Ayodhya witnessed a historic day today, with the much awaited inauguration of Ram Mandir finally taking place. The temple, which has been built at a cost of Rs 1,800 crores, is witnessing donations double every two hours, thanks to?India¡¯s homegrown bills and donations payments network BBPS (Bharat Bill Payment System) adding?Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra in its list of beneficiaries for donations.
Moreover, this act of kindness can now double your joy, as donations to Ayodhya's Ram Mandir are eligible for tax saving as well.
With?Ram Mandir's inauguration in Ayodhya?finally complete, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has been added as a featured biller on(Bharat Bill Payment System) over the weekend.?PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, and various bank apps have integrated the trust into BBPS.?Getting added to the list of beneficiaries in India¡¯s homegrown bills and donations payments network BBPS thus allows devotees to connect with the inauguration digitally and donate, despite not being physically present.?
State Bank of India (SBI) , Bank of Baroda (BoB) and Punjab National Bank (PNB) are the banks tied up for donations with the temple trust.
For the unversed, the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, established by the Government of India, is the authorized body responsible for overseeing the construction of the Ram Mandir. Devotees can use the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust's website to donate money to the Ram Mandir.
Even people from abroad can donate for Ram Mandir, as per the trust's website.
Also Read;?List Of India's Richest Temples & Their?Networth?Ahead Of?Ram?Mandir Inauguration
"An individual who wishes to donate money to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust rebuild/ repair Ayodhya Ram Mandir can do so online using various ways. These are: payment gateway, UPI/QR code/NEFT/IMPS/Demand Draft/Cheque. There is absolutely no charges or fee of any kind levied for donating money to Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust" as per the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust website.
On the other hand, if someone uses the payment gateway to make a donation, a donation receipt will be instantly issued as soon as the payment is successfully completed. The Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust will verify the details before issuing the donation receipt for other methods (UPI, QR code, NEFT, IMPS, Demand Draft, Cheque). Therefore, in order to download the donation receipt, one should visit the website after 15 days.
As per Ayodhya Ram Mandir's donation helpline agent, "Instant donation receipt will only be issued if payment gateway is used for making donation. All other methods UPI/QR code/NEFT/IMPS/Demand Draft/Cheque will require verification from the Trust's end and then only donation receipts would be issued on our website."
As per Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust website, "The Central Government has notified "SHRI RAM JANMABHOOMI TEERTH KSHETRA" (PAN: AAZTS6197B) to be place of historic importance and a place of public worship of renown for the purpose of the said section from the year FY 2020-2021. 50% of Voluntary Contribution, for the purpose of renovation/repair of Mandir to Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra is eligible for deduction under sec 80G (2) (b), subject to other conditions mentioned under section 80G of the Income-tax Act, 1961. Cash donation in excess of Rs 2000 are not allowed as a tax deduction."
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to make a donation to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust.
Here's a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Go here-https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/#/login
Step 2: Click 'Donate' under the 'Donation' tab. Now login using your mobile number and authenticate it by inputting the OTP received.
Source: https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/#/login
Step 3: A new webpage would open where many details like PAN, purpose of donation, PAN, donation amount, address, pin code, etc would be asked to fill. After filling the details click on 'Donate'. You would be redirected to the payment gateway where UPI, debit card, net banking, credit card can be used to make payment.?When payment is successful, the donation receipt would be issued instantly.
Step 1: Go here-https://srjbtkshetra.org/donation-options/
Source: https://srjbtkshetra.org/donation-options/
Step 2: There are a total of 3 bank accounts of the Mandir Trust- State bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Bank of Baroda (BoB). Use any one of them to donate money. If you are using this method no mobile number, Email ID, PAN is needed to be entered while making the payment.
If you have used the other donation methods (UPI/QR code/NEFT/IMPS/Cheque) to donate money, then you will need to follow the below steps:
Step 1: Go here: https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/donation-receipt/.
Source: https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/donation-receipt/
Step 2: Click on 'Download Receipt' tab. Enter your mobile in the appropriate space and click on 'GET OTP'. Enter the OTP and authenticate.
Step 3: A new webpage would open. Click on the 'Donation Receipt' button under the 'Donate' tab. Fill in details- PAN, Mobile number, Email ID, address, donation amount, bank account number, donation purpose, UPI reference number (if used), donation mode, bank account of the Trust to where the donation was made, etc. Once all the information is filled up, click on 'Submit'.
Source: https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/donation-receipt/
The information you submitted would then be verified by the Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust officials, which could take some time depending on the payment method used.?
The donation receipt will be downloadable from this same website once the verification process is finished.?
Go to https://online.srjbtkshetra.org/donation-receipt/ and select 'Donation Receipt' from the 'Donation' tab to see the status. Next, select 'Donation Receipt History'. Here would be a download button if the receipt was ready, and an estimated time would be displayed otherwise.
Since three years, the income tax department has mandated that starting in FY 2021¨C2022 (AY 2022-23) taxpayers must submit Form 10BE in order to claim a tax deduction for donations made to Ayodhya Ram Mandir Trust and other charitable organizations. On or before May 31 of the financial year following the year in which the institution receives the donation, the relevant charitable organization will issue Form 10BE.?
Therefore, the charitable organization must provide a donation certificate (Form 10BE) by May 31, 2024, if a person made a donation at any point between April 2023 and March 2024. A donation certificate (Form 10BE) must be provided by the qualifying charitable organization to the donor if they want to claim section 80G on account of their monetary contributions.
Keep in mind that the donation receipt which Ayodhya Ram Trust gives instantly after the donation is not the donation certificate (Form 10BE), as per tax experts.? Form 10BE is required to claim donations. However, in the case of Ayodhya Ram Mandir donations,?a certificate in Form 10BE is not yet being issued. So donation receipt is likely to be considered as proof of evidence to validate the deduction claimed under section 80G.?
Now it remains to be seen if the temple trust and income tax department come out with further clarifications regarding the same.
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