Amidst cancellations of FCRA licenses of thousands of NGOs, the home ministry has granted approval to the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra to receive contributions from foreign sources for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Such contributions can be sent to a designated bank account of the trust in the SBI's main branch located in Delhi, ts general secretary Champat Rai said on Wednesday.
"The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has been approved by the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, to receive voluntary contributions under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010," he said in a post on X.
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In a media statement issued separately, he said, "The FCRA section of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Government of India, has registered the trust 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' to accept the voluntary contribution from the foreign sources." "Kindly note that such contributions can be sent to only designated bank account …of the state Bank of India, Main Branch, situated at 11 Sansad Marg, New Delhi," he said.
FCRA licenses of NGOs
The Ministry of Home Affaris (MHA) grants FCRA licenses to NGOs for a period of five years. NGOs that seek to receive foreign funding or donations are required to be registered under the Act. If any misuse or diversion of foreign funds is reported within the NGO, it is considered a violation of the FCRA Act.
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Earlier, four well-known non-profit organisations - Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Oxfam India, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), and Centre for Equity Studies (CES) - lost their FCRA licenses. The organisations were known to work for the welfare of marginalised sections.
If an FCRA licence is suspended, the organisation or individual will not be able to receive any foreign contributions until the suspension is lifted. Referring to suspension of licenses of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Oxfam India, Centre for Policy Research, and Centre for Equity Studies, a group of civil servants wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in July this year, urging him to make the law more facilitating than restrictive.
"These are all institutions whose activities are aimed at addressing the problems of the most marginalised sections of Indian society. Rights to food, work, wages, health and shelter and the right to lead a dignified life based on the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution of India feature prominently in the work of these organisations,” the group said.
The construction of the ground floor of the three-storey Ram temple in Ayodhya will be completed by December-end and the consecration ceremony is expected to take place on January 22, temple Construction Committee Chairperson Nripendra Mishra recently told PTI in an interview.
