PM Cares Fund: Use of PM Modi's name, photo, tricolor, national emblem appropriate, Center's reply to Bombay High Court

Posted on 19th Jan 2022 by rohit kumar

The issue of PM Cares Fund has cropped up once again. This time a petition has been filed in this matter in the Bombay High Court. However, in response to the notice issued by the High Court, the PMO has clearly said that PM Narendra Modi's name, his photo, tricolor, and other national symbols can be used for this fund. This is completely appropriate.

 

 

PM CARES Fund was established on 27 March 2020 as a public charitable trust. Its purpose is to assist people during a public health emergency or natural calamity.

 

 

Pradeep Srivastava, Under Secretary in the PMO, has given this reply by filing an affidavit before a bench of Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice MS Karnik. The PMO official said that the PM's name, photo, and national symbols are also used for the Prime Minister's National Disaster Relief Fund (PMNRF).

 

Congress worker Vikrant Chavan has filed a petition in the High Court demanding the removal of PM's name, his photo, and national emblem from the people of PM Cares Fund. Along with this, he has also demanded the removal of PM's name, etc. from the official website of PM Cares Fund. The petition has claimed that the use of these symbols and images for the PM CARES Fund violates the law to prevent the improper use of national symbols and names.

 

The PMO has said in the counter affidavit that both the PM Cares Fund and the PMNRF are headed by the Prime Minister. Prime Minister's picture, his name, and national emblem are also being used for PMNRF and PM Cares Fund. The Flag Code of India, 2002, which deals with all laws, traditions, practices, and instructions regarding the display of the National Flag, provides that there shall be no restriction on its display by the general public, private organization, educational institution, etc., except That this use does not go beyond the limits prescribed in the Symbols and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act.

 

The PMO said that the Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman of the PM Cares Fund and the Defense Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister are its ex-officio trustees. All the trustees of this fund work free of charge. The ex-officio officers of the Board of Trustees have been appointed only with a view to administrative convenience and smooth functioning of the Trust.

Other news