In a first, Punjab and Haryana paid farmers MSP payment via direct bank transfers

Agriculture: For the first time ever, the Punjab and Haryana state governments paid farmers the minimum support price (MSP) for their rabi (winter) crop by transferring money directly into their bank accounts. As of April 20th, 2021, INR 5,385 crore had been transferred via DBT.

Under the Centre’s directive, MSP payments are to be made directly into farmers’ bank accounts. Following this mandate, payment for public procurement in Haryana and Punjab has moved online. This has eliminated the delay that would occur between the sale of crops and physical payments.

Punjab Food Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu said “under the DBT scheme payments more than INR 2,600 crore has been paid to the accounts of farmers till April 20”. In Haryana, INR 2,785 crore has been transferred directly to the accounts of farmers till April 20th, according to an official statement.

In the current marketing season of April 2021 to March 2022, close to 41.8 lakh tonnes of wheat has been procured. As per the food ministry’s latest data, the total wheat procurement in the country stands at 121.7 lakh tonnes, till date.

Read this article to know why we must listen to our farmers.

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.