- PM Cares Fund Received Rs 205 Crore From Salaries Of RBI, Govt Banks, and LIC Staff.
- As per the RTI queries answered by these institutions and banks to the Indian Express, 15 of them made a total contribution of Rs 349.25 crore to the fund.
Since its beginning on March 28, the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM Cares) Fund has received a total of Rs 204.75 crore in contribution from staff salaries of the central bank, seven public sector banks, and seven other leading financial institutions and insurers, according to data accessed by the Indian Express through RTI applications.
Along with central educational institutions, Rs 204.75 crore from the salaries of the staff of these institutions has been contributed to the PM Cares fund, an Indian Express report based on RTI records stated.
As per the report, apart from their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) allocation and other provisions, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC), and National Housing Bank contributed over Rs 144.5 crore.
LIC alone gave Rs 113.63 crore to PM Cares fund. This included Rs 8.64 crore from staff salaries, Rs 100 crore under “Corporate Communication” and Rs 5 crore under “Golden Jubilee Foundation”.
Among public sector banks, SBI topped the list with a contribution of over 107.95 crores. In the RTI query, SBI reportedly said its entire contribution was from the salaries of its employees.
The RBI, meanwhile, said its Rs 7.34 crore was from “contribution by employees”.
While the Prime Minister’s Office has declined to furnish details of contributions received to PM Cares, saying it is “not a public authority under RTI Act”, the details were provided by banks and financial institutions to the newspaper.
The Opposition has time and again targeted the government on the issue of the PM Cares Fund, which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March so that people can contribute and help in the government’s fight against the coronavirus.
The Opposition, however, alleged that the fund lacked transparency.
The members of the PM Cares fund are the prime minister, the home minister, the finance minister, and the defense minister.
