News Analysis India

Tag: PM Cares Fund

  • Kin of farmers who died during protests against farm laws should be compensated from PM CARES Fund: Sanjay Raut

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Claiming that more than 700 farmers died during the year-long protest against the three contentions farm laws, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday demanded that the kin of the deceased be given financial assistance from the PM CARES Fund, two days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a repeal of the three legislations.

    Speaking to reporters here, Raut claimed that many tillers had died at the protest site near Delhi while some committed suicide and others killed in police firing.

    Some were crushed to death in Lakhimpur Kheri.

    All of them were protesting against the farm laws, he said.

    “The government has now realised its mistake and withdrawn the farm laws. There is a demand from different parts of the country that the kin of the farmers who lost their lives should be financially compensated,” Raut said.

    Alleging that “unaccounted money” was lying in the PM CARES Fund, Raut said this money should be used as ex-gratia for the kin of the deceased farmers.

    “Just apology to farmers is not enough. Supporting their families is important,” he said apparently referring to the speech of the prime minister.

    Queried about the health of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is recuperating in a hospital after undergoing surgery, Raut said Thackeray’s health is improving.

    “I spoke to Uddhavji yesterday (Saturday). We feel he should recover completely and then get back to work,” he said.

  • Corruption is now done in sophisticated way like PM Cares Fund, says PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti

    By PTI

    SRINAGAR: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Monday alleged that the PM-CARES was a “sophisticated way of corruption” as the prime minister was not willing to make public the account of the money the fund received.

    To a question on demonetisation of high-value currency notes in 2016, she said the stated objective of the exercise was to end corruption, return of black money and end violence.

    “However, corruption today is at its peak. It is now done in a sophisticated way like the PM Cares Fund. What is it, if not corruption when you don’t want to give an account of money that you hold as a prime minister?” the PDP president told reporters after a party function here.

    The ventilators provided under the PM CARES Fund were found to be defective not only in Kashmir but in Gujarat as well, she alleged.

    “The biggest swindle is in the PM CARES Fund.”

    Mehbooba said the government claims of normalcy were belied by the situation on the ground.

    “A few days before Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit, hundreds of youth were arrested in Kashmir. The process is continuing even after his visit,” she claimed.

    Earlier, former MLA from Shangus constituency in south Kashmir Abdul Majid Mir joined the PDP.

    On the occasion, Mufti said it was not easy to join the PDP in present times but still people were putting faith in her party being their voice.

  • PM CARES Fund does not go in the Consolidated Fund of India: Centre tells Delhi HC

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The PM CARES Fund is not a Government of India fund and the amount collected by it does not go to the Consolidated Fund of India, the Delhi High Court has been informed.

    An affidavit filed by an Under Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) who is discharging his functions in the PM Cares Trust on honorary basis, has said the trust functions with transparency and its funds are audited by an auditor — a chartered accountant drawn from the panel prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

    The affidavit was filed in response to a petition seeking a direction to declare the PM CARES Fund a ‘State’ under the Constitution to ensure transparency in its functioning.

    A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Amit Bansal has fixed the matter for further hearing on September 27.

    “To ensure transparency, the audited report is put on the official website of the trust along with the details of utilisation of funds received by the trust,” says the affidavit filed by Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, Under Secretary at the PMO.

    “I state that when the petitioner is claiming to be a public-spirited person and seeking to pray for various reliefs only for transparency, it does not matter whether PM Cares is a ‘State’ within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution of India,” the officer said in the affidavit.

    Irrespective of whether the trust is a ‘State’ or other authority within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution or whether it is a ‘public authority’ within the meaning of provisions of the Right to Information Act (RTI), it is not permissible to disclose third party information, .

    It said that all donations received by the trust are received via online payments, cheques or Demand Drafts and the amount received is audited with the audited report and the expenditure of trust fund displayed on the website.

    “The trust functions on the principles of transparency and public good in larger public interest like any other charitable trust and, therefore, cannot have any objection in uploading all its resolutions on its website to ensure transparency,” it said, while reiterating that  “the trust’s fund is not a fund of Government of India and the amount does not go in the Consolidated Fund of India.”

    The officer said he is discharging his functions in the PM Cares Trust on honorary basis which is a charitable trust not created by or under the Constitution or by any law made by the Parliament or by any State legislature.

