<p> Amid controversy over PM-CARES, at least 10 state governments, including Congress-ruled Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have set up dedicated funds to raise money to fight the challenge posed by COVID-19.</p>.<p>A day after hitting out at the Modi government for setting up a separate fund – Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES), Congress on Tuesday piped down on its criticism insisting that it was “unnecessary waste of time and energy to nitpick”.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-indias-tally-nears-1400-mark-as-new-cases-spring-up-death-toll-reaches-46-817763.html">Follow live updates on coronavirus</a></p>.<p>Besides the three Congress-ruled states, the state governments of Karnataka, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha have set up dedicated funds to raise money for the battle against COVID-19.</p>.<p>"I don't think it is a conspiracy to end the PMNRF. This is not the time to raise such questions and suspect each others' bonafides," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here.</p>.<p>On Monday, questions were raised by critics on Modi’s decision to set up a new public charitable fund – PM-CARES – instead of using the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to collect donations for fighting COVID-19.</p>.<p>An official statement on March 28 had said that PM-CARES was set up keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected.</p>.<p>“What was the need to set up a separate PM-CARES fund when you already have PMNRF,” AICC spokesman Gourav Vallabh has asked at a press conference here.</p>.<p>Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too had termed the decision to set up PM CARES as “highly unusual”.</p>.<p>“Why not simply rename PMNRF as PM-CARES, given the PM’s penchant for catchy acronyms, instead of creating a separate Public Charitable Trust whose rules and expenditure are totally opaque,” Tharoor had asked.</p>.<p>Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on Monday, had sidestepped questions on PM-CARES and pointed out the he too had set up a dedicated fund to raise money to fight COVID-19.</p>
<p> Amid controversy over PM-CARES, at least 10 state governments, including Congress-ruled Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, have set up dedicated funds to raise money to fight the challenge posed by COVID-19.</p>.<p>A day after hitting out at the Modi government for setting up a separate fund – Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES), Congress on Tuesday piped down on its criticism insisting that it was “unnecessary waste of time and energy to nitpick”.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-indias-tally-nears-1400-mark-as-new-cases-spring-up-death-toll-reaches-46-817763.html">Follow live updates on coronavirus</a></p>.<p>Besides the three Congress-ruled states, the state governments of Karnataka, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Odisha have set up dedicated funds to raise money for the battle against COVID-19.</p>.<p>"I don't think it is a conspiracy to end the PMNRF. This is not the time to raise such questions and suspect each others' bonafides," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here.</p>.<p>On Monday, questions were raised by critics on Modi’s decision to set up a new public charitable fund – PM-CARES – instead of using the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to collect donations for fighting COVID-19.</p>.<p>An official statement on March 28 had said that PM-CARES was set up keeping in mind the need for having a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation, like posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to the affected.</p>.<p>“What was the need to set up a separate PM-CARES fund when you already have PMNRF,” AICC spokesman Gourav Vallabh has asked at a press conference here.</p>.<p>Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor too had termed the decision to set up PM CARES as “highly unusual”.</p>.<p>“Why not simply rename PMNRF as PM-CARES, given the PM’s penchant for catchy acronyms, instead of creating a separate Public Charitable Trust whose rules and expenditure are totally opaque,” Tharoor had asked.</p>.<p>Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on Monday, had sidestepped questions on PM-CARES and pointed out the he too had set up a dedicated fund to raise money to fight COVID-19.</p>
