• The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has refused to disclose details on the creation and operation of the PM CARES Fund, telling an RTI applicant that the fund is “not a public authority” within the ambit of the RTI Act, 2005.

About:

• The Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund accepts donations and provides relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other similar emergencies.

• According to PMO, “PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

• The PMO cited a Supreme Court (SC) observation that “indiscriminate and impractical demands under RTI Act for disclosure of all and sundry information would be counterproductive”.