    “Despite being an officer of the Central government, I am permitted to discharge my functions in PM Care Trust on an honorary basis,” he said.

    The court was hearing a petition filed by Samyak Gangwal who has said that the PM CARES Fund is a ‘State’ as it was formed by the Prime Minister on March 27, 2020 to extend assistance to the citizens of India in the wake of the public health emergency — the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

    His counsel had told the court that if it is found that the PM CARES Fund is not ‘State’ under the Constitution, usage of the domain name ‘gov’, the Prime Minister’s photograph, state emblem etc has to be stopped.

    The petition said that the Trustees of the fund are the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Home Minister and the Finance Minister and immediately after the formation of the fund, the Centre through its high government functionaries represented that the fund was set up and operated by the Government of India.

    To ensure transparency and accountability, the plea has sought a direction for periodic auditing of PM CARES website and disclosure of the details of donations received by it.

    In his alterative prayers, Gangwal has sought to direct the Centre to publicise that the PM CARES Fund is not a fund of the Government of India and to restrain PM CARES from using ‘Prime Minister of India’ or ‘Prime Minister’, including its abbreviations its name, on its website, Trust Deed and other official or unofficial communications and advertisements.

    On March 9, the court had said it was not inclined to issue notice on the plea as the Centre was already represented through counsel who may file their written submissions.

    The petitioner has also filed another petition to declare PM CARES as a ‘public authority’ under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, which is being heard together with the first plea.

    This petition challenges a June 2, 2020 order of the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), PMO, refusing to provide documents sought by him on the ground that PM Cares Fund is not a public authority under the RTI Act.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented PMO, had opposed the petition, stating that it was not maintainable and that he would file a response explaining why it should not be entertained.

  • 850 oxygen plants being set up in various districts from PM Cares: DRDO chief

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As many as 850 oxygen plants are being set up in various districts from the PM Cares Fund, DRDO chief C Satheesh Reddy said Monday, as India emerges from the second wave of coronavirus which caused a major medical oxygen crisis across the country.

    Reddy highlighted during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Discourse Series’ by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) that the DRDO was prepared to provide all kinds of support including more “flying hospitals” when the need arises in the fight against coronavirus, a DST statement said.

    “We established temporary hospitals specific to COVID-19 in many cities (during the second wave). These are modular hospitals, we call it flying hospitals, and these have been made in a way that the virus does not go out of hospitals,” he said.

    “If there is any third wave, all the hospitals will be taking the load, and the government is discussing these aspects with various stakeholders,” Reddy said.

    During the peak of the second wave of coronavirus in April and May, India reported a severe medical oxygen supply crisis with hospitals in several parts of the country running short of the gas due to a heightened demand.

    “A total of 850 oxygen plants are being set up in various districts of the country from PM Cares Fund for catering to the needs of the country to fight the pandemic COVID-19,” said Reddy, according to the DST statement.

    He also underlined how the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) is primarily carrying out research in advanced technology in defence, while also concentrating on developing low cost but high-quality technology for the benefit of people.

    DST Secretary Ashutosh Sharma talked about various steps taken by the Centre and the DST to fight the coronavirus pandemic and how to keep vaccines safe and to ensure they reach every nook and corner of the country.

    He also spoke about ways in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) could play a greater role in fighting the pandemic.

    “Technologies have been developed for storing and transporting vaccines to every nook and corner of the country. New ways of storing vaccines have been developed as per the Indian conditions.

    “Convergence of technologies is the future, and AI can play a great role in diagnostics, telemedicine and will have tremendous importance in remote monitoring, diagnostics and decision-making in fighting pandemic,” Sharma said.

  • Centre supplies over 1,400 ventilators to Telangana: Union Minister

    By PTI
    HYDERABAD: The Centre has provided 1,405 ventilators to various hospitals in Telangana under the PMCARES Fund, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Friday.

    Telangana is getting all sorts of aid and cooperation by way ofoxygen cylinders, establishing oxygen plants, ventilators, vaccines, PPE kits, N-95 masks and ration to the poor, from the Centre in order tocontain the COVID-19 pandemic, the MoS Home said in a press release.

    Since independence, until the past eight months the country had only 19,000 ventilators and depended on imports.

