Activists raise transparency concerns as PM CARES Fund withholds audit statements since FY 2022-23

Activists raise transparency concerns as PM CARES Fund withholds audit statements since FY 2022-23

The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund has not made public any audited financial statements for the past three fiscal years even as activists raise concerns about its transparency.

The fund, a public charitable Trust established in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis to support relief efforts during public health emergencies and other disasters, is chaired by the Prime Minister and funded entirely through voluntary contributions, according to information released by the Centre.

The last publicly available audited financial statements, for the financial year 2022-23, show an opening balance of ₹5,415.65 crore, voluntary contributions of ₹909.64 crore, total receipts of ₹6,723.07 crore, total payments of ₹439.38 crore, and a closing balance of ₹6,283.68 crore as on March 31, 2023. Audited financial statements for 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 are available on the PM CARES website.

The absence of publicly available audit statements after 2022-23 is “extremely concerning”, Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convener of the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information, told The Hindu.

“The fund was presented as having been set up by the Union government, making it appear to be a public authority. Government employees also contributed from their salaries,” Ms. Bhardwaj said.

“However, when information regarding the funds collected and spent was sought, the government maintained that the Trust is not a public authority under the RTI Act... At present, PM CARES remains outside the ambit of the RTI Act, parliamentary scrutiny, and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor-General,” she said.

Information relating to the PM CARES Fund should be made available to the public, former Central Information Commissioner and RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi said.

‘Falls in ambit of RTI’

“Legally speaking, the PM CARES Fund falls within the ambit of the RTI Act... In fact, anything associated with the Prime Minister, except matters affecting national security, should be open to public scrutiny. The trustees of the PM CARES Fund are Union Ministers. They are public servants and should be accountable,” he said.