News– The PMO informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions related to PM CARES, PMNRF, and NDF are not admissible under Lok Sabha rules.
About the PM CARES Fund
- Established in: The fund was set up on March 27, 2020, after the Covid-19 outbreak, as a public charitable trust.
- Funding source: The corpus consists entirely of voluntary public contributions and does not receive money from the Consolidated Fund of India.
- Administration: The fund is controlled by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministers of Defence, Home Affairs, and Finance are ex-officio trustees. The PM may also nominate additional trustees.
- Audit and transparency: The Supreme Court stated that PM CARES is a public charitable trust and there is no requirement for audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The Centre stated that it is not a public authority under the RTI Act.
- Utilisation of funds: The fund is meant to deal with emergency or distress situations and to provide relief to affected persons.
About the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund
- Established in: The fund was created in January 1948 to assist displaced persons from Pakistan.
- Funding source: It is funded fully through voluntary public contributions without government budgetary support.
- Administration: The Prime Minister serves as ex-officio Chairperson, assisted by staff on an honorary basis.
- Audit and transparency: The fund is audited annually by an independent non-government auditor and is not treated as a public authority under the RTI Act.
- Utilisation of funds: The resources are used for immediate relief to families affected by natural calamities, accidents, riots and also to assist with high-cost medical treatments (e.g., cardiac surgery, kidney transplants, cancer care).
About the National Defence Fund
- Established in: The fund was created in 1962, after the Indo-China War, to support the welfare of Indian Armed Forces personnel, para-military forces, and their dependents.
- Funding source: It relies only on voluntary donations from the public.
- Administration: An Executive Committee administers the fund, with the Prime Minister as Chairperson and Defence, Finance, and Home Ministers as as Members.
- Audit and transparency: It is not subject to the CAG’s statutory audit, unlike regular defence expenditures audited.
