MP Saket Gokhale criticises Modi government over lack of transparency in PM-CARES fund
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale has accused the Modi government of a lack of transparency in the management of the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund. Gokhale, in a post on X, highlighted that no financial data on the fund has been disclosed since March 31, 2022, sparking concerns about its administration and usage.
Gokhale noted that while the PM CARES Fund was initially presented as a charitable trust set up to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, it has not provided any updates on contributions or expenditures for the past two years. He further questioned how a fund declared as a “private trust” by the government could use national symbols like the National Emblem and a government domain address, stating, “The fact that PM-CARES stopped providing its audited financial reports since over 2 years clearly shows that there is something HUGELY fishy.”
He also drew parallels between the lack of transparency in the PM CARES Fund and the alleged misuse of the electoral bonds scheme. According to Gokhale, the fund might serve as a platform for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to extort companies and collect anonymous contributions, following the controversy over electoral bonds that were criticized for enabling anonymous political donations.
Gokhale’s statement aligns with the concerns raised by Congress leaders over the fund’s opaque nature in the past. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh had in March this year, alleged that the PM CARES Fund was deliberately structured to allow the Prime Minister access to an unsupervised pool of resources. Ramesh pointed out that despite receiving contributions from public sector undertakings (PSUs), foreign companies, and prominent Indian firms, the fund remains outside the purview of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
“The PM CARES Fund is exempt from any scrutiny, and the total amount received and the names of donors have never been officially disclosed. Media reports suggest that it received donations worth Rs 12,700 crore, with significant contributions from companies like Reliance and Adani Group,” Ramesh stated.
Echoing these sentiments, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi in April this year, questioned why the fund, despite receiving 60% of its donations from PSUs, is not subject to public audits. Singhvi argued that a public fund with over Rs 5,000 crore in contributions should be accountable to the public.
Further complicating the situation, a report by Business Standard in April 2023 revealed that at least 57 public sector companies contributed Rs 2,913.6 crore to the fund between 2019 and 2022, raising questions about the government’s claim that the fund does not receive any government money. The report also noted that amendments made in September 2022 limited the amount of information companies must disclose regarding their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending, making it difficult to trace where their contributions went.
The PM CARES Fund’s exemption under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) also allowed it to receive Rs 535.44 crore as foreign donations over the past three years, including contributions from Chinese companies. This has raised further concerns, especially given the ongoing tensions between India and China.
Over the years questions have also been raised about why the fund has not utilized its resources fully and why it continues to operate under ambiguous guidelines.
Important:
— Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) October 4, 2024
Update on Modi's PM-CARES SCAM:
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Modi launched his new scam called PM-CARES Fund. This was meant to be a "charitable trust" which took contributions of thousands of crores from people as well as Indian & foreign companies.
After an… pic.twitter.com/PzYMKWgclH
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RS proceedings adjourned for day amid opposition protest over Adani bribery row, other issues
New Delhi(PTI): Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Wednesday as opposition members insisted on a discussion on various issues, including bribery charges related to the Adani Group.
The proceedings were briefly adjourned in the morning session due to opposition protest, and when the House re-assembled at 11.30 AM, there were identical scenes.
This prompted Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to adjourn the proceedings for the day, saying the "House is not in order".
The trobule started after Dhankhar rejected 18 notices under a rule of the House to suspend scheduled business and take up issues mentioned in the notices.
The notices related to demand for 'constitution of a JPC to investigate the alleged misconduct, including corruption, bribery, financial irregularities of the Adani Group in connivance with other authorities', violence in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh and rising incidents of crime in the national capital.
"Upper House needs to reflect and follow well-established traditions that ruling of the Chair requires reference and not cause differences. I have, in detail, given reasons why, in these situations, notices are not being accepted," Dhankhar said while rejecting the notices under Rule 267 of the House.
On Monday also, the Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day during the morning session itself as opposition insisted on raising the issues related to Adani Group.
There was no sitting of the House on Tuesday.
The Adani Group said on Wednesday that Gautam Adani, and his nephew Sagar have not been charged with any violation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in the indictment that authorities filed in the New York court in an alleged bribery case.
