Focus: Welfare schemes for vulnerable Sections
Why in News?
The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of those who lost their lives due to the bus tragedy in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000.
About Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund(PMNRF)
- Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) in India is the fund raised to provide support for people affected by natural and man made disasters.
- Natural disasters covered under this include flood, cyclone, earthquake etc. Man made disasters include major accidents, acid attacks, riots etc.
- The fund is also allotted to the people for treatment like cancer, kidney transplantation, heart surgery etc.
- The fund was first consolidated during the time of the first prime minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.
- Difference between PMCARES and PMNRF in the below table;-
| PMNRF (Prime Minister National Relief Fund) | PM CARES Fund [Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund] |
| PMNRF (Prime Minister National Relief Fund) was established in January 1948. | PM CARES Fund was established on 27th March 2020. |
| PMNRF was established by the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. | The PM CARES Fund was established by the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. |
| The initial purpose of establishing PMNRF (Prime Minister National Relief Fund) was to help the people displaced due to partition of India and Pakistan. | The PM CARES fund was established with the objective of helping people affected by COVID-19 pandemic. |
| Chairman of the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) is the Prime Minister of India. Other members are from Tata Trusts, representatives of FICCI, Congress President. | Chairman of the PM-CARES fund is the Prime Minister of India. The Prime Minister has the power to nominate members. The other members of the PM CARES Fund are the Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister. |
| The minimum amount one can donate in the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) is Rs 100. | PM CARES Fund allows option for Micro donation, one can donate as low as Rs 10 in the PM CARES Fund. |
| PMNRF focuses on all kinds of natural disasters and calamities like Cyclones, Earthquakes, Floods, Tsunamis etc. The PMNRF funds are also utilized for acid attack victims, cancer treatments, kidney transplants etc. | PM CARES fund is exclusively used for COVID-19 purposes. |
| The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), which was set up in 1948, is not audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) | CARES Fund is not being audited by the CAG, and is being audited by a private party appointed directly by the Government of India instead. |
