BJP Blocks Parliament Panel Review Of PM CARES Fund, Coronavirus Response

[timmy]

BJP Blocks Parliament Panel Review Of PM CARES Fund, Coronavirus Response

The chairman of the committee, Adhir Chowdhary, who is also the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, appealed to members to think of the nation and act with their conscience and find a consensus on the important subject.

All IndiaWritten by Sunil PrabhuUpdated: July 11, 2020 04:40 am IST

PAC failed to arrive at a consensus on taking up and examining the government's response to the COVID-19.

 

 

 

New Delhi: 

The Public Accounts Committee or PAC, one of the most important parliamentary panels which scrutinises key reports by the auditor general and has taken up issues like the 2G spectrum scandal in the past, failed to arrive at a consensus on Friday on examining the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic or the new PM CARES fund set up to tackle the crisis.

The chairman of the committee, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, appealed to members to think of the nation and act with their conscience and find a consensus on the important subject.

Members of the ruling BJP, however, came in full strength with a clear directive to the meeting of the panel to stall Mr Chowdhury's proposal of examining the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis, sources said.

The biggest support for the BJP came from Biju Janata Dal leader Bhartuhari Mahtani. The opposition was outnumbered with DMK leader TR Balu being one of the few to support the proposal, those present in the meeting told NDTV.

Some opposition leaders claimed that the reason for denying the scrutiny of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government's response is because the BJP is afraid of a closer look into the PM CARES fund which is not under the audit of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or CAG.

The ruling party, which enjoys a majority in the panel and is led by senior leader Bhupender Yadav, blocked Mr Chowdhury's attempt to select the PM CARES Fund for examination saying its funding was not sanctioned by parliament and therefore it cannot be taken up by the committee.

The government has said the PM CARES Fund, set up as a war chest for national emergencies to draw individual and private sector donations, will not be looked into by the government's auditor but by "independent" auditors.

This was the first time that the PAC met after the nationwide lockdown was lifted and unlike other committees where the presence of members were minimal, the BJP ensured there was nearly full attendance.

With this decision, the key parliamentary committee will be unable to scrutinise and analyse one of the world's biggest lockdowns, the government's response and how it is handling the crisis for now.

The PAC, however, agreed to review the construction of border roads at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and procurement of high-altitude clothing for the armed forces in the wake of the recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh that left 20 Indian soldiers dead

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp-blocks-parliament-panel-review-of-pm-cares-fund-coronavirus-response-2260831?pfrom=home-bigstory

[ShruteSastry]

Not surprising eh!!!

[Picheshwar]

[mustang302]

Inko ladak visit chayyalsindhae ila ithae modi..😂😂

[timmy]

Coronavirus | PM CARES is not a public authority under RTI Act: PMO

Priscilla Jebaraj

NEW DELHI, MAY 30, 2020 22:50 IST

UPDATED: MAY 31, 2020 08:30 IST

• SHARE ARTICLE
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  
•  62
• PRINT
• A A A

 

 

The fund was set up to accept donations for relief measures during the pandemic. Photo: Reuters  

 

Fund is not public authority, says reply

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has refused to disclose details on the creation and operation of the PM CARES Fund, telling a Right to Information applicant that the fund is “not a public authority” under the ambit of the RTI Act, 2005.

Full coverage on coronavirus

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was set to accept donations and provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar emergencies.

A few days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of the Fund on his Twitter account on March 28, Sri Harsha Kandukuri filed an RTI application on April 1, asking the PMO to provide the Fund’s trust deed and all government orders, notifications and circulars relating to its creation and operation.

 

Also read: How different is the PM CARES Fund from the PM’s National Relief Fund?

“When we already have the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF), having another fund did not make sense to me. I was curious about the composition and objectives of the Trust. I wanted to read the trust deed,” says Mr. Kandukuri, who is a law student at the Azim Premji University in Bengaluru.

When he did not receive any response within 30 days, he appealed. Finally, he received a response from the PMO’s information officer dated May 29.

“PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Secon 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. However, relevant information in respect of PM CARES Fund may be seen on the Website pmcares.gov.in,” the reply said.

Also read | Congress questions setting up of PM CARES Fund to deal with coronavirus

The relevant section of the Act defines a “public authority” as “any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted — (a) by or under the Constitution; (b) by any other law made by Parliament; (c) by any other law made by State Legislature; (d) by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government — and includes any (i) body owned, controlled or substantially financed; (ii) non‑Government Organisation substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the appropriate Government.”

Mr. Kandukuri now plans to appeal further. "The name, composition of the trust, control, usage of emblem, government domain name -- everything signifies that it is a public authority," he said, pointing out that the PM is the ex-officio chairman of the Trust, while three cabinet ministers are ex-officio trustees. “The composition of the trust is enough to show that Government exercises substantive control over the trust, making it a public authority,” he said.

PM-CARES | Russian arms firm to donate $2 million to PM CARES Fund

Another RTI request on the issue, filed by activist Vikrant Togad, had also been refused in April, with the PMO citing a Supreme Court observation that “indiscriminate and impractical demands under RTI Act for disclosure of all and sundry information would be counterproductive”.

There is also ambiguity regarding whether the PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) is subject to the RTI Act. While the Central Information Commission directed it to disclose information in 2008, a division bench of the Delhi High Court gave a split opinion on the question of whether PMNRF is a public authority under the Act.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/coronavirus-pm-cares-is-not-a-public-authority-under-rti-act-pmo/article31712146.ece