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Online membership fee of Rs 3 proves costly for Congress
Collecting Rs 3 online as membership fee from non-resident Indians has become costly for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
Collecting Rs 3 online as membership fee from non-resident Indians has become costly for the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) is now exploring options with private banks after US company Paypal charged Rs 68 for collecting online Rs 3 per person abroad willing to join the party.
The charge was considered too high.
“Paypal has quoted Rs 68 for each transaction,” said the chairman of the UPCC’s research and development unit, Tariq Siddiqui.
Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Rita Bahuguna Joshi has asked Siddiqui to find a solution to the problem as the number of online applications for Congress membership continues to grow.
“We have so far received 347 applications online,” said Siddiqui, adding that the applicants include doctors, engineers and company executives.
Siddiqui said a leading private bank had quoted Rs 5 as charge per transaction if it received Rs 25,000 as a one-time payment and an annual maintenance fee of Rs 10,000.
“Joshi will soon take a decision on the issue,” he said, adding that once the issue was finalised at the state level, the top leaders would be informed about the new ways of collecting funds.
“We are giving the option of online membership to attract more young people,” said UPCC General Secretary Subodh Srivastava, adding that the process was still taking shape.
The Congress in UP proposes to enrol about 10 million new members before the party goes into poll mode.
“The organisational elections are due by December 31, 2009,” said a senior party leader, adding that the Congress leadership would have to take a decision on online membership as early as possible.
