A statement released from the office of Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that Rs 78.76 lakh has been sanctioned from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) to support 13 institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity in the state.
Earlier, the application by the charitable institution, which was set up by Mother Teresa, to renew its registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was refused on December 25 for not meeting eligibility conditions as some “adverse inputs” were received.
Patnaik has also asked district collectors to remain in touch with the institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity and added that the government will fund them from the CMRF.
The13 institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity spread over eight districts. More than 900 inmates in various leprosy homes and orphanages in the state will benefit from this decision, the CMO statement said.
Patnaik, while sanctioning the amount, had directed all the collectors to ensure that no inmate of the institutions run by the Missionaries of Charity suffers, especially from food security and health-related issues.
In a statement, the Union home ministry had said that it did not freeze any account of the Missionaries of Charity but that the State Bank of India has informed that the organisation itself sent a request to the bank to freeze its accounts. The organisation clarified that it had advised its units not to operate bank accounts till the FCRA issue was resolved.
