₹8,452 crore in PM CARES. Only ₹88 lakh spent?
93% of the fund sat in FDs; scholarship figures do not match the published outflow.
At the end of 2024-25, PM CARES showed a closing balance of ₹8,452 crore, of which ₹7,847 crore - about 93% - was in fixed deposits. Recorded outflow that year was only ₹87.85 lakh. The Centre said 3,383 students received ₹20,000 each, which would be about ₹6.77 crore. That figure does not match the ₹88 lakh in the published accounts. The statement came after a two-year delay.