TIRUPATI: The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has finally renewed the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for five years.
The trust, which runs the famed Tirumala temple, was sitting on a stockpile of 26 crore in foreign cash dropped in its hundi ever since the registration was revoked in 2019. MHA had revoked the registration after it had found that the trust was not following certain amendments made to the FCRA Act. The cash had been accumulating at its treasury in Tirupati.
While several other temple trusts, including Shirdi Sansthan in Maharashtra and Guruvayur temple in Kerala are yet to get their FCRA registration, TTD got its registration renewed after paying a 3 crore fine. Trust officials also had a detailed discussion with MHA officials.
The registration will now be valid till January 2025. MHA directed the temple trust to ensure that all its foreign contributions are deposited into its FCRA account at the SBI branch on Sansad Marg in New Delhi. TTD receives annual Hundi collections of around 1,600 crore, of which foreign contributions account for 10 crore to 15 crore.a
