The Supreme Court has rejected a plea seeking directions to transfer all contributions made to the PM Cares Fund to the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF). Money from the PM Cares Fund need not be transferred to NDRF, the SC said on Tuesday.
“The PM Cares fund is valid as a public charitable fund. There is no need to transfer all contributions to NDRF,” the Supreme Court said on Tuesday.
The SC, however, added that any individual or institution can contribute to the disaster relief fund.
While disposing of the petition, Supreme Court said, no need for fresh national disaster relief plan. https://t.co/zp3A1rejHc
— ANI (@ANI) August 18, 2020
The Supreme Court also noted: “The National Disaster Management plan created in November, 2019 is enough to tackle Covid-19. No need to create fresh action plan or separate minimum standards of care.”
The Supreme Court on Tuesday took up the plea filed by an NGO seeking all contributions made to the PM Cares Fund till date to be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), a statutory fund created under section 46 of the Disaster Management Act of 2005 (DM Act).
The Supreme had earlier reserved its order on a plea on the issue raised in the petition.
The petition, filed by NGO ‘Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL)’ through advocate Prashant Bhushan, had sought a direction to the Centre to transfer all contributions made to the PM Cares Fund, set up for Covid-19 relief, to the NDRF.
On June 17, the SC had asked the Centre to file its response on the plea, which has sought a direction that all the contributions made by individuals and institutions for the Covid-19 pandemic should be credited to the NDRF, rather than to the PM Cares Fund.
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