Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, has questioned the lack of transparency in the PM CARES Fund, which has received contributions from public sector businesses. In a Hindi Facebook post on Wednesday, Gandhi asked where the people’s money was going, as the government had not provided an accounting of the funds.
He claimed that the PM CARES Fund was created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi using public money, but the government did not give an account of it, and there was no visible positive effect.
Gandhi pointed out that the PM CARES Fund had received thousands of crores of rupees from public sector entities, in addition to the hard-earned money of individuals. He stated that this money belonged to the public and taxpayers, so there should be more transparency and accountability in its use.
Gandhi further revealed that government companies had contributed Rs 2,900 crore to the PM CARES Fund, with Rs 1,500 crore coming from only the first five companies. He listed the contributions made by these companies, including ONGC, NTPC, PGCI, IOCL, and Power Finance Corporation. Gandhi stated that the funds invested by these companies were intended for use in advancing the nation, but there was no estimation of the help provided through it, nor of development in anyone’s life.
The Congress party had made similar claims on Tuesday, demanding explanations for why the PM CARES Fund is not audited or given access to information (RTI) despite receiving 60% of its funding from public sector businesses. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi called for more transparency and accountability in the fund, which has received donations to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore, and said it ought to be submitted to Right to Information (RTI) and upheld by legal sanctity.
The lack of transparency and accountability in the PM CARES Fund has been a contentious issue, with many questioning its purpose and how it has been set up. The government has maintained that the fund is being used for the benefit of the nation and has rejected all calls for greater transparency and accountability.
