Leading CSR thought leader questions whether a retired judge’s ₹1.1 crore pledge to PM CARES represents meaningful philanthropy, transparency or institutional conflict.
By Rusen Kumar
The reported decision of retired Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice Avanindra Kumar Singh to contribute approximately Rs. 1.1 crore from his General Provident Fund to the PM CARES Fund has been widely presented as an extraordinary act of generosity. At his farewell, Justice Singh also announced that he and his wife had pledged to donate their bodies after death for medical education and scientific research.
Their decision concerning body donation has a clear and identifiable humanitarian purpose. It can support medical learning and scientific advancement. The proposed financial contribution, however, raises a larger question that deserves thoughtful public discussion: when a prominent former public authority transfers personal money to a fund associated with the governmental system, without identifying a specific purpose, beneficiary group or implementation period, should it be celebrated as meaningful philanthropy?
Intention Versus Impact
There is no reason to question Justice Singh’s personal sincerity or legal right to contribute his retirement savings wherever he chooses. Giving away such a substantial amount requires conviction and personal sacrifice. Nevertheless, philanthropy cannot be evaluated only by the donor’s intention or the size of the contribution.
Responsible giving must also be judged by its purpose, transparency, timeliness and measurable impact.
PM CARES describes itself as a public charitable trust created to respond to emergencies and distress. The Prime Minister is its ex-officio chairperson, while the Union ministers of defence, home affairs and finance are ex-officio trustees. The Fund states that it is supported through voluntary contributions, does not receive budgetary support and publishes independently audited receipt-and-payment accounts.
It would therefore be inaccurate to say that the Fund has undertaken no expenditure. The legitimate concern is different: do the disclosures available to ordinary citizens provide sufficient project-level information about beneficiaries, implementation schedules, outcomes, failures and long-term impact? Financial accounts show where money was allocated. They do not necessarily explain what permanently changed in people’s lives.
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Is It Meaningful Charity?
A financial contribution may technically qualify as a donation. But socially meaningful charity requires more than transferring money from one account to another. The donor and the public should reasonably know which social problem will be addressed, who will receive support, when the money will be deployed and how the impact will be assessed. If there is no publicly stated guarantee that the contribution will be used within a defined period, no identified development intervention and no clear mechanism for tracking its journey to the beneficiary, it risks becoming a symbolic deposit rather than purposeful philanthropy.
Money may enter an institution, but its social value remains uncertain until it reaches people and produces measurable improvement.
Government already possesses taxation powers, public budgets, welfare departments and development programmes. Citizens finance the State throughout their working lives through direct and indirect taxes. Philanthropy should complement public expenditure by reaching neglected communities and addressing urgent problems that existing systems have been unable to resolve.
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Institutional Propriety
The proposed contribution becomes more sensitive because the donor recently occupied high judicial office while the recipient fund is administered by people holding the highest positions in the executive government. This does not automatically establish a legal conflict of interest, and no improper motive should be attributed without evidence. However, it can create an appearance of institutional proximity and raise legitimate questions about propriety, independence and public perception.
Judicial independence is not limited to the judgments delivered in court. Public confidence also depends upon visible institutional distance between the judiciary and the executive. A large personal contribution from a recently retired judge to a government-associated fund may therefore invite reasonable questions. Why was this particular fund selected? Was any independent assessment of its social impact undertaken? Why was the money not directed towards a transparent programme in education, healthcare, skilling or livelihood development?
Raising these questions is not an attack on the donor. It is an examination of the precedent created by the act.
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Direct Giving Matters
India has no shortage of urgent social needs. Children leave education because their families cannot afford fees or transportation. Young people lack employable skills. Persons with disabilities struggle to access assistive devices. Women seeking economic independence require training, credit and market connections. Poor families still face difficulty obtaining timely medical treatment.
An investment of Rs. 1.1 crore could finance hundreds of scholarships, create a skill-development centre, support persons with disabilities, provide critical healthcare or establish sustainable livelihood programmes. Such interventions would enable society to identify the beneficiaries, follow the implementation and measure the results. Justice Singh could even establish a scholarship or social institution honouring the family members and mentors who influenced his life. That would create a visible and lasting legacy.
Giving Must Transform Lives
India certainly needs a stronger culture of giving, but it must be transparent, purposeful and connected with real human needs. Citizens should not be made to believe that placing money in a powerful centralised institution is automatically a higher form of patriotism than directly supporting disadvantaged communities. The true value of a donation is not determined by the prominence of the institution receiving it. It is determined by the human change the money creates.
Nation-building happens when a child enters school, a young person acquires employable skills, a patient receives treatment or a woman gains economic independence. A meaningful donation should not end with a deposit receipt. It should begin with an identified human problem and conclude with a life transformed.
The views expressed in this article are personal.
About the Author
Rusen Kumar is the Founder and Managing Editor of India CSR®, one of India’s most widely read and influential platforms dedicated to Corporate Social Responsibility, sustainability, ESG and responsible business. He writes extensively on CSR policy, corporate governance, sustainability, environmental affairs and public policy.
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