    As of now through the initiative of Make in India Government hospitals across the country have been provided with 51,000ventilators from PMCARES Fund, he added.

  • Activist Saket Gokhale files plea in SC seeking PM Cares Fund details, links with Centre

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Saket Gokhale, the former journalist who now works as a social activist, filed an intervention application before the Supreme Court in connection with the suo motu cognisance case on COVID-19 and pleaded the apex court that PM Cares Fund be made a respondent in this case.

    The petitioner, Saket Gokhale, in his intervention application filed before the top court seeking a direction to clarify the details about the current status of the PM Cares Fund and its links with the Government of India.

    His petition also sought a direction to furnish the details about PM Cares Funds allocated and progress made towards COVID-19 relief and the status of the sanctioned projects.

    Gokhale, in his petition, contended that the PM CARES Fund is a non-governmental stakeholder that has been closely involved in decisions and projects that have been closely related to the distribution and supplies of essentials in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic albeit through the Government of India.

    For this reason, the petitioner contended in his petition that the PM CARES Fund must be made a respondent in the present case and asked to submit details pertaining to its COVID-19 relief-related projects and their present status.

    He, therefore, prayed to the Supreme Court that the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) be made a respondent in the present case, and sought a direction to clarify details about the current status of the Fund and its links with the Govt of India.

    “The only information available in the public domain about allocations from PM CARES Fund comes from statements and press releases issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). It is unclear whether, in addition to the allocations declared publicly, there have been other allocations made towards other COVID-19 related expenditure,” Gokhale said in his petition.

    He also said that on the issue of vaccines, the Union of India (UOI) has submitted to the apex court in the present case that no money was allocated or spent by the Government of India towards COVID-19 vaccine development.

    Gokhale thereby said that hence, the Government has no control over deciding the pricing of the vaccines. However, PM CARES Fund itself has declared an allocation of around Rs 100 crore towards vaccine development and it is unclear whether any additional funds were allocated for the same purpose for which information was not made available in the public domain.

    Gokhale, therefore, in his petition, clearly claimed to establish that PM CARES Fund has played a major role in matters related to supplies, distribution, and making available resources needed for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the genesis of the PM CARES Fund itself was to establish a fund separate from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) which is solely dedicated to COVID-19 and other pandemic relief

    Under the present circumstances, it is important that PM CARES Fund make available all information to the Supreme Court on the various allocations it has made towards fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has monitored the progress of projects to which monetary allocations were made, the petition said.

  • COVID-19: ‘Faulty ventilators not a topic for politics’, says ex-Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: Maharashtra has received a large number of ventilators under the PM CARES fund and the ones that are faulty must be replaced without any politics being played on it, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday.

    He was speaking to reporters after attending a review meeting with divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrekar. “Maharashtra has got nearly 5,000 ventilators through PM CARES fund. Many of them were kept packed for nearly four months, so the faulty ones must be replaced quickly. This is not a topic to play politics on,” the former chief minister said.

    A PIB release of May 14 of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had said media reports of some ‘Made in India” ventilators not functioning properly in Aurangabad were “baseless and incorrect, and not supported by full information on the matter”.

    Speaking on the COVID-19 situation in the region, Fadnavis said, “The number of cases had come down in Latur and Aurangabad but the positivity rate was still high at 21 per cent. The situation in Beed needs attention.”

    Fadnavis said the setting up of oxygen storage tanks in large numbers was a good a sign and would help in the future, adding that preparing for a possible third wave was important. He said that Mucormycosis was first reported in Maharashtra which allowed the state to procure injections for its treatment in time, while other areas in the country are facing a shortage.

    Fadnavis said he had spoken to firms manufacturing medicines for the black fungus infection and the latter had ramped up production.

  • After DRDO’s 2-DG drug, 1.50 lakh units from PM CARES fund approved purchase of Oxycare system

    The drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) formulated by DRDO has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India amidst the havoc of Corona across the country. Along with this, DRDO is building hospitals in the most corona infected parts of the country. At the same time, DRDO teams are constantly making all efforts to save the lives of the countrymen in this era of epidemics. Amidst all this, DRDO has designed OxyCare system to eliminate the lack of oxygen in the country. An excellent decision has been taken by the Central Government to take this step further by DRDO.

