Chandigarh, Mar 25 (IANS): Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has set up the 'Punjab Chief Minister Covid Relief Fund' for donations to fight the crisis in the state and has given a bank account number for this.

Appealing to the people to donate generously, the Chief Minister has asked the Central government to exempt such donations on the lines of the exemptions provided to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office told IANS the COVID Relief Fund account would enable people to make contributions electronically through various payment gateways facilitating quick and easy transfer.

All contributions may be made to the account of Punjab Chief Minister Covid Relief Fund, account number 50100333026124 of HDFC Bank with IFSC code HDFC0000213, Swift code HDFCINBB, branch code 0213 and branch name Chandigarh, Sector 17-C.

The Chief Minister said the instant response to assist the government and their fellow Punjabis in his hour of distress would go a long way in mitigating their hardships to a large extent.

In a major humanitarian gesture, the Radha Soami Satsang Beas and the Sant Nirankari Mission on Tuesday offered to Punjab the use of their 'satsang ghars' and Nirankari Bhawans in the battle against COVID-19.