Covid-19: Union Minister Santosh Gangwar to release Rs 1 cr from MPLADS fund

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Tuesday said a sum of Rs 1 crore will be released from his MPLADS fund to make necessary arrangements to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The amount is to be released from his next due MPLADS installment, Gangwar, who is a BJP MP from Bareilly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, said in his letter to the Chairman of Committee on MPLADS (the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme.

"I...give consent for release of Rs 1 crore from my next MPLADS instalment due for release by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) during financial year 2020-21 to such central government pool or head of account as may be decided by the government of India for prevention and control of Covid-19 in the country," he said in the letter.

In a separate letter to the Prime Minister's Office, the minister said a financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh has been extended towards PM-CARES Fund to fight the pandemic.

The sum, Gangwar said, has been donated by Khanqahe-Alia-Niazia which is an international sufi centre in his constituency.