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Centre Clears Foreign Funding for Rural Development Trust

The move restores a vital funding channel for a major rural NGO across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Overview

  • The Centre approved Rural Development Trust to receive overseas donations under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, the law that governs foreign funding for NGOs.
  • Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for resolving the funding issue in a post on X.
  • Naidu said his appeal to Amit Shah, in which he outlined RDT’s decades of work for the poor, helped clear the roadblock.
  • Earlier FCRA decisions had blocked foreign donations and disrupted RDT programs that serve communities across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
  • The Hindu reported the approval ensures continuity and expansion of RDT’s activities, which include healthcare, education, livelihoods, disability support, sports and women’s development in thousands of villages.