Right in the middle of the pandemic, a fund was created. This fund has the name PMCaresFund. Its chief patron / trustee is PM of India, Narendra Modi. Among other trustees are Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, etc.
This fund has the address of PMO (Prime Ministers Office), North Block, New Delhi.
This fund uses symbols of the government, including the Sarnath Lions.
The fund uses a website address extension reserved only for Government organizations.
This fund got income tax exemption in record time. This fund accepts donations from Indians and from anybody who is living anywhere in the world.
Yet, this fund does not come under Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). It does not come under RTI. A recent affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court by the Government, a single page affidavit, says that the fund is a ‘Private Fund’.
This single page affidavit, filed in response to a petition that seeks clarity on the fund, the trust deed of which is not in public domain, as to how a Private Fund can function that seems to be a Government fund when looked at from any angle. The petitioner has raised some very pertinent issues and asked questions to the Government. The government has filed a single page affidavit and skirted all questions.
Delhi High Court Bench has now given four weeks time to the Central Government to file a detailed reply on the subject.
This ‘Private-Trust’ that masquerades as a Government Fund can set very bad precedents. Tomorrow, various Chief Ministers of states can create a fund that looks and sounds like a State Government Fund, use all the symbols of the state and yet be a ‘Private-Fund’ outside the purview of auditing and Right to Information, making it an opaque fund.
It is only Modi Sarkar that has the audacity to create such a fund and get donations in this fund. The last audited balance sheet (FY20-21) shows that the fund had a balance of 7000 Crores! That is no small money. There is no information available as to who has donated to this fund and how the funds have been utilized.
It looks like a perfect con, no matter from which angle you view it.
Picture abhi baki hai mere dost….
