INDIA: The nomination of well-known people to serve as trustees of the PM CARES Fund was made public by the government on Wednesday.
They include former Supreme Court justice KT Thomas, former deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha Kariya Munda, businessman Ratan Tata, and chairman emeritus of TATA Sons.
The declaration was made the day after the newly appointed members, together with Union home minister Amit Shah and finance minister Nirmala Sitharman, attended the board of trustees meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement in which it stated that the Prime Minister “welcomed the trustees for being an integral part of the PM CARES Fund.”
Former Infosys Foundation chair Sudha Murthy, ex-Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi, and co-founder of Teach for India Anand Shah have been proposed for the Fund’s advisory board.
The announcement read, “Prime Minister emphasised the participation of new trustees and advisors will bring wider views to the PM CARES Fund’s functioning.”
The trustees recognised the fund’s assistance during critical times, notably the PM CARES for Children programme, which provides help to 4,345 children.
The statement continued, “It was discussed that PM CARES has a bigger perspective on efficiently reacting to emergency and distress situations, not only through relief assistance but also through taking mitigation measures and capacity building.”
Information on the new trustees and advisors:
Ratan Tata: He is not just a titan of the industry—he presided over Tata Sons from 1991 until 2012—but he is also a well-known philanthropist. He received the honorific title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and Tata Chemicals following his retirement. He received the Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian honour in India, in 2008.
KT Thomas: He was appointed as a Judge in Supreme Court in 1996 after 12 years as a judge on the Kerala High Court. He was named the head of three committees after he retired in 2002. He received the Padma Bhushan award from the Indian President in 2007.
Kariya Munda: A seasoned politician from Jharkhand, has represented Khunti in the Lok Sabha for seven terms. He was appointed MoS Steel and Mines as soon as he won his first election in 1977. He served in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee administration from 2001 to 2004. He served as the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014.
Sudha Murthy: She began her career as an engineer at TELCO, and held the position of chairperson of the Infosys Foundation from 1996 to 2021, the company’s charitable and CSR arm. Her books have inspired readers for decades. She is also a prolific writer. Padma Shri was given to her in 2006.
Anand Shah: An entrepreneur by profession, Shah is the first CEO of the Piramal Foundation, a founding member of Teach for India, and the creator of Indiacorps. Additionally, he was a founding member of Ola’s electric vehicle venture. He currently holds the position of senior adviser with the strategic consulting company The Asia Group.
About PM Cares Fund
In order to provide urgent help during the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020, the PM CARES Fund was established.
One of its programmes is the PM CARES for Children, which was introduced on May 29 of last year to assist children who lost both of their parents, legal guardians, adoptive parents, or biological parents to the Covid-19 epidemic between March 11, 2020, and February 28, 2022.
All citizens, including individuals, businesses, and organisations, are welcome to contribute to this fund in order to support the relief efforts following the new coronavirus epidemic. Section 80(G) of the Tax Code exempts the donation to the PM CARES fund from income taxes.
One can donate through internet banking, debit and credit cards, UPI, bank transfers, and bank transfers.
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