New Delhi: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that queries on the PM Cares Fund, PM National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and National Defence Fund are not permissible under parliamentary rules, The Indian Express reported Monday.
Citing Rules 41(2)(viii) and 41(2)(xvii), the PMO stated these funds—funded solely by voluntary public donations, not government money—fall outside matters "primarily the concern of the Government of India" or under non-government bodies.
Launched in March 2020 amid Covid-19, PM Cares aims to address emergencies. Opposition parties decry its opacity, questioning the need alongside the 1948 PMNRF for disaster relief.
The government maintains PM Cares evades RTI as a private-source entity, despite 2020 admissions it is "owned and established" by the state.
In 2021, the Centre told Delhi HC PM Cares isn't "state" or "public authority" under RTI. In January 2023, the HC noted funds retain RTI privacy even if government-run, in a tax-exemption disclosure case. A single-judge bench in January 2024 overturned the CIC order, citing no jurisdiction under Income Tax Act Section 138 for taxpayer info.
PMO and Lok Sabha Secretariat declined comment.