In response to NGO’s plea to transfer funds, Centre defends PM Cares before SC
10/07/2020
NEW DELHI, JULY 9: Creation of funds like the PM Cares Fund is not barred by the existence of other statutory funds like the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) under the Disaster Management Act of 2005, the Central government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.
In its affidavit filed before the top court, the Centre defended the PM Cares Fund stating that it is a fund established to carry out relief work and there are several such funds that have been established on similar lines in the past.“Mere existence of a statutory fund (NDRF) would not prohibit creation of a different fund like PM Cares Fund which provides for voluntary donations,” the affidavit said.
The Centre’s response came on a petition by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) seeking transfer of all contributions made to PM Cares Fund till date to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
The NDRF is a fund created by the Central government under Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act for dealing with disasters.The PM Cares Fund, the petition claimed, has been set up in violation of the legal mandate under the Disaster Management Act as per which any grant made by any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management should be compulsorily credited to NDRF.The PM Cares Fund was set up by the Central government on March 28 as a public charitable trust with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation such as that posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
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