The government spent only 0.18% of the fresh donations it received in the PM-CARES Fund in the financial year ending March 31, 2025. While the fund collected nearly ₹480 crore in donations, its total expenditure stood at just ₹87.85 lakh.
Total spending drops below 1% of donations
According to the audited financial statements of the PM-CARES Fund, the trust received total contributions of ₹479.98 crore during the financial year 2024-25. This includes ₹479.04 crore in domestic donations and ₹92.82 lakh in foreign donations.
In contrast, the total money spent by the fund during the same period was only ₹87.85 lakh. This total expenditure represents approximately 0.18% of the fresh donations collected during the year. This is a significant drop from the previous financial year (2023-24), when the fund spent ₹15.60 crore, which was about 2.28% of the ₹682.95 crore in donations received that year.
How much govt spent on children welfare?
The vast majority of the fund’s expenses in 2024-25 went toward the “PM CARES for Children Scheme.” The fund allocated ₹87,84,840 (approximately ₹87.85 lakh) to this scheme during the year. This represents a substantial decline from the ₹15,37,56,360 (approximately ₹15.38 crore) spent on the children’s welfare program in the previous financial year.
The remaining expenses consisted of bank and SMS charges, which amounted to just ₹451 for the entire year. In 2023-24, these administrative bank charges were much higher, at ₹22.43 lakh.
Govt earns ₹469 crore interest by opening FD A/C with PM CARES Fund
Despite the low expenditure, the fund’s reserves continued to grow due to massive bank interest. In 2024-25, the PM-CARES Fund earned ₹475.13 crore in interest. This includes ₹469.37 crore from fixed deposits and ₹5.76 crore from savings bank accounts.
Additionally, the fund received a refund of ₹324.65 crore from implementing agencies that execute government programs. Together with the donations, these receipts pushed the total funds available with the trust to ₹8,452.96 crore during the year (inclusive of the year’s receipts and refunds).
Final closing balance and cash reserves
By the end of the financial year on March 31, 2025, the PM-CARES Fund’s total closing balance grew to ₹8,452.06 crore. This is an increase from the previous year’s closing balance of ₹7,173.03 crore.
Out of the ₹8,452.06 crore currently held by the fund, ₹7,846.65 crore is locked in fixed deposits (FDs) with scheduled banks to earn interest. The remaining ₹605.41 crore is held in active savings bank accounts.
