Use relief from Odisha CM fund to help Missionaries of Charity if required: Patnaik

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed district collectors to ensure that no shelter or orphanage under Missionaries of Charity suffers and added that money from the CM’s relief fund can be used for aid, if needed.

Updated on: Dec 31, 2021, 04:51:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Days after Missionaries of Charity asked the central government to freeze its bank accounts following refusal of the Union home ministry to renew its FCRA licence, Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed district collectors to ensure that no shelter or orphanage under the organisation suffers and added that money from the chief minister’s relief fund can be used for aid, if needed.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday directed district collectors to ensure that no shelter or orphanage under the Missionaries of Charity suffers .

On Monday, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that all bank accounts of the Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity have been frozen by the Centre leading to distress among 22000 inmates of the organisation across the country. However, it was later revealed that the NGO had sent a request to State Bank of India to freeze the accounts in view of MHA’s denial of its request to renew its FCRA licence.

Also Read | Mother Teresa's charity denies bank account freeze after Mamata blames Centre

Officials from the CM’s office said Patnaik directed district collectors to use funds from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for food and treatment of inmates in orphanages and the leprosy home run by the organisation.

Organisations involveed in philanthropic work can receive donations from foreign countries if they are registered according to provisions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.

Missionaries of Charity runs a leprosy home on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar housing 300 inmates. It also runs 12 orphanages with 600-odd inmates. Besides, there are 87 sisters who look after the day-to-day affairs of these institutions.

Also Read | Bengal-Centre row over Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity

On December 25, the Ministry of Home Affairs had said that Missionaries of Charity’s request for renewal of their certification under FCRA was refused, for “not meeting the eligibility conditions under the FCRA, 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011”.

Also Read | Missionaries of Charity’s troubles continue

The registration was originally set to expire on October 31, however, its license was extended till December 31 to give them time to complete the renewal process, due to Covid-19 disruptions.

BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma saidthe state government should do the same thing for other organisations in the state facing similar problems.

Also Read | Mamata's intention mala fide: BJP on Missionaries of Charity's a/c freeze claim

“The FCRA renewal of Missionaries of Charity was not done due to audit irregularities. So in this context, what message is the chief minister sending? Does he mean to say that his government would stand for whatever Missionaries of Charity does irrespective of its legalities and proprieties. In a federal government, when the Centre takes certain steps, the states should respect it. But the move by Patnaik is against cooperative federalism,” said Sharma.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.