PM Modi announces new relief fund as COVID-19 cases touch 918, toll 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (March 28) announced the creation of an assistance and emergency situation relief fund where people can contribute and help in the government’s fight against coronavirus.

According to the health ministry, as of Saturday 5:45 PM, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country climbed to 918 and the death toll touched 19.

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund will go a long way in creating a healthier India, he said on Twitter.

“People from all walks of life expressed their desire to donate to India’s war against COVID-19,” he said, adding the fund has been constituted respecting that spirit.

“It is my appeal to my fellow Indians, kindly contribute to the PM-CARES Fund. This Fund will also cater to similar distressing situations, if they occur in the times ahead,” he said.

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A statement posted on his official website said while the prime minister is the chairman of the new public charitable trust, its members include the defence minister (Rajnath Singh), home minister (Amit Shah) and the finance minister (Nirmala Sitaraman).

In India, like the rest of the world, the spread of coronavirus has been alarming and is posing severe health and economic ramifications for our country, it said.

The Prime Minister’s Office has been receiving spontaneous and innumerable requests for 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,” the statement said.

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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, it said.

“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 statement said.

The PM-CARES Fund accepts micro-donations too. It will strengthen disaster management capacities & encourage research on protecting citizens. Let us leave no stone unturned to make India healthier and more prosperous for our future generations: PM Narendra Modi. https://t.co/HataV5DRqJ pic.twitter.com/fv2FeNQmwB

— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2020

People can visit www.pmindia.gov.in to make contributions using credit and debit cards, UPI, net banking and RTGS or NEFT, it said.

(With inputs from agencies)