PolityGS-II· 1 min read
PM CARES Fund Utilization Questioned
Why in news?
RTI activists have raised concerns over the low utilization of funds in the PM CARES Fund, highlighting that a significant amount remains idle despite substantial income.
Key points
- PM CARES Fund received ₹480 crore in donations in 2024-25, a 30% decrease from the previous year.
- Total income for 2024-25 grew to ₹1,279.9 crore, a 41% increase.
- Only 0.01% of the available ₹8,452 crore was utilized in FY 2024-25.
- The fund has spent less than one-fifth (18.4%) of its total corpus from March 2020 to March 31, 2025.
Background & context
The PM CARES Fund was established in March 2020 to provide relief in emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. It is a public charitable trust chaired by the Prime Minister.
★ Prelims fact capsule
The PM CARES Fund was established in March 2020.
✎ Mains relevance
GS Paper 2: Governance (Transparency and accountability of public funds, role of NGOs and statutory bodies)