Congress and other parties in opposition have questioned the legal validity of PM CARES Fund and also the need for it.
PM Modi
In the wake of on-going Coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated Rs 2.25 lakh from his own pocket as the ‘initial corpus’ to the PM CARES Fund right about it was set up, officials from Prime Minister’s office said. The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund have been created to collect the money under PM CARES. It is deployed in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
“PM Modi has a long legacy of contributing to public causes ranging from girl child education to work on cleaning the Ganga to the welfare of the underprivileged. These donations have now exceeded ₹ 103 crores,” the official added.
Congress and other parties in opposition have questioned the legal validity of PM CARES Fund and also the need for it. He has pointed to the similar Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF).
However, the PM CARES Fund also cannot be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. This is not the first time, PM Modi donating money. Earlier in the last year, he donated ₹ 21 lakh from his personal savings to a corpus fund. This he did for the purpose of providing welfare of sanitation workers at the Kumbh Mela which was held in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.
Not just that he had also contributed to cleaning the Ganges after receiving Seoul Peace Prize in South Korea. Prime Minister Narendra Modi donated the entire prize money of ₹ 1.3 crores for work in cleaning the Ganga.
He had also donated Rs 3.40 crore in an auction of his mementoes to the river-cleaning mission, PMO officials said. Other than this, he has also raised Rs 8.35 crore in an auction of gifts that he received in the year 2015. He also went to the Namame Ganga Mission, the officials said.
The PM CARES Fund is exempted from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act and a separate account of receiving foreign donations has been opened. PM CARES Fund accepts donations and contributions from the individuals and organisations abroad.
