Ram Temple Trust to register under FCRA for donations from Indians abroad

Ayodhya: The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has announced its decision to apply for registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in order to open a bank account for receiving donations from Indians abroad for the construction of the Ram temple.

The Trust, which was formed in February 2020, has completed three years and submitted its three-year audit report to the income tax department in New Delhi for registration under FCRA.

The Trust is set to convene in Ayodhya at the end of the month to discuss this matter. Trust member Anil Mishra has revealed that the Ayodhya office of the Trust receives numerous calls every day from Indians overseas who want to know how they can contribute to the construction of the Ram temple.

The Trust will have to comply with the regulations of FCRA in order to receive donations from abroad. At present, the Trust has accounts with the State Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, and Bank of Baroda in Ayodhya, where it receives donations from people across the country. The Trust has also requested Tata Consultancy Services to develop software that will enable the generation of receipts as soon as the NRI bank account receives donations from overseas.

Construction of the Ram temple is in full swing in Ayodhya, and the Trust plans to open the sanctum sanctorum of the temple to devotees on Makar Sankranti in January 2024. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act was passed to regulate the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions, as well as to regulate the flow of foreign funds to voluntary organisations with the aim of preventing any possible diversion of such funds towards activities that are detrimental to national interests.

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has stated that about 70 per cent of the construction work on the Ayodhya Ram Mandir has been completed and that Ram Lalla will be enthroned in the temple’s sanctum-sanctorum by the third week of January 2024. Mahant Kamal Nayan Das of Sri Maniram das Chavani (Ayodhya), a Trust member, has revealed that the temple gates will be opened for devotees to worship the deity on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14 and 15, 2024.