Ayodhya Ram Temple Trust gets FCRA nod, can receive forex donations

Months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Union home ministry has granted approval to the Shri Ram Janambhoomi Teerth Kshetra to receive contributions from foreign sources for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Such contributions can be sent to a designated bank account of the trust in the State Bank of India's main branch in Delhi, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra 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.

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 voluntary contributions from foreign sources. Kindly note that such contributions can be sent to only the designated account at State Bank of India, Main Branch, situated at 11 Sansad Marg, New Delhi."

Construction of the ground floor of the three-storeyed Ram temple in Ayodhya is scheduled for completion by December-end and the consecration ceremony is expected to be held on 22 January, temple construction committee chairperson Nripendra Mishra recently told news agency PTI.

Mishra also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to take part in an event related to the 'pran pratishtha' (breathing of life) on any day between 20 and 24 January. The final date is yet to be communicated by the prime minister's office, he said.

Construction of the entire Ram Mandir complex is expected to cost anywhere between Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 crore. The mandir alone is expected to cost Rs 550 crore. The temple trust has so far received Rs 3,200 crore through contributions and donations. Misra, who heads the trust, claimed that the trust "has not taken a penny" from the government.