PM CARES Fund Not A ‘Public Authority’ Under RTI Act, Says Prime Minister’s Office

The RTI application was made by one Harsha Kandukuri on April 1, seeking information regarding the constitution of the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund).

Disposing of the application on May 29, the Public Information Officer of PMO said; “PM CARES Fund is not a public authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. However, relevant information in respect of PM CARES Fund may be seen on the website pmcares.gov.in.”

As per Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, “public authority” is means any authority or body or institution of self-government established or constituted,—

(a) by or under the Constitution;

(b) by any other law made by Parliament

(c) by any other law made by State Legislature;

(d) by notification issued or order made by the appropriate Government.

Stating that PM CARES FUNDS is not a ‘public authority’ under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) has refused to divulge information sought in an application filed under the RTI Act.