ANANTAPUR: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has assured consideration for renewing the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) permission for The Rural Development Trust (RDT), with a positive outcome anticipated soon.
Highly placed sources informed TNIE that the Home Ministry is actively pursuing the matter, and a positive decision is expected within a week or 10 days.
A delegation of MPs from Anantapur, along with leaders from the state’s ruling coalition, met Home Minister Amit Shah to seek FCRA renewal for RDT, highlighting the trust’s decades-long contribution to rural development in the drought-prone region.
The potential renewal brings hope for sustaining RDT’s transformative welfare programs in Anantapur.
However, delays have raised concerns about the trust’s ability to pay salaries to its 691 healthcare professionals and other staff, risking operational disruptions. RDT’s initiatives support thousands in education, healthcare, and social empowerment.
Annually, RDT invests Rs 30-40 crore in education, providing scholarships to 360 high-achieving government school students costing Rs 3 crore and supporting 100-150 orphans and semi-orphans from Class 5 through postgraduate studies.
Nearly 13,000 underprivileged students receive aid for professional courses, including B.Tech, MBBS, B.Pharmacy, BBA, and (link unavailable) Nursing, ensuring no eligible applicant is turned away.
3 hospitals of RDP serve 8.5L patients every year
Since 2004, 2,697 students have benefited from RDT’s programs, with 67% securing jobs in multinational companies and government services. RDT has achieved 100% school enrolment among Chenchu tribal communities, distributed bicycles to 40,891 students to boost attendance, and constructed infrastructure like a girls’ hostel for 360 Polytechnic students in Anantapur.
In healthcare, RDT operates three hospitals handling 8.5 lakh outpatient visits, 60,000 inpatient admissions, 15,000 deliveries, and 15,000 surgeries annually. These facilities support 170 children with thalassemia, including 26 bone marrow transplants.
The Trust’s education programs run three residential primary schools and two high schools, integrating children with disabilities, providing prosthetics, mobility aids, and Special Olympics participation. RDT’s women’s development programs have organized 89,175 women into 8,023 SHGs.