The Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha Chairman, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has appealed to all Members of Parliament to contribute at least Rs. 1 crore initially from their MPLADS funds to supplement the Government’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter to all MPs, the Vice President referred to the extra-ordinary situation arising from the outbreak of COVID-19 and the plethora of measures being undertaken by the Government of India, and other stakeholders, including the private sector to control and mitigate the situation for the people.

Highlighting the requirement of the enormous amount of resources-financial, material and human- to successfully combat COVID-19, Shri Naidu said the Government of India is pooling financial resources from various avenues to augment the availability of funds at the national, state and district levels.

Observing that their prompt action will greatly help India in its fight against COVID-19, the Vice President requested the MPs to give their consent to centrally earmark an amount of at least Rs.1 crore initially from their MPLAD Scheme for the Financial Year 2020-21.

He also pointed out that the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation has suitably amended the relevant guidelines to allow one-time dispensation under MPLADS for managing COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Vice President also urged individuals to come forward and contribute to the PM-CARES Fund to strengthen disaster management capacities. While appreciating various civil society organizations for providing help to the needy and poor in this hour of crisis, he appealed to people to stay safe and healthy and strictly follow the guidelines issued by the government.

Earlier, the Vice President held a meeting with Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla, Secretary Generals of both the Houses and  spoke to the Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha and leaders of different political parties in Rajya Sabha  about MPLADS.

He also appreciated the gesture of people from various walks of life in contributing towards to the PM-CARES Fund and appealed to all to come forward and donate to this noble cause, while reminding everyone of India’s age-old tradition of share and care, which is the core of our philosophy.

Appealing to one and all to take care of the stranded migrant labour in their areas, Shri Naidu requested state governments, voluntary and philanthropic bodies to provide them with food and shelter. He also wanted the agencies which hired the migrant labour to come to their rescue.

The Vice President also spoke to Minister for State (IC) for Labour & Employment, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar and to the Cabinet Secretary, Government of India, Shri Rajiv Gauba and enquired about the coordination with various state governments on the issue of migrant labour.

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