PM Cares Fund Will Not Be Transferred: Supreme Court
PM Cares Fund will not be transferred in Disaster Management and Relief Fund: Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the demand to direct the transfer of PM Cares Relief Fund to the National Disaster Management Relief Fund (NDRF).
The court rejected the plea of the CPIL institution, demanding that PM’s funds be transferred to the NDRF citing the fund as illegal. The case was heard by a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan.
The Supreme Court rejected the demand to direct the transfer of the amount of the PM Cares Relief Fund to the Disaster Management Relief Fund. The court dismissed the plea of the CPIL institution, demanding that PM Keys fund be transferred to the NDRF, terming it illegal.
This Fund was formed towards the central government to fight Covid-19. The Supreme Court reserved hearing on 17 June on a PIL filed by the Center for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). In the earlier hearing on this petition, the central government had said in favor of creating funds that PM Cares is not prohibited from creating funds.
The PM Cares Fund does not prohibit other funds at the time of national or state disaster. People can make voluntary donations to this fund and demand to transfer the amount deposited in it to NDRF is not appropriate. The central government had sought to dismiss the PIL filed in the case.
At the same time, on behalf of CPIL, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had accused the central government of many irregularities. Prashant Bhushan had said that the central government should prepare a national plan to include COVID-19, as per the DMA.
In this scheme, the Center should issue minimum standards for relief. All receipts from the PM Cares Fund should be audited by the CAG and its information should be made public and the amount which is not mentioned should be transferred to the NDRF.
