PM CARES Fund donations surge 592% to ₹480 crore in 2024-25, spending just 0.1%

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund received donations worth nearly ₹480 crore in 2024-25, a 592% increase from the previous year, according to its audited financial statements. The disclosures for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were made public on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), after the Fund had failed to upload annual reports since 2022-23. The Hindu had highlighted the delay on August 8.

The Fund, established in March 2020 to support relief during public health emergencies and disasters, is chaired by the Prime Minister and relies entirely on voluntary contributions, as per information released by the Central government.

The financial statement for 2024-25 shows a total income of ₹1,279.9 crore, including net donations, interest on deposits, and refunds from implementing agencies. However, expenditure during the year stood at just ₹87.85 lakh, accounting for 0.1% of the total income. Since its inception, the Fund has spent only 18.7% of its aggregate income.

Reacting to the disclosure, Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convenor of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), said on social media that the Fund "utilised only 0.01% of available ₹8,452 crore." She questioned why such large sums were kept idle and pointed out that ₹324 crore had been refunded by implementing agencies with no explanation provided for the refunds.

"Were refunds done to evade accountability for faulty equipment? Also, why have accompanying notes to the audit report not been uploaded?" asked Bhardwaj. She added that a fund meant for disaster relief, which has accumulated thousands of crores, including foreign contributions, remains "shrouded in secrecy." She noted that no information is available on the sources of funds and that the Fund continues to evade public scrutiny by refusing to submit itself to the RTI Act.

The PM CARES Fund has been a subject of contention since its creation. Activists have argued that contributions made under Corporate Social Responsibility provisions by public sector undertakings constitute public money. Government employees also contributed from their salaries. However, the government has maintained that the trust is not a public authority under the RTI Act. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs retrospectively amended rules under the Companies Act, further placing the Fund outside the ambit of RTI, parliamentary oversight, and audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

The Prime Minister chairs the Fund in his ex-officio capacity, with Union Cabinet Ministers as trustees. The Fund's closing balance for 2024-25 stood at ₹8,452.06 crore, 17.8% higher than the previous year.

The low expenditure raises questions about the Fund's efficacy and whether the accumulated wealth is being used for its stated purpose. While the government maintains that the Fund is a private trust, critics argue that its public nature and the use of public money necessitate greater transparency and accountability.