<p>The criticism over PM-CARES to collect funds for COVID-19 is mounting with the CPI(M) on Wednesday questioning the motive behind the move as the country already has a Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).<br /><br />In a statement, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said the setting up of the separate fund to meet COVID-19 was "unnecessary" and demanded that the funds collected under PM-CARES, set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, be immediately transferred to PMNRF.<br /><br />"After Pulwama attack, a similar fund was set up called 'Bharat ke Veer', to provide assistance to victims. However, so far, no transparency or accountability on how this fund was utilized is visible. In this background, the 'PM-CARES' raises many disturbing questions...The motive for setting up this new fund remains suspect. In any case, it should have been named 'India Cares and not PM-CARES," it said.<br /><br />Earlier opposing the PM-CARES, eminent historian Ramachandra Guha had accused Modi of using a tragedy to enhance personality cult while senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Prime Minister owed an explanation for the "highly unusual move" to create a separate public charitable trust whose rules and expenditure are "totally opaque".<br /><br />On March 28, Modi announced the setting up of public charitable ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) with the "primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected". Besides the Prime Minister as Chairman of the Trust, it has the Defence Minister, the Home Minister and the Finance Minister as members among others.<br /><br />The CPI(M) said the PMNRF, which has been in existence since 1948, has reportedly an unspent balance of Rs 3,800 crore and the accounts of the fund are transparent, audited by the CAG and auto-generated receipts are given to the donors.<br /><br />"Given this, many questions are being raised on why a new fund has been created. This new fund has trustees, the Prime Minister and three other ministers without any opposition party or civil society leaders as members. The contribution page is hosted on the Prime Minister’s official web page. The Prime Minister has openly appealed through social media for donations," it said.</p>.<p>"Substantial donations have poured in from the corporate world, celebrities, public sector undertakings etc. There are reports that a day’s salary is being deducted from government employees and professionals, the armed and para-military forces as contribution towards this fund. Further, corporates will be considered as fulfilling their CSR obligations by merely contributing to this fund. There is no mention of maintenance of accounts, their audit or on the answerability of the decisions taken by these four trustees. In short, there is no transparency and accountability," the statement said.</p>
<p>The criticism over PM-CARES to collect funds for COVID-19 is mounting with the CPI(M) on Wednesday questioning the motive behind the move as the country already has a Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).<br /><br />In a statement, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said the setting up of the separate fund to meet COVID-19 was "unnecessary" and demanded that the funds collected under PM-CARES, set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, be immediately transferred to PMNRF.<br /><br />"After Pulwama attack, a similar fund was set up called 'Bharat ke Veer', to provide assistance to victims. However, so far, no transparency or accountability on how this fund was utilized is visible. In this background, the 'PM-CARES' raises many disturbing questions...The motive for setting up this new fund remains suspect. In any case, it should have been named 'India Cares and not PM-CARES," it said.<br /><br />Earlier opposing the PM-CARES, eminent historian Ramachandra Guha had accused Modi of using a tragedy to enhance personality cult while senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the Prime Minister owed an explanation for the "highly unusual move" to create a separate public charitable trust whose rules and expenditure are "totally opaque".<br /><br />On March 28, Modi announced the setting up of public charitable ‘Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund’ (PM CARES Fund) with the "primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected". Besides the Prime Minister as Chairman of the Trust, it has the Defence Minister, the Home Minister and the Finance Minister as members among others.<br /><br />The CPI(M) said the PMNRF, which has been in existence since 1948, has reportedly an unspent balance of Rs 3,800 crore and the accounts of the fund are transparent, audited by the CAG and auto-generated receipts are given to the donors.<br /><br />"Given this, many questions are being raised on why a new fund has been created. This new fund has trustees, the Prime Minister and three other ministers without any opposition party or civil society leaders as members. The contribution page is hosted on the Prime Minister’s official web page. The Prime Minister has openly appealed through social media for donations," it said.</p>.<p>"Substantial donations have poured in from the corporate world, celebrities, public sector undertakings etc. There are reports that a day’s salary is being deducted from government employees and professionals, the armed and para-military forces as contribution towards this fund. Further, corporates will be considered as fulfilling their CSR obligations by merely contributing to this fund. There is no mention of maintenance of accounts, their audit or on the answerability of the decisions taken by these four trustees. In short, there is no transparency and accountability," the statement said.</p>
