Opposition parties have raised questions about the necessity of PM CARES Fund (File)
The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations or PM CARES Fund, established to receive donations for the fight against coronavirus, should be audited, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has demanded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said the record of the money received and spent should be made public.
"The PM Cares Fund has received huge contributions from PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) and major public utilities like the Railways. It's important that PM ensures the fund is audited and that the record of the money received and spent is available to the public," Mr Gandhi tweeted.
Since the coronavirus outbreak, there have been several appeals from the Prime Minister, corporates and noted public figures to contribute to the fund.
The PM CARES Fund, which accepts tax-free donations from individuals and corporates, has seen several high-profile contributions from almost all major industrial groups, movie stars and government departments.
However, opposition parties have raised questions about the necessity of the fund when the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) already exists since 1948.
Mr Gandhi earlier this week slammed the railways for charging fares from migrant workers returning home, but contributing Rs 151 crore to the fund.
"On the one hand, the railways is charging ticket fare from migrant workers stranded in various states of the country, on the other hand, the Ministry of Railways is donating Rs 151 crore in PM-CARES Fund. Solve this puzzle!" Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.
The fund will not be audited by the national auditor - Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) - sources told NDTV last month.
"Since the fund is based on donations of individuals and organisations, we have no right to audit the charitable organisation," sources in the CAG offices had said.