapid and large-scale manufacturing of Made in India Corona Vaccine. India has implemented the world's largest and fastest vaccination campaign. The Prime Minister said what India has done is a symbol of our determination, our service and our solidarity.

The Prime Minister said in normal days, India used to produce 900 metric tons of liquid medical oxygen a day. As the demand increased, India increased the production of medical oxygen by more than 10 times. He added that this was an unimaginable goal for any country in the world, but India has achieved it.

The Prime Minister remarked that it is a matter of pride for every Indian that 93 crore doses of corona vaccine have been administered. Very soon India will cross the 100 crore mark. He said India has shown the way to the whole world by building the CoWIN platform that shows how vaccination is done on such a large scale.

The Prime Minister said now the government does not wait for the citizens to come to it with their problems and then take any action. He said that this misconception is being removed from the government mindset and system. Now the government goes to the citizens.

The Prime Minister noted that till 6-7 years ago, only a few states had the facility of AIIMS, today work is being done to take AIIMS to every state. He said we are moving fast from 6 AIIMS to build a strong network of 22 AIIMS. It is also the goal of the government that there must be at least one medical college in every district of the country. He recalled that former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee had fulfilled the dream of the creation of Uttarakhand. Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee believed that connectivity is directly related to development. Due to his inspiration, today work is being done for improving connectivity infrastructure in the country at unprecedented speed and scale, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said before the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, only 1,30,000 households in Uttarakhand had access to tap water. Today piped drinking water has started reaching more than 7,10,000 houses of Uttarakhand. That is, within just 2 years, about 6 lakh houses in the state have got water connections. The Prime Minister informed that the government is also working very seriously for the interests of every soldier, every ex-serviceman. He added that it is our government that fulfilled the 40 years old demand of our brothers from the armed forces by implementing One Rank One Pension.

12-May-2020: BPPI Contributes Rs.25 Lakh to PMCARES fund

To support government in its fight against COVID-19, Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India(BPPI) Under the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers has contributed Rs. 25 Lakh to PMCARES fund.

The amount was contributed by employees, of BPPI and owners and distributors of Janaushadhi Kendras. The Kendras working under Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) have been rendering essential services to the nation. Bureau of Pharma PSUs of India (BPPI), the implementing agency of the PMBJP has been keeping a close tab on the situation in all of its area of operations. BPPI has been standing with its stakeholders and consumers in these challenging times as Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendra (PMBJK) are functional and maintaining operations as part of their commitment.

BPPI is committed to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential medicines at the PMBJK. BPPI has clocked appreciable sales turnover of Rs. 52 Crore despite the lock down and testing times in the month of April 2020 as compared to Rs. 42 Crore achieved in March 2020. As the product basket of PMBJP consists of all the essential medicines enlisted in the NLEM other than lab regents & stents, BPPI has adequate stock of the medicines which are currently under demand viz. Face mask, Hydroxychloroquine, Paracetamol and Azithromycin. BPPI has sold about 6 lacs Face masks, 50 lacs tablets of Hydroxychloroquine in the month of March & April 2020. Further, orders for 60 lacs Hydroxychloroquine tablets has also been placed. Envisioning current market demand, BPPI has also placed purchase orders for procurement of these medicines so as to have enough stock for the next six months.

Following the lock down measures in place, over 6300 PMBJKs are functioning across the nation, covering 726 districts of the country. Supporting the governments initiative of practicing social distancing, pharmacists at the PMBJK, now popularly known as “Swasth Ke Sipahi” are undertaking delivery of medicines to patients and elderly people at their doorstep.

3-May-2020: Employees of EPFO contribute Rs 2.5 crore to PM CARES fund

The employees of Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) have also come forward to support the Government’s initiative in combating national crisis of COVID-19 pandemic and voluntarily contributed one day’s salary- amounting to around Rs. 2.5 crore to the PM CARES Fund. EPFO, as one of World's largest Social Security Organizations, stands committed in the service of the nation in every possible way.

The COVID-19, declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has posed serious challenges for the health and economic security of millions of Indians. Government of India has set up a public charitable trust under the name of ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation.

Officers and staff of EPFO are also contributing by putting in extra efforts for providing relief by expeditiously processing EPF withdrawal claims including COVID claims under PMGKY package, etc.

11-Apr-2020: MCA’s Frequently Asked Questions on eligibility of CSR expenditure related to COVID-19 activities

