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Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday questioned the spending of the PM CARES Fund and demanded accountability, citing its financial statement for 2024-25. He also referred to the alleged Ram Mandir donation 'theft' while criticising the Prime Minister.
He claimed that the fund had a closing balance of about Rs 8,452 crore while only Rs 87.85 lakh was spent during the year. He further stated that both the PM CARES Fund and the Ram Mandir Trust were announced under Modi's oversight and receive donations. In a post on X, Kharge alleged that the expenditure during 2024-25 was barely 0.01 per cent of the fund's closing balance and questioned why a fund created for emergencies was accumulating thousands of crores. "PM does not CARE: Public Authority Without Public Accountability?" Kharge said in his post, adding, "As if one Shree Ram Mandir Trust was not enough for Chanda Chori... ! Remember, you, Modi ji announced both PMCARES fund and Ram Mandir Trust and both get donations under your oversight !" According to the financial statement shown in the post, the PM CARES Fund had a closing balance of Rs 8,452 crore at the end of the financial year 2024-25. He also questioned the accountability mechanisms governing the fund and alleged that it was not subject to RTI scrutiny, a CAG audit or Parliamentary accountability. "The Prime Minister is its Chairman. The Defence, Home and Finance Ministers are its Trustees. It accepts CSR contributions and tax-deductible donations," Kharge said. He asked PM Modi to explain why a fund bearing the Prime Minister's name remained outside what he described as the "ordinary mechanisms of public scrutiny". Kharge also questioned the rationale behind an emergency fund accumulating thousands of crores when only a small portion of its closing balance was spent during 2024-25. He raised two specific questions in his post. "Why does a Fund bearing the Prime Minister's name remain beyond the ordinary mechanisms of public scrutiny?" Kharge asked. "What is the rationale of an emergency fund accumulating thousands of crores when barely 0.01% of its closing balance was spent in 2024-25?" he added. According to the financial statement shared by Kharge, the fund received domestic and foreign donations during the financial year, besides earning interest on bank savings and fixed deposits. The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund) was created as a dedicated public charitable trust to handle emergency and distress situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and to provide relief to those affected. Officially registered under the Registration Act, 1908, in New Delhi on March 27, 2020, the trust serves as a centralised mechanism for receiving contributions and deploying aid during national crises. (ANI)
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