Do PM Cares fund donors include Chinese firms, asks P Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has termed as vital questions on the transparency, disclosure and management practices of the PM Cares fund. Chidambaram, in a series of tweets, sought details of the donors who contributed to the PM Cares fund in the first five days in March and questioned if they included ‘Chinese firms’.

“Supreme Court has delivered a judgement on the legality and legal accountability of PM-CARES FUND. The judgement is final but will be contested for a long time in academic circles,” he said.

“Who are the donors who gave ₹ 3076 crore in the first five days in March 2020? Do they include Chinese firms? What is the amount received since April 1, 2020 and who are the donors?” the former Union minister asked.

He went on to underline that there are other aspects of the fund on which the Supreme Court had no occasion to pronounce judgement.

“These are transparency, disclosure and management practices concerning the Fund,” Chidambaram tweeted.

The Congress party has expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s judgment on PM Cares fund. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan on Tuesday rejected a petition seeking directions to the government to transfer the contributions made under the PM CARES fund to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The court noted that voluntary contribution can always be made to the NDRF as there is no statutory bar under the Disaster Management Act.

Reacting to the SC verdict, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala called it a “body blow to transparency and accountability” of the government to the people.

The PM Cares fund was set up by the government in March to raise funds to help fight the coronavirus pandemic. The Congress has questioned the need to set up a separate fund when NDRF is already there to deal with such a situation.