My editorial of September 26 in Intelligent Pune

(Vimal, i hope it is ok to upload such public interest articles, pl let me know)

Will your BiharRelief Fund be misused?

When natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and in recent years, Tsunamis strike, the entire nation is in sorrow. While there is a general sense of helplessness at the magnitude of the tragedy, every individual yearns to lend a helping hand. The most feasible way, is to donate for the rehabilitation process. What better way than signing off a cheque for the Chief Minister's or Prime Minister's Relief Fund? There are a plethora of other institutions like newspapers and NGOs which also accept such donations, but for the common man who wants to ensure that his contribution is channelised to the relevant cause, his faith on a government run fund is higher (never mind if he otherwise thinks of government as corrupt).

However, beware - you might be just squandering your money for the propagation of a mango festival or a Kabbadi competition. Sounds incredible or scandalous or shameful? Some shocking information; revealed under the Right to Information Act-2005 (RTI); has confirmed that the state or centre hell cares for your heartfelt and hard earned donations – the chief minister and prime minister uses them for entertainment purposes or then is mum about the disbursion of these funds. This, despite the fact that trusts under such relief funds are specifically formed 'to assist people by natural calamities.'

Leading RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi, who has just been appointed as the central information commissioner, invoked RTI in May this year to find out details about the functioning of the Chief Minister's Relief Fund of Maharashtra. In reply to his query, the office confessed that money for relief fund has been diverted for sponsoring mango festivals, gazal programmes, Kabaddi competitions and even for making trips abroad.

Gandhi found to his horror, to justify this diversion, a Government Resolution has been released on November 15, 2001, 'which has been shown to justify these activities in which the objects of the trust have been expanded to try and cover giving of alms on virtually any count. Thus the objectives of the Trust are claimed to have been changed radically,-almost to the point of rendering its original objectives incidental- and that too without any meeting of the Board of Trustees!'' Which means the right to divert your money as per the whims and fancies of the chief minister has been made official! How do you take that?

More shocking is the fact that the CM Relief Fund is allegedly a fictitious Trust. Gandhi, who scrutinised the documents, elaborates, "The CM's Relief Fund is a Trust, which appears to follow no process by which it can be called a Trust. Though registered with the Charity Commissioner and claims to be exempted from any of the regulations of a Trust by a GR, there is no record of any meetings of the Trustees, thus leading to the conclusion that there is no record of a board of trustees being in charge. Thus it appears to be a virtual fictitious Trust.''

Donations to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund do not come in only during calamities. As a regular source of 'income' to this fund, the Commissioner of Sugar routinely issues circulars to all sugar factories that crushing licences will not be issued to them unless two rupees per tonne is deposited with the CM's Relief Fund do not come in only during calamities. As a regular source of 'income' to this fund, the Commissioner of Sugar routinely issues circulars to all sugar factories that crushing licences will not be issued to them unless two rupees per tonne is deposited with the CM's Reilef fund. This is an illegal and extortionist action, says Gandhi. Further government employees also are time and again requested to donate to this fund.

Now, let's come to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. The colossal tragedy of Tsunami of December 2004 had propelled lakhs of people to donate towards this fund. The collections were a whopping Rs 968.78 crore, but the expenditure was a pathetic Rs.101.6 crore and in the next year, it was again a meagre Rs.109.21 crore. This spurred Shailesh Gandhi to invoke the RTI. At the outset, the information was refused. However, suddenly the information appeared on the website: http://pmindia.nic.in/relief.htmwhich states that there is a balance of Rs.1443.37 crore at present and not more than 100 odd crore were used in the earlier years, annually. Gandhi says a relief fund is for immediate expenditure and the government had already allocated a separate fund of Rs.800 odd crore for relief. So, what's the relevance of this fund?

So, on December 4, 2007 Gandhi asked the Prime Minister's Office about where is this Rs.1,443.37 crore deposited as of March 31, 2007 - he wanted details of the amounts deposited in banks or any other place, giving the names of the banks or Financial Institutions, amounts deposited and rates of interest.

Says Gandhi, "The Public Information Officer has refused to give this information, on the bizarre grounds, stating 'specific information regarding the FIs and the terms and conditions of the deposits may amount to disclosure of information including commercial information, trade secrets or intellectual property, the disclosure of which would harm the competitive position of third parties. Further, this information is made available to the officers of the Fund in their fiduciary relationship. The desired information is therefore covered under section 8 (1) (d) and (e) of the Right to Information Act 2005.

'The first appeal has been rejected and the matter is now before the Central Information Commission in a second appeal. It appears that there are some dark secrets which the PMO is trying to hide and it seems the money in such funds are being used as personal fiefdom, says Gandhi.

How inspired are you to donate now?
Vinita Deshmukh
Editor, Intelligent Pune
Editorial dated Spetember 26, 2008
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