New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS): As the Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to give instructions to the Centre to transfer the money collected under the PM CARES Fund to the NDRF, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi hit out at the Gandhi family, asking if they will apologise to the nation for misleading people.

The Minister said it was another attack on the Gandhi family with the Supreme Court announcing that the money collected under the PM CARES Fund for the coronavirus pandemic need not be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

"Another blow to the nefarious designs of the Gandhi family with the Supreme Court upholding the validity of the PM CARES Fund. Will the Gandhi scion apologise to the nation for misleading people?," Pralhad Joshi tweeted.

In its verdict while hearing a petition by a NGO, the Supreme Court said the funds collected by the PM CARES Fund are those of charitable trusts and "entirely different".

The apex court also said that the government is free to transfer money to the disaster response fund if it feels it is appropriate to do so. Any contribution or grant can be credited to the NDRF and anyone can make a voluntary contribution, the top court said.

The petition had asked the court to direct the transfer of contributions made to the PM CARES Fund for the pandemic to the National Disaster Response Fund. The PM CARES fund violates the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, the petition argued. The Supreme Court refused to give such an instruction to the Centre.

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund was set up by the Centre on March 28 to deal with any kind of emergency situation like the one currently posed by the pandemic and provide relief to those affected. The Prime Minister is the ex-officio Chairman of the fund and the Defence, Home and Finance Ministers are the ex-officio trustees.