In Brief
The Supreme Court dismissed a public interest petition seeking a separate National Disaster Management Plan for COVID-19 and directing use of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) instead of the PM CARES Fund. The Court held that the existing National Disaster Management Plan 2019 adequately covers biological and public health emergencies and requires no specific COVID-19 supplement; minimum relief standards applicable to all disasters similarly apply to COVID-19; and the NDRF can be used for COVID-19 without restriction. The Court clarified that PM CARES Fund, being a public charitable trust funded entirely by voluntary contributions, is distinct from the statutory NDRF, and neither statutory law nor policy prohibits its creation or separate operation alongside NDRF.
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