Home donations to the PM CARES Fund fell by 30% to almost ₹479 crore in the course of the fiscal 12 months 2024-2025 whereas overseas donations additionally declined by 18% to ₹92.8 lakh, in response to its newest audit report. Image courtesy: pmcares.gov.in
The Prime Minister’s Citizen Help and Aid in Emergency Conditions (PM CARES) Fund noticed the donations it acquired develop by 592% in 2024-25 to almost ₹480 crore, as per the audited monetary statements for 2023-24 and 2024-25, which it made accessible on Tuesday (August 18, 2026) after having didn’t add the annual disclosure paperwork since 2022-23.
The Hindu had highlighted the lapse on August 8.
The PM CARES Fund, a public charitable belief established in March 2020 to assist reduction efforts throughout public well being emergencies and different disasters, is chaired by the Prime Minister and funded totally by way of voluntary contributions, as per info launched by the Central authorities.
Barely any spending
Reacting to the belated disclosure, Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convenor of the Nationwide Marketing campaign for Folks’s Proper to Info (NCPRI), stated in her social media submit: “Lastly the audit assertion of PM CARES Fund for 2024-25 has been made public! Key highlights — utilised solely 0.01% of obtainable ₹8,452 crore!”
Ms. Bhardwaj was referring to the truth that whereas the Fund acquired a complete revenue — together with internet donations, curiosity on financial institution deposits and stuck deposits, and refunds from implementing companies — of ₹1,279.9 crore in 2024-25, it spent ₹87.85 lakh or 0.1% of that quantity that 12 months and 0.01% of the fund’s closing steadiness.
Taken collectively, from its begin in March 2020 till March 31, 2025, the PM CARES Fund has spent lower than one-fifth (18.7%) of what it has acquired as revenue.
Excessive balances, opaque filings
Because of low spending, the closing steadiness of the Fund has grown considerably over time. The closing steadiness of the Fund stood at ₹8,452.06 crore in 2024-25, which is 17.8% greater than on the finish of the earlier 12 months.
“Why is the PM CARES Fund preserving such massive sums of cash idle,” Ms. Bhardwaj additional requested. She additionally identified that whereas ₹324 crore had been refunded by implementing companies in 2024-25, no info had been supplied on what these funds have been for, why they have been refunded, or which company refunded them.
“Had been refunds executed to evade accountability for defective gear?” she stated. “Additionally, why have accompanying notes to the audit report not been uploaded?”
Lack of accountability
Ms. Bhardwaj added {that a} fund set as much as assist residents throughout disasters, which has accrued 1000’s of crores, together with from overseas sources, is “shrouded in secrecy”.
“Nonetheless no info accessible on sources of funds,” she stated. “The PM CARES Fund continues to evade public scrutiny by refusing to submit itself to the RTI Act.”
Activists had beforehand questioned the absence of publicly accessible audit statements after FY 2022-23, saying this raised issues in regards to the transparency of the PM CARES Fund, which had been introduced three days earlier than the shut of the 2019-20 monetary 12 months by way of a Central authorities communication.
They maintained that a number of thousand crore rupees have been contributed below the Company Social Duty (CSR) provisions by public sector undertakings, which is public cash. The fund was introduced as having been arrange by the Central Authorities, making it seem like a public authority. Authorities staff additionally contributed from their salaries.
The Prime Minister chairs the fund in his ex-officio capability and Union Cupboard Ministers are its trustees.
“Nevertheless, when info concerning the funds collected and spent was sought, the federal government maintained that the belief is just not a public authority below the RTI Act,” Ms. Bhardwaj had advised The Hindu. “The Ministry of Company Affairs additionally retrospectively amended the related guidelines below the Corporations Act. At current, PM CARES stays exterior the ambit of the RTI Act, parliamentary scrutiny and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor Common (CAG).”
Printed – August 18, 2026 05:31 pm IST
