Centre appoints Ratan Tata, former SC judge and other eminent personalities as trustees of PM CARES Fund 

The Central government on September 21 appointed eminent persons including industrialist and TATA Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata, former Supreme Court judge KT Thomas, and former deputy Lok Sabha speaker Kariya Munda as trustees of the PM CARES Fund.

The announcement comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a meeting of the board of trustees, which included the newly appointed members, as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman.

“Prime Minister welcomed the trustees for becoming an integral part of the PM CARES Fund,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

The Fund's advisory board has been expanded to include former Comptroller and Auditor General Rajiv Mehrishi, former Infosys Foundation chairman Sudha Murthy, and Teach for India co-founder Anand Shah.

Commenting on the same, the Prime Minister said that the participation of new trustees and advisors will provide wider perspectives on the functioning of the PM CARES Fund.

The trustees acknowledged the contribution made by the fund during crucial times, including the PM, CARES for Children scheme that supports 4,345 kids.

“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 statement added.
 
The PM CARES Fund was created as part of emergency relief measures during the Covid-19 pandemic that broke out in 2020. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairperson and all contributions are fully exempt from income tax.