Ayodhya Ram Mandir Donation: President Contributes Rs5 Lakh As Nationwide Drive Kicks Off

The first phase of the drive will end on Jan 31, while the second phase of the campaign will start on February 1 and end on February 27.

As the nationwide fund drive for the construction Ram Mandir at Ayodhya kicked off on Friday, President Ram Nath Kovind donated  Rs 5 lakh and one hundred towards the grand Ram Temple. Political leaders of various outfits joined the entourage paving way for regional drives that will continue till next month. 

On behalf of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, its co-president Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj met President Kovind. Govind Dev Giriji Maharaj was joined by VHP working president Alok Kumar and temple construction committee's chief Nripendra Mishra, and RSS leader Kulbhushan Ahuja. 

"He is the first citizen of the country so we went to him to initiate this drive. He donated a sum of Rs 5,00,100," VHP's Kumar said, as per ANI.

The first phase of the drive will end on Jan 31, which will be focused on reaching out to eminent people who have been identified by its local cadre. The second phase of the campaign, which will involve reaching out to ordinary people, will start on February 1 and end on February 27, as per Hindustan Times report.

Meanwhile Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh towards the fund, as per news agency ANI.

Meanwhile BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi at the launch of the Samarpan Nidhi Sangraha Abhiyan, said, "I hope every Hindu family in Bihar contributes towards the building of the beautiful temple. I'm sure that whatever fund is required for the temple, we will get it out of people's cooperation.

There are three types of coupons available against contribution ranging from RS 10, Rs100, or Rs 1,000 which volunteers will seek from Hindu households towards the construction. Moreover, the Trust will not opt for any government fund, money from abroad, or corporate donations.   

In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India gave a historic judgment bringing an end to a long drawn religious dispute over the site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, saying it belonged to Lord Ram. The five-judge constitution bench ruled that a "prominent site" in the same holy town will be allotted for a new mosque, in place of the one unlawfully razed down by Hindu activists in 1992. It ordered the Central government to set up a Trust to manage and oversee the construction of the temple.

In August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the temple at the site.