KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has asked banks for acceptance of donations for Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund 2020.

The government has notified establishment of a relief fund, namely, the Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Fund 2020, for providing relief and assistance to the people of Pakistan affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Accordingly, banks have been asked to accept funds in the shape of donations /contributions both from domestic and international sources.

According to the SBP, the government has taken a number of steps with a view to enhance transparency in receipts into and payments out of the fund, therefore, banks should keep the cash balance of the Fund separate from and independent of cash balance of the general government account.

Government will commission separate audit reports on the receipts and payments of the Fund, including audit report by one of the local affiliates of big-four international accounting and auditing firms and the Fund will be administered by the Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division in consultation with the Finance Division.

A bank Account No 4162-786-786, IBAN, PK11NBPA0002004162786786, of the Fund has been established with SWIFT code: NBPAPKKAMBR at National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for public donations and donors have been provided multiple options for making donation/contribution to the Fund:

Overseas donors including overseas Pakistanis may donate to the Fund through wire transfer to the Fund account detailed above. They would simply advise their respective banks to transmit the donation amount in the Fund account by debiting their accounts. The NBP will transmit the donations received in the Fund account to SBP on daily-basis through ‘Real Time Gross Settlement’ (RTGS) system along with name of donor, country of residence and amount of contribution in both foreign currency and PKR.

Donation/contribution can also be made to the Fund account through a link available at NBP website by using debit/credit cards.

Overseas donors may also donate/contribute through Money Service Bureaus (MSBs), Money Transfer Operators (MTOs) (e.g. MoneyGram, Western Union) and Exchange Houses (EHs) in line with the arrangements in place for receiving home remittances.

Banks receiving such remittances will transfer the same through RTGS to the above mentioned account of the NBP every thirty minutes during the banking hours, besides providing the details of their particulars [as specified under A(a) above] to them for the purpose of maintaining the register.—RIZWAN BHATTI