    After the anti-covid drug, now the Defense Research and Development Organization has fully prepared to solve the oxygen problem of the patients. After this DRDO’s Oxycare System Discovery has been approved for purchase through PM Care Fund. DRDO may soon start its supply process. This information has been provided by DRDO.

    According to the news, to overcome the oxygen shortage, the purchase of 1 lakh 50 thousand units of Oxycare system prepared by the DRDO has been approved from the PM Cares Fund. The price of this oxycare system is being said to be Rs 322.5 crores. It is a SpO2-based oxygen supply system, which regulates oxygen, delivering oxygen to the patient based on the SpO2 level.

  • PM CARES Fund approves Rs 322.5 crore for 1.5 lakh units of DRDO’s oxygen supply system

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: PM CARES Fund has accorded sanction for procurement of 1,50,000 units of ‘Oxycare’ system developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at a cost of Rs 322.5 crore. 

    Oxycare is a SpO2-based Oxygen Supply System that regulates the oxygen being administered to patients based on the sensed SpO2 levels. Under this sanction, 1,00,000 manual and 50,000 automatic Oxycare systems along with non-rebreather masks will be procured. Ministry of Defence (MoD), in its press release, said, “The Oxycare system delivers supplemental oxygen based on the SpO2 levels and prevents the person from sinking into a state of hypoxia which can be fatal. This system was developed by Defence Bio-Engineering & Electro Medical Laboratory (DEBEL), Bengaluru of DRDO for soldiers posted at extreme high-altitude areas. The system is indigenously developed for operation in field conditions and is robust. It can be effectively used to treat COVID-19 patients.” Two variants of the system have been configured. The basic version consists of a 10-litre oxygen cylinder, a pressure regulator cum flow controller, a humidifier and a nasal cannula. The oxygen flow is regulated manually based on the SpO2 readings. In the second configuration, the oxygen cylinder is equipped with electronic controls which automatically regulates the oxygen flow through a low-pressure regulator and a SpO2 probe.

    ALSO READ | Airlifting empty tankers, training 500 drivers to ramp up oxygen supply: Home Ministry Mentioning the advantages of the system, MoD said, “This oxygen Supply System optimises the consumption of oxygen based on the SpO2 reading of the patient and effectively increases the endurance of portable oxygen cylinder. The threshold SpO2 value for initiating flow from the system can be adjusted by the health staff. A display is provided for continuously monitoring the SpO2 levels.”

    The workload and exposure of healthcare providers are considerably reduced by eliminating the need of routine measurements and manual adjustments of oxygen flow added to the ministry. The automatic system also provides a suitable audio warning for various failure scenarios including low SpO2 values and probe disconnections. The non-rebreather masks are integrated with the Oxycare Systems for efficient use of oxygen which results in saving of oxygen by 30-40%. The non-rebreather masks need to be changed for every patient. These Oxycare systems can be used at homes, quarantine centres, COVID Care centres and hospitals. The DRDO has transferred the technology to multiple industries in India which will be producing the Oxycare systems.

    PM Cares Fund, as per the official website, is a public charitable trust under the name of Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) which was set up Keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation. PM CARES Fund has been registered as a Public Charitable Trust. The trust deed of PM CARES Fund has been registered under the Registration Act, 1908 at New Delhi on 27th March 2020.

  • 67 new ventilators lying unused at COVID isolation ward in UP’s Firozabad

    By PTI
    FIROZABAD: A total of 67 new ventilators are lying unused at the 100-bedded COVID-19 isolation ward set up at a medical college here, a senior doctor has said.

    When contacted, Chief Medical Superintendent Dr Alok Kumar Sharma said that last year, the medical college had got 96 ventilators under the PM-CARES Fund, and in all there are 114 ventilators available at the medical college.

    Of these, 25-30 ventilators are being used to provide treatment to patients.

    He added that of the 67 ventilators, which are kept in a store room of the hospital, around 60-62 are in working condition.

    Kumar, however, did not elaborate on the rest of the ventilators.

    Principal of the medical college, Dr Sangeeta Aneja said, that the state medical department has been informed that 67 ventilators are there in the hospital.

    In a letter to the state health department, it was also requested that if there is a need of a ventilator in any nearby district, then it could be sent there.

    “Currently, we have ventilators, and they will be used when required. For operation of ventilators, technicians are needed, which we do not have in adequate numbers,” she said.