Dormant Funds (Administration) Act, 1966

The Dormant Funds (Administration) Act, 1966 (Act XX of 1966) deals with several charitable and relief funds that had been raised through public subscriptions and donations but were lying unused ("dormant"). Section 1 says it came into force at once.

Section 2 is the operative provision. It vests five named funds — listed in the Schedule, together with their accrued interest and profit — in the President, notwithstanding anything in any other law or instrument. The Schedule lists: the Quaid-e-Azam Bihar Relief Fund (Rs. 41,82,659.33), the Palestine Aid Fund (Rs. 7,06,151.36), the Prime Minister's Refugee Hut Building Fund (Rs. 3,09,254.30), the Pakistan Fund (Rs. 6,00,000.00), and the Muslim League Fund (India) (Rs. 6,00,000.00). All of these, except the Palestine Aid Fund, were to be transferred into the President's Relief Fund (instituted 16 May 1965) and used for relief purposes or, as far as possible, for purposes similar to those for which each fund was originally raised. The Palestine Aid Fund specifically was to be used for the Palestine cause.

In short, this is a historical administrative law that consolidated several dormant charitable funds into the President's Relief Fund so the money could actually be put to use, rather than continuing to sit idle. It is of largely historical interest today, since it deals with a fixed, named set of 1960s-era funds.