Puri: In a bid to collect online donation even from the devotees of foreign lands, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been preparing itself for the FCRA and other provisions apart from IT exemptions. Accordingly, an official has been entrusted with the assignment to look after all the legalities.
Talking to media after an important meeting attended by District Collector Balwant Singh and representatives of the sebayat bodies, SJTA chief Krishan Kumar said, “Online donation decision was taken in our last managing committee meeting. Now we have decided to register SJTA under the FCRA. If done, online donation will certainly be contributed to Mahaprabhu by the devotees of foreign countries.”
He added, “We have already started preparing documents also for the income tax (IT) exemptions for the online donations from foreign devotees. If we are able to avail these two from the Government of India, adequate amount of donations will be received by the temple.”
“We have held discussion on the online donation purpose only once. We have to deliberate more on the schemes and modalities. It would be implemented only after holding two-three more meetings,” the SJTA chief informed.
Notably, FCRA is Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 (FCRA, 1976) and it casts certain obligation on banks in regard to acceptance of foreign inward remittances for onward credit to the accounts of associations/organisations in India.