Put info about money received under relief funds to fight COVID-19 in public domain: NGO to CIC

Information about money received under various relief funds to fight COVID-19, including the newly constituted PM-CARES Fund, and its disbursal should be proactively put in the public domain for scrutiny, a voluntary organisation said in a letter to the chief information commissioner (CIC) on Sunday.

'Satark Nagrik Sangathan' said for millions of people, government schemes and programs related to food distribution, health care, disbursal of wages and pensions are the only lifelines at a time when there has been large scale and sudden loss of livelihood.

"Transparency in the functioning of these programs is key to ensure that people are able to access their rights," it said in a letter to CIC Bimal Julka.

The organisation said in order to cope with the crisis, it is crucial that all relevant information related to relief measures announced by the Centre and state governments be widely disseminated.

"Without transparency, these measures are unlikely to be successful," the letter from ..