PM CARES not within the ambit of RTI Act: PMO

PM CARES not within the ambit of RTI Act: PMO

Fund is not public authority, says reply

31/05/2020, PRISCILLA JEBARAJ,NEW DELHI

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

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

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

Sri Harsha Kandukuri, a law student, filed an RTI request 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.

“PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 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.

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