Combating COVID-19: HDFC Bank receives mandate to collect donations for PM-CARES Fund

HDFC Bank Ltd has received the mandate to collect donations for the PM CARES Fund, which was created with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and to provide relief to the affected.

The bank in a statement said that individuals can now donate from their homes using debit cards, credit cards, UPI and digital banking channels. The donors can also use official UPI handle pmcares@hdfcbank to make donations, stated the bank.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) was created on March 28 following the outbreak of COVID-19 in India.

The bank said the contributions to the fund are exempted under Section 80 (G) and formal receipts can be downloaded from the PM-CARES portal after 15-20 days of the donation and that donors can also make contributions to leading national NGOs including Goonj, Rapid Response Force and HelpAge India.

"It's an honour to have been given this opportunity. I'd urge all of us to make the most of it and help the government in this gargantuan effort that it is making to ensure minimum disruption to our life," Aditya Puri, Managing Director, HDFC Bank was quoted as saying.

As per the statement, the HDFC Group has donated Rs 150 crore to the PM CARES Fund to support the Government of India for its relief and rehabilitation measures towards the pandemic.