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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Himanta resigns as Assam CM, paving way for formation of new govt
Guwahati (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday resigned along with his cabinet colleagues, paving the way for formation of a new government led by the BJP, officials said.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 102 seats in the 126-member assembly. The assembly elections were held in a single phase on April 9, and counting of votes took place on May 4.
"Following the formal notification of the results of #AssamElections2026 and to enable the formation of the new government, Dr @himantabiswa tendered his resignation as Chief Minister along with that of the council of Ministers to Hon'ble Governor Shri @Laxmanacharya54 today at Lok Bhawan," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.
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The Governor has accepted the resignation, and requested Sarma to continue as the caretaker CM till the new government assumes office, it said.
Later, speaking to reporters outside the Lok Bhawan, Sarma said the oath-taking ceremony is likely to take place after May 11.
“As it was a historic win, we have invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grace the occasion," he said.
The new Assam chief minister will be selected at a meeting of the BJP legislature party in presence of central observers, Sarma said.
