The Crossbill News Desk
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has formally informed the Lok Sabha Secretariat that questions and parliamentary matters concerning the PM CARES Fund, the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) and the National Defence Fund (NDF) cannot be taken up in the House.
The Indian Express reported that the communication cites specific provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha to justify the position.
According to the report, the PMO conveyed its stand to the Lok Sabha Secretariat on January 30, stating that all questions and matters related to the three funds are barred under Rule 41(2) (viii) and Rule 41(2) (xvii) of the Lok Sabha rules. Rule 41(2) (viii) provides that “it shall not relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the Government of India”, while Rule 41(2) (xvii) states that “it shall not raise matters that are under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India”.
The newspaper further reported that the PMO argued that issues related to these funds are not admissible in Parliament because their corpus is entirely made up of voluntary public contributions and not from any allocation from the Consolidated Fund of India.
As a result, the PMO maintained that these funds do not fall within the scope of matters that can be questioned in the Lok Sabha.
Both the PMO and the Lok Sabha Secretariat did not respond to queries from the newspaper seeking clarification on the matter.
Since its establishment in March 2020, the PM CARES Fund has repeatedly been shielded from public scrutiny.
The Prime Minister’s Office has declined to disclose several key details, including the identities of donors, the amounts contributed, detailed utilisation and expenditure records, beneficiary lists, internal file notings, minutes of meetings, and documents related to tax exemptions and assessments.
These refusals have been defended on multiple grounds, including the claim that the PM CARES Fund is not a “public authority” under the Right to Information Act and that disclosure would violate donor privacy.
The PMO has also argued that tax-related records are protected by confidentiality provisions under the Income Tax Act. While some information has entered the public domain voluntarily, often through donors themselves, it has not been made available through RTI disclosures.
On January 14, the Delhi High Court orally observed that the PM CARES Fund, even if considered a juristic or government-linked entity, does not lose its ‘right to privacy’ under the RTI Act, 2005.
The Indian Express reported that the communication cites specific provisions of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha to justify the position.
According to the report, the PMO conveyed its stand to the Lok Sabha Secretariat on January 30, stating that all questions and matters related to the three funds are barred under Rule 41(2) (viii) and Rule 41(2) (xvii) of the Lok Sabha rules. Rule 41(2) (viii) provides that “it shall not relate to a matter which is not primarily the concern of the Government of India”, while Rule 41(2) (xvii) states that “it shall not raise matters that are under the control of bodies or persons not primarily responsible to the Government of India”.
The newspaper further reported that the PMO argued that issues related to these funds are not admissible in Parliament because their corpus is entirely made up of voluntary public contributions and not from any allocation from the Consolidated Fund of India.
As a result, the PMO maintained that these funds do not fall within the scope of matters that can be questioned in the Lok Sabha.
Both the PMO and the Lok Sabha Secretariat did not respond to queries from the newspaper seeking clarification on the matter.
Since its establishment in March 2020, the PM CARES Fund has repeatedly been shielded from public scrutiny.
The Prime Minister’s Office has declined to disclose several key details, including the identities of donors, the amounts contributed, detailed utilisation and expenditure records, beneficiary lists, internal file notings, minutes of meetings, and documents related to tax exemptions and assessments.
These refusals have been defended on multiple grounds, including the claim that the PM CARES Fund is not a “public authority” under the Right to Information Act and that disclosure would violate donor privacy.
The PMO has also argued that tax-related records are protected by confidentiality provisions under the Income Tax Act. While some information has entered the public domain voluntarily, often through donors themselves, it has not been made available through RTI disclosures.
On January 14, the Delhi High Court orally observed that the PM CARES Fund, even if considered a juristic or government-linked entity, does not lose its ‘right to privacy’ under the RTI Act, 2005.
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