PATNA: Bihar government-owned different boards and corporations on Tuesday made a total contribution of Rs 117.5 crore in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).
CM Nitish Kumar personally received cheques from the concerned ministers and heads of the boards and corporations during a function held at ‘Lok Samvad’ hall in the premises of the CM’s residence in Patna.
The CM also provided opportunities to all donor organisations for photoshoots with their respective giant presentation cheques.
The biggest donor was the state health department’s public sector undertaking- the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL), which provided a contribution of Rs 25 crore in the CMRF, followed by Rs 12 crore contribution by the Bihar State Building Construction Corporation Limited (BSBCCL).
While state’s health minister Mangal Pandey and additional chief secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit handed over a cheque of Rs 25 crore to the CM on the behalf of the BMSICL, the building construction minister Ashok Choudhary and his departmental secretary Kumar Ravi provided cheque of Rs 12 crore on the behalf of the BSBCCL.
Similarly, the Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation provided a contribution of Rs 11 crore in the CMRF, while the Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) Rs 10 crore. The state’s road construction minister Nitin Navin and additional chief secretary (RCD) Pratyaya Amrit handed over a cheque of Rs 10 crore to the CM on behalf of the BSRDC.
Other three government bodies which contributed Rs 10 crore each in the CMRF were Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA), Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited (BSPTC) and the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation Limited.
The Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCO) contributed Rs 9 crore while the Bihar State Educational Infrastructure Development Corporation Rs 5 crore. Education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and additional chief secretary (education) Sanjay Kumar handed over the cheque of Rs five crore to the CM.
The Bihar State Housing Board too contributed Rs 5 crore in the CMRF. Similarly, the Bihar State Cooperative Milk Federation and the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation contributed Rs 4 crore each. The Bihar State Cooperative Bank Limited contributed Rs 2 crore while the Bihar Rural Roads Development Agency Rs 50 lakh.
Speaking on the occasion, Nitish appreciated the social initiatives of all the donor organisations. The CM also thanked the ministers and the head of boards, corporations and cooperative bodies for making generous contributions in the CMRF.
Contributions to the CMRF are notified for 100% deduction from taxable income under Section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act.
The CMRF was established in 1971 for helping people in distress. The fund is recognized as a Trust. and the CM is the chairman of the fund.
“The resources of the CMRF are utilized primarily to render immediate relief to families of those killed in natural calamities like floods, cyclones and earthquakes etc and to the victims of the major accidents and riots. Assistance from CMRF is also provided to partially defray the expenses for medical treatment like heart surgeries, kidney transplantation, cancer treatment, etc,” a state government official said on Tuesday.
