100 ex-civil servants write to PM over transparency in PM-CARES fund
New Delhi, Jan 17: A group of as many as 100 former civil servants wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, raising questions regarding the transparency in PM-CARES fund.
"It's essential that the position and stature of the Prime Minister is kept intact by ensuring total transparency in all dealings [he] is associated with," the group wrote in the letter.
The letter has been signed by 100 former civil servants including former IAS officers Anita Agnihotri, S P Ambrose, Sharad Behar, Sajjad Hassan, Harsh Mander, P Joy Oommen, Aruna Roy, former diplomats Madhu Bhaduri, K P Fabian, Deb Mukharji, Sujatha Singh, and former IPS officers A S Dulat, P G J Nampoothiri, and Julio Ribeiro among others.
"We have been keenly following the ongoing debate about the Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations, or 'PM-CARES'.
Both the purpose for which it has been created as well as the way it has been administered have left a number of questions unanswered," they said in the letter.
The
Opposition
has
also
been
relentlessly
attacking
the
PM
CARES
fund
questioning
its
transparency
and
demanding
that
it
should
be
merged
with
the
PM
National
Relief
Fund.
Former
Congress
president
Rahul
Gandhi
had
lashed
out
at
the
Centre
last
year
after
the
PMO
had
turned
down
an
RTI
request
concerning
the
PM
CARES
fund.
PM-CARES was set up by Centre on March 28, 2020. PM Modi is the Chairman of the trust while the Defence Minister, Home Minister, and Finance Minister are the other members. All citizens including individuals, corporates, and organizations can contribute to this fund to augment the relief efforts in the wake of the novel Coronavirus crisis. One can donate via bank transfer, UPI, Debit, and Credit Cards, and Internet banking.