2 weeks ago
PM-CARES spending plunges as unspent balance reaches ₹8,452 crore
The PM-CARES Fund was created to help during disasters and health emergencies.
It received large donations, especially during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The fund spent thousands of crores on medical equipment, hospitals, vaccines and help for migrants.
It also supported children who lost their parents during Covid.
But spending later dropped sharply.
In 2024-25, only ₹87 lakh was spent.
The fund still had about ₹8,452 crore left.
Activist Anjali Bharadwaj said the unused money and limited information raised questions about how the fund is managed.
PM-CARES Fund spending fell from ₹3,976.17 crore in 2020-21 to ₹87 lakh in 2024-25.
The fund’s 2024-25 closing balance stood at ₹8,452.06 crore.
Pandemic-era spending funded ventilators, migrant welfare, Covid hospitals, vaccines and oxygen concentrators.
Spending in 2022-23 was ₹439 crore, including ₹346 crore for the PM CARES for Children Scheme.
Activist Anjali Bharadwaj questioned the fund’s low spending, ₹324-crore refunds and limited public scrutiny.
- Who
- The PM-CARES Fund and activist Anjali Bharadwaj are central to the report.
- What
- Reports show that the fund’s spending fell to ₹87 lakh in 2024-25 while ₹8,452.06 crore remained unspent.
- Where
- The spending included support for government hospitals and other Covid-related programmes in India.
- When
- The figures cover 2023-24 and 2024-25, with the fund established in March 2020.
- Why
- The fund was created to provide relief during public health emergencies, disasters and other distress.
Fund’s stated purpose
Activist criticism
Use of the fund
Fund’s stated purpose
The PM-CARES Fund is intended to provide relief during public health emergencies, calamities and other distress, including healthcare facilities and research.
Activist criticism
Anjali Bharadwaj said the fund’s sharply reduced spending raised questions about its relevance because the money was intended to help people during disasters and periods of need.
Transparency and accountability
Fund’s stated purpose
The reports on receipts, payments and closing balances for 2023-24 and 2024-25 were released, and the fund remains outside the Comptroller and Auditor General’s audit purview.
Activist criticism
Bharadwaj questioned the lack of information about ₹324 crore in refunds, missing accompanying notes and the fund’s refusal to submit itself to the Right to Information framework.
Key facts
- 2024-25 spending
- ₹87 lakh
- 2024-25 closing balance
- ₹8,452.06 crore
- 2020-21 spending
- ₹3,976.17 crore
- 2021-22 spending
- ₹3,716.29 crore
- 2022-23 spending
- ₹439 crore
- Children’s scheme spending
- ₹346 crore in 2022-23
- Reported refunds
- ₹324 crore refunded by implementing agencies
Quotes
Anjali Bharadwaj
social activist
““The idea was to help people in disaster and in need. But that is not happening,” she said.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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