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Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]latest-news-updates/a-fund-without-a-care-for-the-rti-m-sridhar-acharyulu.html"/> LATEST NEWS UPDATES | A fund without a care for the RTI -M Sridhar Acharyulu | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

A fund without a care for the RTI -M Sridhar Acharyulu

-The Hindu

The Government’s claim that the PM CARES Fund is not a public authority is unacceptable

It may not be an exaggeration to say that when it comes to seeking answers and information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is consistent in putting up a screen. The manner in which the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was set up — with its acronym created to publicise the point that the Prime Minister cares for people — shows a bypassing of the statutory obligations of a public authority.

The other funds

A statutorily constituted National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), which was established under the Disaster Management (DM) Act of 2005, is deliberately ignored while a new, controversial, unanswerable, and ‘non-accountable’ vehicle is created; its character is not spelt out till today. The NDRF is mandated to be accountable, and answerable under the RTI Act, being a public authority, and auditable by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The Government seems to consider statutory provisions for enquiry and information seeking to be embarrassing obstacles. The DM Act provided for a Disaster Response Fund — state and district level funds (besides the national level) and also to collect and use the donations at the local level, with mandatory transparency and audit provisions. The PM CARES Fund centralises the collection of donations and its utility, which is not only against the federal character but also practically inconvenient.

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