The Prime Minister’s Office has directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions related to the PM CARES Fund, PMNRF, and NDF are inadmissible under parliamentary rules. The decision is based on these funds being constituted from voluntary public contributions, not government allocations from the Consolidated Fund of India.
On January 30, the Prime Minister’s Office informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions and matters related to the PM CARES Fund, Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and National Defence Fund (NDF) are not admissible under Rules 41(2)(viii) and 41(2)(xvii) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. Rule 41(2)(viii) states that questions shall not relate to matters not primarily the concern of the Government of India. Rule 41(2)(xvii) specifies that they shall not raise issues under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India.
According to the PMO, the corpus of these funds is constituted entirely with voluntary public contributions and not from any allocation out of the Consolidated Fund of India. In cases where questions or notices seeking information on these funds arise, the provisions may be applied to determine admissibility.
The PM CARES Fund was established on March 27, 2020, amid the Covid-19 outbreak to address emergencies and provide relief. As per its official website's last published report for 2022-23, the balance stood at Rs 6,283.7 crore as of March 31, 2023. In January 2023, the Centre informed the Delhi High Court that it is a public charitable trust, not created under the Constitution or any parliamentary law, and does not qualify as a public authority under the RTI Act.
On August 18, 2020, the Supreme Court refused to direct the transfer of funds from PM CARES to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), noting they are distinct funds with different purposes. The court observed that NDRF is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, but no such audit applies to PM CARES as a charitable trust. The PMNRF was set up in January 1948 to aid those displaced from Pakistan and now supports victims of natural calamities, accidents, and riots. The NDF aids the welfare of armed forces members and their dependents, chaired by the Prime Minister.
