{
  "id": 1703567,
  "title": "Domestic donations to PM CARES down by 30% to ₹479 crore in FY25",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/domestic-donations-to-pm-cares-down-by-30-to-479-crore-in-fy25",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-18T12:07:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/pm-cares-fund-audit-2024-25-domestic-foreign-donations/article71360330.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "PM CARES domestic donations down 30% to ₹479 crore in FY25",
    "Foreign donations reduced 18% to ₹92.8 lakh in FY25",
    "Fund balance increased to ₹8,452 crore as of March 31, 2025"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}