The government, on May 13 allocated Rs 3,100 crore from the PM-CARES Fund to be used to fight the COVID-19 crisis.
‘Out of Rs 3,100 crore, a sum of approximately Rs 2,000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators, Rs 1,000 crore will be used for care of migrant labourers and Rs 100 crores will be given to support vaccine development,’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said in a statement.
The fund allocation will be utilised for 50,000 ‘Made in India’ ventilators that will be given to government-run hospitals in all states and union territories where COVID-19 patients are being treated.
Rs 1,000 crore allotted for the care of migrant workers will be given to state governments and placed at the disposal of District Collectors or Municipal Commissioners for providing food, shelter, medical treatment and transport.
The Rs 100 crore allotted for vaccine development will be used under the supervision of government’s Principal Scientific Advisor to help Indian academia, startups and the pharmaceutical industry in their research.
The PM CARES fund was formed by the cabinet on March 27 and is regulated by a trust with PM Modi as its chairperson and senior cabinet members as trustees.
The fund accepts tax-free donations from individuals and corporates to fight COVID-19.
The opposition however, has raised questions about the need of the Fund when the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) already exists since 1948.
In April, sources in the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) told NDTV they would not audit the fund. The fund will be audited by ‘independent auditors who will be appointed by the trustees’. This pointed at the lack of transparency about the PM CARES fund.
