Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make an amendment to the Companies Act, 2013, to ensure that public and private companies contribute to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund as a part of their CSR.

In a letter to Modi, Naveen said: "There is a need for augmentation of its resources through contribution of CSR of the corporates. The Odisha CMRF (Chief Minister's Relief Fund), like that other states, uses its fund for various pro-poor activities. Some such examples are relief to eligible indigent persons for their medial treatment, ex gratia to the next kin of the poor deceased in case of their unnatural and untimely death, compensation to the victims of road and rail accidents."

Naveen also cited how the state had introduced a yojana to assist the poor for performances of last rites in case of death. The state also provides hearse to the government health institutions for easy transportation of bodies from the place of death to the house of the deceased or place of cremation or burial.

Naveen said: "The Odisha CMRF has showed its generosity by even providing relief to the victims of other/country states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Nepal in the event of severe natural calamity there."

He also said: "Looking into the gamut of its activities, it is felt that there is a need to augment the funds for CMRF. A number of eligible poor are still left unattended by the CMRF. In the above circumstances, it is pertinent to the mention that the shortage of resources in CMRF can be addressed to some extent, through the CSR fund of the public and private companies."

Naveen said Section 135 of act and the CSR Policy Rules, 2014, mandate that from April 1, 2014, every company with a net worth of Rs 500 crore or turnover of Rs 1,000 crore or net profit of Rs 5 crore has to spend at least 2 per cent of its average net profit on CSR activities.

The contribution to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund comes under the CSR. "However, this schedule does not provide for contribution to the state CMRFs as an eligible activity under the CSR. Hence, there is a dire need to include contribution to the state CMRFs as an eligible activity under the CSR. This will also bring parity with the existing provision of contribution to PMNRF," said it.