The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 17 June, issued a notice to the central government in a petition seeking all receipts of PM Cares Fund to be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund and be utilised from NDRF as per the Disaster Management Act, among other directions.
A Bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan, SK Kaul and MR Shah reportedly issued notice and asked the Centre to file its reply affidavit within 4 weeks and listed the case thereafter.
Senior advocate Dushyant Dave appeared for the petitioner, Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) along with senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
The petition said that while the Centre had exercised powers under DMA, it had “not fulfilled its responsibilities under the same Act.”
The petition seeks:
1) Centre should formulate a National Plan to contain COVID-19 as per DMA
2) Centre should lay down minimum standards for relief and implement those standards as per DMA
3) All receipts of PM Cares fund (which is not being audited by CAG and even basic information is not being disclosed) be transferred to National Disaster Response Fund and be utilised from NDRF as per DMA
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