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has been receiving several references/ representations from various stakeholders seeking clarifications on eligibility of CSR expenditure related to COVID-19 activities. In this regard, a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) along with clarifications are provided below for better understanding of the stakeholders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)	Reply
Whether contribution made to ‘PM CARES Fund’ shall qualify as CSR expenditure?	Contribution made to ‘PM CARES Fund’ shall qualify as CSR expenditure under item no (viii) of Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 and it has been further clarified vide Office memorandum F. No. CSR-05/1/2020-CSR-MCA dated 28th March, 2020.
Whether contribution made to ‘Chief Minister’s Relief Funds’ or ‘State Relief Fund for COVID-19’ shall qualify as CSR expenditure?	Chief Minister’s Relief Fund’ or ‘State Relief Fund for COVID-19’ is not included in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 and therefore any contribution to such funds shall not qualify as admissible CSR expenditure.
Whether contribution made to State Disaster Management Authority shall qualify as CSR expenditure?	Contribution made to State Disaster Management Authority to combat COVID-19 shall qualify as CSR expenditure under item no (xii) of Schedule VII of the 2013 and clarified vide general circular No. 10/2020 dated 23rd March, 2020.
Whether spending of CSR funds for COVID-19 related activities shall qualify as CSR expenditure?	Ministry vide general circular No. 10/2020 dated 23rd March, 2020 has clarified that spending CSR funds for COVID-19 related activities shall qualify as CSR expenditure. It is further clarified that funds may be spent for various activities related to COVID-19 under items nos. (i) and (xii) of Schedule VII relating to promotion of health care including preventive health care and sanitation, and disaster management. Further, as per general circular No. 21/2014 dated 18.06.2014, items in Schedule VII are broad based and may be interpreted liberally for this purpose.
Whether payment of salary/wages to employees and workers, including contract labour, during the lockdown period can be adjusted against the CSR expenditure of the companies?	Payment of salary/ wages in normal circumstances is a contractual and statutory obligation of the company. Similarly, payment of salary/ wages to employees and workers even during the lockdown period is a moral obligation of the employers, as they have no alternative source of employment or livelihood during this period. Thus, payment of salary/ wages to employees and workers during the lockdown period (including imposition of other social distancing requirements) shall not qualify as admissible CSR expenditure.
Whether payment of wages made to casual /daily wage workers during the lockdown period can be adjusted against the CSR expenditure of the companies?	Payment of wages to temporary or casual or daily wage workers during the lockdown period is part of the moral/ humanitarian/ contractual obligations of the company and is applicable to all companies irrespective of whether they have any legal obligation for CSR contribution under section 135 of the Companies Act 2013. Hence, payment of wages to temporary or casual or daily wage workers during the lockdown period shall not count towards CSR expenditure.
Whether payment of ex-gratia to temporary /casual /daily wage workers shall qualify as CSR expenditure?	If any ex-gratia payment is made to temporary / casual workers/ daily wage workers over and above the disbursement of wages, specifically for the purpose of fighting COVID 19, the same shall be admissible towards CSR expenditure as a onetime exception provided there is an explicit declaration to that effect by the Board of the company, which is duly certified by the statutory auditor.

10-Apr-2020: Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India contribute Rs 28.80 crore towards PM CARES Fund

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India and Institute of Cost Accountants of India, the three Professional Institutes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, have come forward to donate an amount of Rs 28.80 crore to PM-CARES Fund for providing assistance to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created on 28th March 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India. This dedicated national fund has been set up with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation as posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected people.

6-Apr-2020: Ports and PSUs of Ministry of Shipping contribute Rs. 52 Crore as CSR Fund to PM-CARES

All Major Ports and Public Sector Undertakings under Ministry of Shipping have decided to contribute Rs.52 Crore as CSR fund to ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) which has been created to provide relief to Coronavirus ( COVID-19) pandemic affected people.

5-Apr-2020: Officers & staff of Ministry of Finance, Financial Institutions and Public Sector Banks/Enterprises Contributes Rs 430 crore towards PM CARES Fund

The Officers & staff of Ministry of Finance including the officials of financial institutions and Public Sector Banks/Enterprises under the Ministry have come forward to donate a day’s salary including under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with an amount ofRs 430.13 crore to PM-CARES Fund for providing assistance to those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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. This dedicated national fund has been set up with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation as posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected people

3-Apr-2020: Power & RE sector PSUs contributing Rs. 925 Cr. To PM CARES fund

The Central Public Centre Enterprises ( CPSEs) under Ministry of Power and Ministry of New & Renewable Energy have decided to contribute Rs. 925 Crore to ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund)’ which has been created by PMO to provide relief to victims of coronavirus ( COVID-19) pandemic.

Informing about the major initiative by PSU under his Ministries, Shri R.K. Singh, the Union Minister of Power and New & Renewable Energy has tweeted, “ We feel honoured to share that the Public Sector Undertakings of the Ministry of Power & MNRE have decided to contribute INR 925 Cr to the PM- CARES fund with INR 445Cr being deposited on 31st March and remaining in the first week of April. ”The amount of Rs. 925 Cr includes contribution of Rs. 905 Cr from PSUs under Ministry of Power and contribution of Rs. 20 Cr. From PSUs under MNRE.

"Covid-19, a highly contagious disease has spread to almost the entire world. In India too the pandemic is posing severe health hazard, which requires the entire nation to stand together," Shri Singh said. He complemented all those who are contributing wholeheartedly to the PM Cares Fund responding to the appeal of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

2-Apr-2020: SPMCIL employees contribute towards PM CARES Fund to combat COVID-19

Keeping in view the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis across the country, around 8,500 employees of Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) contribute to fighting COVID-19 outbreak by volunteering one-day salary donation from March 2020 towards the Prime Minister CARES FUND in this hour of distress.

1-Apr-2020: Union Agriculture Minister Shri Tomar presented Rs.11 crore cheque as contribution by NCDC & Indian Potash Ltd towards PM CARES Fund

On the appeal of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) and Indian Potash Limited have jointly contributed a sum of Rs.11 crore towards the PM CARES Fund in order to tackle the Covid-19 threat. NCDC Managing Director Shri Sundeep Kumar Nayak presented a cheque of Rs.11 crore to the Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar here today.

NCDC extends financial assistance to villagers through the cooperatives. In the last financial year it has extended loans to farmers and rural population to the tune of Rs.30,000 crore.

Companies and Institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare have been making contributions in crores of Rupees to Shri Tomar towards the PM CARES Fund.

The Minister has himself contributed Rs.1 crore from the MPLADS Fund and one month of his salary. Besides, he has contributed Rs.50 lakh for related works in his constituency, Morena-Sheopur.