Domestic donations to PM CARES down by 30% to ₹479 crore in FY25
Foreign contribution also has seen a sharper decline, registering a high of ₹495 crore in 2020-21, before falling to ₹40 crore and ₹2.57 crore in the next two years.
The latest audit report reveals a significant 30% decline in domestic donations to the Prime Minister's Cares Fund (PM CARES) in the fiscal year 2024-2025, amounting to ₹479 crore. Foreign donations experienced an 18% reduction, totaling ₹92.8 lakh. The total balance in the PM CARES Fund was recorded at ₹8,452 crore as of March 31, 2025, up from ₹7,173 crore in the previous year.
The majority of the fund's assets, ₹7,846 crore, are invested in fixed deposits, while ₹605 crore remains in savings bank accounts. The PM CARES Fund, established to address emergencies and provide relief during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, was set up as a public charitable trust with the Prime Minister as its ex officio chairman.
The fund, reliant solely on voluntary contributions, saw domestic donations peak at ₹7,184 crore in 2020-21, before falling to ₹909 crore in 2022-23. Foreign contributions, which peaked at ₹495 crore in 2020-21, had declined to ₹92.8 lakh by the end of the fiscal year. In 2024-25, the fund spent ₹87.8 lakh on the PM CARES for Children Scheme, a marked decrease from the previous year's ₹15.37 crore.
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