September 22
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Sons join as Trustee of the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES). Also, Former Supreme Court Judge Justice K.T. Thomas and Karia Munda, former Deputy Speaker, joined as Trustees.
Two other Trustees are Home minister Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Prime Minister welcomed the Trustees for becoming an integral part of the PM CARES Fund in a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the PM CARES Fund.
A presentation was made on the various initiatives undertaken with the help of the 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 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.
The Trust further decided to nominate Rajiv Mehrishi, Former Comptroller and Auditor General of India; Smt. Sudha Murthy, Former Chairperson, Infosys Foundation and 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.
Meanwhile, PM Modi, during the meeting, appreciated the people of the country for contributing wholeheartedly to the PM CARES Fund. The “Trustees appreciated the role played by the fund at a crucial time for the country”, including the PM CARES for Children scheme which is supporting 4,345 children, the statement said.
The scheme was launched on May 29 last year to support children who lost both their parents, legal guardians or adoptive parents to the Covid-19 virus.
“Out of ₹14,000 crore that was available in the fund, a huge amount was spent during the Covid-19 pandemic. The exact amount was shown during the discussion… The balance available in the fund now is around ₹8,000 crore,” Thomas said.
