{"id":87028,"date":"2026-02-10T09:56:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T04:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=87028"},"modified":"2026-02-10T11:01:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T05:31:26","slug":"pmo-directives-on-pm-cares","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/pmo-directives-on-pm-cares\/","title":{"rendered":"PMO Directives on PM CARES: Why Lok Sabha Questions Are Not Admissible"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>PM CARES Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Prime Minister\u2019s Office (PMO) has informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions or matters related to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/what-is-pm-cares-fund\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>PM CARES Fund<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>the <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/prime-ministers-national-relief-fund-pmnrf\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Prime Minister\u2019s National Relief Fund<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (PMNRF), and the <\/span><b>National Defence Fund<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NDF) are not admissible under Lok Sabha rules.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PMO cited <\/span><b>Rule 41(2)(viii)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>Rule 41(2)(xvii)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha to state that such questions and discussions cannot be taken up in Parliament.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>PM CARES Fund, PMNRF and NDF: What Are These Funds<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PM CARES Fund was set up on March 27, 2020, in the wake of the <\/span><b>Covid-19 pandemic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was created to deal with emergency and distress situations and to provide relief during crises such as public health emergencies.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Full name: Prime Minister\u2019s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legal status: Public Charitable Trust<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Registered under the Registration Act, 1908, in New Delhi<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fund balance (March 2023): \u20b96,283.7 crore (as per latest available report)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Prime Minister\u2019s National Relief Fund (PMNRF)<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Prime Minister\u2019s National Relief Fund was established in January 1948, originally to assist refugees displaced from Pakistan after Partition.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over time, its scope expanded and it is now primarily used to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide immediate relief to families affected by natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, and earthquakes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assist victims of major accidents and riots<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fund is financed through public contributions and is controlled by the Prime Minister\u2019s Office.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>National Defence Fund (NDF)<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Defence Fund is dedicated to the welfare of Armed Forces personnel, including paramilitary forces, and their dependents.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Used for financial assistance and welfare measures<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Administered by an Executive Committee<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Defence, Finance, and Home Ministers as members<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Common Feature<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All three funds:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are controlled or administered by the Prime Minister\u2019s Office<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Receive voluntary public contributions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Operate outside the Consolidated Fund of India, which has implications for parliamentary scrutiny<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Government\u2019s Stand on PM CARES Fund: Past Position Explained<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Public Charitable Trust, Not a Statutory Body<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; In January 2023, the Union government told the Delhi High Court that the PM CARES Fund is a public charitable trust, not created under the Constitution or by any law enacted by Parliament or a State legislature.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Not \u2018State\u2019 Under Article 12<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; The submission came in response to a plea seeking to declare PM CARES a \u201cState\u201d under Article 12 to ensure transparency.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Centre argued that the trust is neither owned nor controlled by the government, and that trustees holding public office do so for administrative convenience, not governmental control.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>RTI Act Not Applicable<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; The government\u2019s affidavit further stated that since PM CARES is not constituted under law or the Constitution, it does not qualify as a public authority under the Right to Information Act, and therefore is outside the RTI framework.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Supreme Court\u2019s Ruling on the PM CARES Fund<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In August 2020, the Supreme Court of India refused to direct the transfer of money from the PM CARES Fund to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court held that the two are \u201c<\/span><b>entirely different funds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d with distinct objectives and purposes, leaving \u201cno occasion\u201d for such a direction.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court noted that:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NDRF is audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) under specific guidelines<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PM CARES Fund, being a public charitable trust, does not fall under those guidelines, and therefore no CAG audit can be mandated<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Why Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF Are Not Admissible<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PMO has directed the Lok Sabha Secretariat not to admit questions or matters related to the PM CARES Fund, PMNRF, and the National Defence Fund on the ground that <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">these funds are entirely financed through voluntary public contributions<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since they do not receive any allocation from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/consolidated-fund-of-india\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Consolidated Fund of India<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they fall outside the scope of parliamentary scrutiny under Lok Sabha rules.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This reasoning aligns with the Centre\u2019s earlier position before courts that these funds are non-statutory, trust-based entities, not government funds subject to legislative oversight.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Rules Cited to Bar Lok Sabha Questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PMO informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions or matters related to PM CARES Fund, PMNRF and the National Defence Fund are not admissible under specific provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Rule 41(2)(viii): Not a Government Concern<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rule bars questions that do not relate primarily to the concern of the Government of India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PMO argued that since the three funds are financed through voluntary public contributions and are not part of the Consolidated Fund of India, they do not fall under the government\u2019s primary administrative domain.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Rule 41(2)(xvii): Outside Government Control<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This provision states that questions cannot raise matters under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The PMO maintained that these funds operate as independent trusts, and hence are not directly accountable to the government in a manner that would permit parliamentary questioning.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/why-pmo-says-no-question-on-pm-cares-two-other-funds-10521976\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/citing-rules-pmo-tells-lok-sabha-secretariat-no-questions-on-pm-cares-relief-and-defence-funds-10521470\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PMO directives on PM CARES explain why Lok Sabha questions on PM CARES, PMNRF and NDF are barred under parliamentary rules and why these funds remain outside legislative scrutiny.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":87041,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,5283,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-87028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-pm-cares","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87028"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87046,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87028\/revisions\/87046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}