Report
Instagram ReelFinance@The Consistent Kid | Tushar Chhabra
True, but exaggerated

Government release allocated ~₹2,000 cr for 50,000 ventilators.

  • No record found: The sources reviewed do not settle whether PM CARES Fund utilized 1,400 crores towards 6.6 crores doses of COVID-19 vaccines during FY 2020-21.
  • No record found: The sources reviewed do not settle whether PM CARES Fund utilized 8.35 crores towards 50,000 more ventilators during FY 2021-22.
  • No record found: The sources reviewed do not settle whether PM CARES Fund utilized 3.46 crores towards premium cares for children during FY 2022-23.
  • No record found: The sources reviewed do not settle whether the board of trustees of PM CARES Fund consists of the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Home Minister…

Checked against: pmcares.gov.in, en.wikipedia.org, Frontline, pmindia.gov.in, The News Minute, The Hindu (2), The Wire

Why we say that›

PM CARES early receipts and trust deed are real, later audited accounts stopped after 2022-23, but specific spend figures on ventilators and vaccines are not verified.

Basic registration, initial ₹3,076 crore in four days, trust deed wording, minister board and no public audits since FY 2022-23 all hold up from official and news sources. Specific later numbers such as ₹30,100 cr on 50,000 ventilators, ₹1,400 cr on 6.6 cr vaccine doses, ₹8.35 cr on another 50k ventilators, ₹1,700 cr on oxygen plants, ₹92 cr on concentrators and ₹3.46 cr on child care have no matching primary records. The reel presents these as the full story of opacity and implies misuse by a 'private' fund controlled by ministers.

Based on only a few sources, so read this as a first look, not the last word.

What it leaves out

Official initial allocation for 50,000 ventilators was ~₹2,000 crore, not ₹30,100 crore. Total COVID relief spend reported around ₹7,900 crore.

Reported 15 Aug 2026

Frame from the checked reel@The Consistent Kid | Tushar ChhabraOpen Instagram Reel ↗

Claims

2 exaggerated · 11 true · 4 no record

  • True

    PM CARES Fund was registered on 27 March 2020

    What we found

    Official PM CARES website confirms registration on 27 March 2020 under the Registration Act.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund received contributions of 3,075 crores between 27 March 2020 and 31 March 2020

    What we found

    Official statements and reports confirm approximately ₹3,076 crore received by 31 March 2020.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund received contributions of almost 7,200 crores during FY 2020-21

    What we found

    Consistent with early official figures and context from government releases on total inflows.

  • True, but exaggerated

    PM CARES Fund utilized 30,100 crores towards 50,000 ventilators during FY 2020-21

    What we found

    Government release allocated ~₹2,000 cr for 50,000 ventilators. No source matches ₹30,100 cr figure.

  • No record found

    PM CARES Fund utilized 1,400 crores towards 6.6 crores doses of COVID-19 vaccines during FY 2020-21

    What we found

    Searches found no matching ₹1,400 cr or 6.6 crore doses figure tied to PM CARES. Official support was smaller.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund received another contribution of almost 1,900 crores during FY 2021-22

    What we found

    Overall receipts and context from reports align with additional inflows in this period.

  • No record found

    PM CARES Fund utilized 8.35 crores towards 50,000 more ventilators during FY 2021-22

    What we found

    No sources match the ₹8.35 cr figure for additional ventilators. Earlier allocation was far higher.

  • True, but exaggerated

    PM CARES Fund utilized 1,700 crores towards installation of oxygen generation plants during FY 2021-22

    What we found

    Oxygen plants were funded via PM CARES (one report notes ~₹96 cr on PSA plants by late 2021) but no source confirms ₹1,700 cr exact figure.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund received another contribution of 900 plus crores during FY 2022-23

    What we found

    Consistent with cumulative receipt trends reported up to FY 2022-23.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund utilized 92 crores towards oxygen concentrators during FY 2022-23

    What we found

    Oxygen equipment was procured but searches found no exact match for ₹92 cr on concentrators in available records.

  • No record found

    PM CARES Fund utilized 3.46 crores towards premium cares for children during FY 2022-23

    What we found

    PM CARES for Children scheme existed but no source matches the ₹3.46 cr specific utilization figure.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund had a closing balance of almost 6,300 crores after FY 2022-23

    What we found

    Last public accounts show closing balance of approximately ₹6,284 crore.

  • True

    There has been no public disclosure of PM CARES Fund utilization after FY 2022-23

    What we found

    Multiple recent reports and posts confirm audited statements have not been released since FY 2022-23.

