The latest debate over the PM CARES Fund has been triggered by a remarkably simple question: If more than Rs 8,400 crore is sitting in the fund, why is so little of it being spent? Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), has now put that question directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
PM CARES Fund has come under scrutiny over its Rs 8,452-crore corpus, with CJP's Abhijeet Dipke's remarks adding a fresh political angle.
In a video posted on X, Dipke referred to the latest reported closing balance of around Rs 8,452 crore and argued that the money could be used to address the basic infrastructure problems faced by government schools.
On one hand Rs 8,500 crore is lying idle and on the other hand we are seeing that the children of this country are crying for a good road for school, for benches in school, for drinking water in school,” Dipke said.
He argued that if a fully equipped model school costs around Rs 8 crore, the corpus could theoretically fund more than 1,000 such schools. He said he had recently visited village schools where authorities cited lack of funds for poor infrastructure.
Dipke's larger argument was that the money was donated by citizens and therefore should ultimately serve citizens.
“Please... this Rs 8,500 crore is your money, not the PM's money,” he said, asking why it could not be used for the education of poor children.
Opposition Joins In
Within minutes, the Opposition jumped on the bandwagon.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra raised questions about the fund's balance sheet, audit and the absence of direct CAG, RTI or parliamentary scrutiny.
Mahua Moitra@MahuaMoitra·FollowPM Doesn’t Care. ₹8,452 crores lying unspent. Balance sheet is UNSIGNED. Some KKC Associates auditors with Gujarati partners Shah & Parekh have not even bothered with signatures, tracking or notes. Outside CAG, RTI or Parliaments scrutiny.
UP Congress in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam demanded an inquiry, alleging that money had been collected during the Covid period while companies that donated heavily to PM CARES subsequently received major government tenders.
Gautam also raised the FCRA question, saying: "They have done an extortion through PM-CARES fund. During the Covid lockdown, they forcibly deduct money from people's salaries. What was the need when PM relief fund was already there? On one side you are bringing amendments in FCRA, on the other side you've kept it out of having any inquiry even though you call it an NGO? Those companies who had donated large amount in the PM-CARES fund, got big tenders. So cases should be registered against all those who have been involved in this, whether it is PM himself or anyone else."
All About PM Cares Fund
PM CARES was created on March 27, 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 crisis. It was registered as a public charitable trust under the Registration Act, 1908.
Its stated purpose is to provide relief or assistance during public-health emergencies and other emergencies, calamities or distress, whether natural or man-made. Its objectives include healthcare and pharmaceutical infrastructure, research and financial assistance to affected populations.
The Prime Minister is the ex-officio chairman. The Defence, Home and Finance ministers are ex-officio trustees, while the Prime Minister has nominated former Supreme Court judge Justice K.T. Thomas and former Union minister Kariya Munda as trustees.
The fund says it receives voluntary contributions and does not receive budgetary support.
The scale of the initial response was enormous. In 2020-21, total receipts, including fresh contributions and interest income, reached Rs 10,990.17 crore. By March 2025, it had reached Rs 8,452.06 crore, its highest reported level.
What PM CARES Fund Did During Covid
PM CARES became a major source of Covid-related spending. In May 2020, the trust announced an allocation of Rs 3,100 crore. About Rs 2,000 crore was earmarked for 50,000 Made-in-India ventilators, Rs 1,000 crore for migrant workers and Rs 100 crore for vaccine development.
The subsequent accounts recorded spending on ventilators, vaccines, oxygen plants, makeshift hospitals and laboratory infrastructure.
The FCRA Question
There is another reason the PM CARES Fund has acquired fresh relevance: the fund has an FCRA exemption, and a separate account to receive foreign donations.
The PM CARES website itself says the fund has been granted exemption under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, allowing it to accept contributions from individuals and organisations based abroad. It also says this is consistent with the treatment of the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, which has received foreign contributions as a public trust since 2011.
FCRA Controversy
This is important because the FCRA is already at the centre of a political debate. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in March, was sent by the Lok Sabha to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee on August 12 following strong Opposition protests.
The Bill proposes to create a Designation Authority with powers to take control of assets bought with foreign donations if an organisation loses, gives up or fails to renew its FCRA registration. If the organisation does not get its registration back within the given time, the government could eventually take permanent control of those assets.
The Opposition and critics have raised concerns that this could give the government too much power over organisations that receive foreign donations. The government says the changes are needed to prevent misuse of foreign funds and ensure that assets bought with such money are properly accounted for. The Bill is currently being examined by the JPC and has not yet become law.
For More News Updates Follow Us On www.tconews.in
