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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Porsche car crash case exposed systemic corruption: Pune police commissioner
Pune (PTI): The Porsche car crash case exposed "systemic corruption," but the Pune Police have successfully uncovered the nexus behind the replacement of the accused juvenile's blood samples with those of his mother, Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Wednesday.
The case made national headlines after the high-end car allegedly driven by the 17-year-old boy in an inebriated state mowed down motorcycle-borne IT professionals Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa in the Kalyani Nagar area on May 19 last year.
"Last year’s Porsche car crash case sparked widespread discussions about Pune’s deteriorating social culture, alleged police corruption, and several other issues. Amid all the criticism, one positive aspect stood out: the case exposed systemic corruption.
"It also demonstrated how the police, working within the same system, managed to uncover the entire nexus behind the replacement of the juvenile’s blood samples with those of his mother," Kumar said while addressing Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, an initiative aimed at raising awareness against drug addiction, organised at Modern College.
He added that the juvenile has been released since he was a minor.
"However, his mother has remained in jail for over a year, and his father continues to be behind bars. Doctors from Sassoon Hospital and others involved are also still in jail," Kumar said, adding that one mistake by a child, and an attempt by his parents to cover it up, destroyed an entire family.
He said the police will follow up on this case until every guilty person is punished.
Kumar also appealed to students to stay away from intoxicating substances and drugs.
"You are not only endangering your own life but also putting your entire family at risk," he said, urging the youth not to fall prey to harmful addictions.
"Instead, stand strong and act as a force to ensure that drug abuse is curbed in your surroundings. We assure you of full police support," he added.
He further stated that if youth from all colleges unite and decide to end this menace, "the day is not far when not even one gram of drug will be sold in the city".
The investigation into the car crash had revealed that the juvenile's blood samples were replaced with those of his mother.
The roles of Dr Ajay Taware, head of the forensic department, Medical Officer Shreehari Halnor, and a hospital staffer came under scrutiny.
While the mother is currently out on bail, the juvenile’s father, Sassoon Hospital doctors Taware and Halnor, staffer Atul Ghatkamble, two middlemen, Ashpak Makandar and Amar Gaikwad, and others remain in jail for the alleged blood sample swap.
