New Delhi, August 17: Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi on Monday targetted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his office reportedly denied a Right to Information (RTI) request related to the PM-CARES Fund. Rahul Gandhi tweeted: "PMCares for Right To Improbity." PM CARES (Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund was created on March 28 to strengthen the country's fight against coronavirus (COVID-19). Rahul Gandhi Takes Poetic Jibe at PM Narendra Modi as COVID-19 Figures Cross 20 Lakh, Says 'Gayab Hai Modi Sarkar'.

According to a report by The Hindu, RTI activist Commodore Lokesh Batra (retired) had filed an RTI request asking for the total number of RTI applications and appeals received and disposed of in the PMO each month since April 2020, as well as the number of such applications and appeals related to PM-CARES and the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund. The PMO responded, providing the overall data, but denying information specific to the two funds. PM Cares Fund Trust Allocates Rs 3100 Crore For Fight Against COVID-19, Amount to be Used For Ventilators, Coronavirus Vaccine And Migrant Workers.

PM-CARES For Right to Improbity, Tweets Rahul Gandhi:

PMCares for Right To Improbity. pic.twitter.com/P7uTnNLUIv

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 17, 2020

"The information sought by you is not maintained in this office in compiled form. Its collection and compilation would disproportionately divert the resources of this office from the efficient discharge of its normal functions, thereby attracting the provisions under Section 7(9) of the Act," said the PMO’s Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO).

Section 7(9) states: "An information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2020 05:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).