Plea filed in Delhi High Court to bring PM CARES Fund under RTI Act

NEW DELHI: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been moved in Delhi High Court which seeks to bring the PM Cares Fund under the ambit of Right to Information Act and calls for more transparency in it.

The petition stated that the PM CARES Fund is a ‘public authority’ within the ambit of Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act and prayed for a direction to the trust to display the details of the fund collected and the purpose for which it is being utilized for on its website. 

The petition submitted that "Anybody that is "owned", "controlled" or "substantially financed" by the Government qualifies for a public authority under the RTI Act.."

Petition insisted that the patients who have fallen victim to COVID-19 have the right to know about the fund collected for the very purpose of fighting the virus. It also maintained that the patients who need immediate financial assistance to fight the virus, "are not in a position to enforce their fundamental right of being treated and financially supported, by the use of funds collected in the PM CARES fund." 

The petitioner, through his petition, alleged that if the details of PM Cares Fund are not divulged or disclosed, it gives reasons for apprehensions. 

The petitioner also raised concern as to why should there be any secrecy, as the website also states that persons who manage PM Cares Fund shall have no personal interest.

The petition argued that in 2 months, the amount collected in PM Cares Fund stands somewhere around Rs 10,000 crores. 

These donations have largely come from the Public Sector Undertakings, Central Ministries, salaries of armed forces personnel, civil servants and members of the judicial entities. These funds have been compulsorily donated into the PM Cares Fund, it stated.