PM Cares Fund transparency | It is not a Government fund, said a Representative of PMO To Delhi HC
In a response to a petition seeking direction to declare the PM Cares Fund a ‘State’ under the Constitution to ensure transparency in its functioning, Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, the Under Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office filed an affidavit saying that the PM Cares Fund is not a Government fund, and the amount collected by it does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India.
The affidavit said PM CARES functions with transparency. It said that all donations received by the trust are received via online payments, cheques, or Demand Drafts, and the amount received is audited with the audited report and the expenditure of the trust fund displayed on the website. “To ensure transparency, the audited report is put on the official website of the trust along with the details of utilization of funds received by the trust,” the affidavit said.
PM cares fund controversy arises when Samyak Gangwal had filed a petition before the court saying that the PM Cares Fund is a ‘State’ as it was formed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 27, 2020, to extend assistance to the Indians in the wake of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Gangwal’s counsel told the court that if it is found that the PM Cares Fund is not ‘State’ under the Constitution, usage of the domain name ‘gov’, the Prime Minister’s photograph, state emblem, etc has to be stopped.
The petitioner has also filed another petition to declare PM Cares as a ‘public authority’ under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which is being heard together with the first plea.
Summary
PM Cares Fund is not a Government fund, and the amount collected by it does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India. Said a representative of PMO in a response to a petition filed in Delhi High Court.
