Mahabodhi Temple, Gaya
★Photo: Amar Ujala
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The Ministry of Home Affairs has imposed a fine of INR 80 lakh on the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) in Gaya, Bihar, under the Foreign Currency Regulatory Act (FCRA). The fine has been imposed for not renewing the FCRA registration and not filing the return of foreign exchange donations. The Ministry of Home Affairs has sent a notice to BTMC highlighting its negligence and has directed them to deposit the fine within the specified time limit.
In the Mahabodhi Temple, most of the donations are in the form of foreign currency. Throughout the year, there is a continuous flow of foreign tourists to the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. Especially during the tourism season, there is an influx of foreign tourists. The main source of income for the Mahabodhi Temple is foreign currency donations. However, due to the non-renewal of FCRA registration, the temple is unable to accept foreign currency donations.
After the cancellation of the FCRA license, the acceptance of foreign currency as donations in the temple has been stopped. This will greatly affect the temple’s income, as the tourism season starts in November. The Ministry of Home Affairs had also sent a notice to BTMC in 2022, which was not taken seriously by BTMC.
On September 8, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the new BTMC building, which was constructed at a cost of crores of rupees.
Regarding the BTMC case, Gaya District Magistrate Dr. Tyagarajan SM stated that the fine has been imposed due to non-filing of annual returns from 2017 to 2022. Since BTMC is an autonomous institution operated by the state government, it is exempt from filing annual returns. Based on this exemption, the application for waiving the annual returns from 2017 to 2022 was continuously sent. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs did not accept it and BTMC had to pay the fine of INR 80 lakh as it was necessary to renew the FCRA registration. The Home Department had given a final deadline of September 4, 2023. After that, BTMC will take the necessary steps to recover the deposited fine of 80 lakh rupees.
**News Summary:**
★The Ministry of Home Affairs has imposed a fine of INR 80 lakh on the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) for not renewing the FCRA registration and not filing the return of foreign exchange donations.
★The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya receives most of its donations in the form of foreign currency, which has now been halted due to the cancellation of the FCRA license.
★The cancellation of the FCRA license will have a significant impact on the temple’s income, especially during the tourism season when there is a high influx of foreign tourists.
★Gaya District Magistrate Dr. Tyagarajan SM stated that the fine has been imposed due to non-filing of annual returns from 2017 to 2022, and BTMC will take steps to recover the deposited fine.
खबर हिंदी में भी समझिए
महाबोधि मंदिर प्रबंधकारिणी समिति (BTMC) पर केंद्रीय गृह मंत्रालय ने विदेशी मुद्रा रेगुलेटरी एक्ट के तहत 80 लाख रुपये का जुर्माना लगाया है। इसका कारण है कि BTMC ने फॉरेन करेंसी रेगुलेटरी एक्ट का रजिस्ट्रेशन रिन्यूअल नहीं कराया और विदेशी मुद्रा दान का रिटर्न नहीं भरा। इसके चलते गृह मंत्रालय ने BTMC को नोटिस भेजकर 80 लाख रुपये का जुर्माना लगाया है। BTMC की आदान-प्रदान में विदेशी मुद्रा होती है और यही मंदिर की मुख्य आय की उत्पत्ति है। FCRA का रजिस्ट्रेशन रिन्यूअल न होने के कारण मंदिर में विदेशी मुद्रा दान लेना बंद कर दिया गया है। इससे मंदिर की आय प्रभावित होगी। BTMC ने अपने नए भवन का उद्घाटन किया था, लेकिन FCRA के निबंधन को लेकर उसकी लापरवाही के कारण जुर्माना लगा है।
