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The Union government has allowed the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust to receive funds from abroad for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.
The foreigners’ division of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has granted the trust permission under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 to accept “voluntary contribution”.
“FCRA section of the MHA has registered the trust ‘Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra’ to accept the voluntary contribution from the foreign sources,” the trust posted on X, formerly known as twitter.
“Such contributions can be sent to only designated bank account. No such contribution shall be accepted in any branch or any other bank account of the trust,” it added.
According to the FCRA rules, non-government organisations or trusts are required to open their bank account in the State Bank of India, Sansad Marg branch, Delhi to receive foreign funds.
Constituted in 2020, the trust, overseeing the construction of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya, had applied for FCRA licence in June this year.
The trust has been collecting funds through contribution from pilgrims and individuals from across the country, but was not able to get funds from Indians settled abroad so far.
“The trust till date has received ₹3,200 crore from citizens and different organisations from the country,” its treasurer Govind Dev Giri had said on August 7. The trust has also informed that it has spent ₹900 crore on the construction of the Ram Temple between February 5, 2020 and March 31, 2023.
The construction of the ground floor of the Ram temple will be completed by December, and the inaugural ceremony, including consecration of the deity, is set to take place on January 22 next year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest for the ceremony.
The foundation stone of temple was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, 2020, months after a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court led by then chief justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on November 9, 2019 unanimously delivered its verdict that the land in Ayodhya where Babri Masjid once stood, belongs to Ram Lalla.