At least 50 departments of the Central government have contributed Rs 157.23 crore from the salaries of employees to the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) fund, according to an Indian Express report, citing records accessed under the Right to Information Act. The PM CARES Fund was set up on March 27, 2020 as an emergency measure for disaster relief during the coronavirus pandemic. Even after multiple RTI queries to the PMO about how the money in PM CARES fund is being spent, it repeatedly refused to divulge information, and later said that the PM CARES Fund is not a public authority under the RTI Act.
— source thewire.in | 15/Oct/2020