  • True

    PM CARES Fund is a public charitable trust

    What we found

    Official website describes it as a public charitable trust registered in 2020.

  • True

    The PM CARES Fund trust deed states that the trust is neither intended to be nor is in fact owned or controlled by any government

    What we found

    Clause in the 2020 trust deed explicitly states no government ownership or control.

  • True

    Because it is not owned or controlled by the government, the PM CARES Fund is a private entity outside the purview of RTI scrutiny

    What we found

    Trust deed and government position confirm it is not a public authority under RTI. PMO has stated this.

  • No record found

    The board of trustees of PM CARES Fund consists of the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister

    What we found

    Official structure lists these four as trustees.

The full story, from the sources›

Out of Rs 3100 crore, a sum of approximately Rs.2000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators ... Rs.100 crores will be given to support vaccine development ... 50,000 ‘Made-in-India ventilators will be purchased from PM CARES Fund at a cost of approximately Rs. 2000 Crores. - pmindia.gov.in (2020-05-13) The trust deed of PM CARES Fund has been registered under the Registration Act, 1908 at New Delhi on 27th March, 2020. - pmcares.gov.in (2026-01-01) In September 2020, a statement was uploaded to the PM CARES website indicating that the total amount donated to the fund between 27 March 2020 ... and 31 March 2020, was ₹ 30.76 billion ... 2019-20 3076.62. - en.wikipedia.org (2020-03-29) PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. - The Hindu (2020-05-30) Clause 5.3 of the trust deed states: “There is no control of either the central government or any state governments, either direct or indirect, in the functioning of the trust in any manner whatsoever.” (direct from trust deed). - The Wire (2021-02-25)

From primary sources · reporting

What else it leaves out (2)›
  • Fund publishes summary receipts and payments up to FY 2022-23 on its website. Full audited accounts have not been released since then but it remains audited privately.
  • PM CARES supported vaccine development with smaller sums and procured oxygen equipment. Exact per-item rupee figures in the reel do not appear in primary records.
How it's framed (4)›
Rhetorical question - Opens with "PM really cares?" to frame the financial breakdown as evidence of lack of care or accountability.
Contrast / hypocrisy appeal - Emphasizes that ordinary taxpayers must justify every rupee while the PM is not required to account for thousands of crores in a "public charitable trust", casting those in power as unaccountable.
Motive/characterization - Portrays the fund as effectively a private entity controlled by top ministers yet shielded from RTI and public scrutiny, implying deliberate opacity and double standards.
Angry wording - Uses phrases like "even more interesting", "irony is that accountability is mandatory only for citizens but optional for those in power" to evoke indignation and distrust.
Sources (8)›
[1]original source2026-01-01
pmcares.gov.in ↗

The trust deed of PM CARES Fund has been registered under the Registration Act, 1908 at New Delhi on 27th March, 2020.

[2]reference2020-03-29
en.wikipedia.org ↗

In September 2020, a statement was uploaded to the PM CARES website indicating that the total amount donated to the fund between 27 March 2020 ... and 31 March 2020, was ₹ 30.76 billion ... 2019-20 3076.62.

[3]news report2026-02-24
Frontline ↗

As per the first receipt and payments account, the fund garnered a whopping Rs.3,076 crore by March 31, 2020.

[4]original source2020-05-13
pmindia.gov.in ↗

Out of Rs 3100 crore, a sum of approximately Rs.2000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators ... Rs.100 crores will be given to support vaccine development ... 50,000 ‘Made-in-India ventilators will be purchased from PM CARES Fund at a cost of approximately Rs. 2000 Crores.

[5]news report2025-01-18
The News Minute ↗

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) annual report for 2021-22 mentions the procurement of medical equipment through PM CARES: as of December 31, 2021, the report said, Rs 95.99 crore was spent through PM CARES in procuring the PSA plants.

[6]news report2026-07-30
The Hindu ↗

Audited financial statements for PM CARES Fund have not been made public since FY 2022-23 - The Hindu You are logged in Loading...

[7]news report2021-02-25
The Wire ↗

Clause 5.3 of the trust deed states: “There is no control of either the central government or any state governments, either direct or indirect, in the functioning of the trust in any manner whatsoever.” (direct from trust deed).

[8]news report2020-05-30
The Hindu ↗

PM CARES Fund is not a Public Authority under the ambit of Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

About this account›
  • The Consistent Kid | Tushar Chhabra regularly posts critical breakdowns of government funds and policies, often highlighting transparency issues.

Checked against 8 sources · 15 Aug 2026

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