1. According to IndiaSpend, at least Rs 9,677.9 crore ($1.27 billion) has been collected in the PM CARES fund for COVID-19 relief in 52 days since March 28, 2020.
2. On May 13th, the Prime Minister’s office had announced that Rs 3,100 crore from PM CARES had been allocated for COVID-19 works, the first and only announcement on expenditure from the fund. This is 32% of Rs 9,677.9 crore collected as of May 20, 2020
3. The amount of $1.27 billion is believed to be enough for as many as 21.5 million COVID-19 Tests.
4. This entire amount could purchase 145 million personal protective garments for healthcare staff, priced at Rs 666.75 each.
5. The entire amount could be used to buy 2.3 billion N95 masks, priced at Rs 42. At Rs 141.60 each, 683 million protective goggles could be bought with this tranche.
6. Millions of stranded migrant workers could have reached home with this amount. A ticket on Shramik Train from Vadodara to Lucknow costs Rs 700, and 138.2 million tickets could be bought with the money in PM CARES.
7. Of the 9,677.9 crores, 4,308.3 crores have been donated by government agencies and staff. Of this, at least Rs 438.8 crore has been deducted as one day’s salary of government employees.
8. Rs 5,369.6 crore of corporate social responsibility funds have been donated by private companies, industry bodies, and social organizations.
9. Since PM CARES fund does not take money from the Consolidated Fund of India, it does not need to be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and hence, it is unclear if the fund will make its donations public.
