SC turns down PM Cares transfer to disaster fund
VERDICT Govt has freedom to decide, says top court rejecting plea to transfer funds to NDRF
NEW DELHI: The central government has the freedom to decide the financial measures to be adopted to deal with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday, upholding the validity of the PM Cares Fund and rejecting a plea seeking transfer of all monies collected in the fund till date to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)
A three-judge bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan held that establishment of PM Cares Fund, created under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, was necessitated by the emergent situation borne out of Covid- 1 9 and requirement of financial resources to deal with the pandemic, and the court cannot object to the same.
“It is not open for the petitioner to question the wisdom to create PM Cares Fund which was constituted with an objective to extend assistance in the wake of public health emergency that is pandemic Covid-19. At this need of the hour no exception can be taken to the constitution of a public charitable trust, namely, PM Cares Fund, to have necessary
Further, the court also turned down a prayer seeking formulation of a national plan for Covid management stating that the existing plan under the DM Act is sufficient to deal with the pandemic.
financial resources to meet the emergent situation,” the bench, which also comprised justices R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah, ruled.
The Congress on Tuesday said the Supreme Court’s judgment on the PM Cares Fund is a “body blow to transparency and accountability” of the government to the people. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the apex court let go an opportunity to bring in transparency in the fund which has “its
THE PLEA The petitioner, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), had claimed that PM Cares Fund was set up in violation of the legal mandate under the DM (disaster management) Act as per which any grant made by any person or institution for the purpose of disaster management should be compulsorily credited to NDRF
CENTRE’S DEFENCE The Centre said the fund was not intended to circumvent the NDRF. “PM Cares is a public charitable trust. If private individuals want to donate, they can do so. There are several public charitable trusts getting donations,” solicitor general Tushar Mehta told SC
NEWDELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah has been admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for “post-coronavirus disease (Covid-19) care”, t he ho s p i t a l announced on Tuesday.
“Sh Amit Shah, Honourable Home Minister has been complaining of fatigue and body ache for last three or four days. He has tested negative for Covid-19. He has been admitted to AIIMS for post-covid care. He is comfortable and is continuing his work from the hospital,” the hospital’s official statement read.
Shah was admitted to the VIP ward at the Cardiothoracic and Neurosciences Centre (CNC) of the hospital on Monday night.
FULL REPORT