Amaravati, March 24 Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Central Government for resolving the issue of foreign contributions faced by the Rural Development Trust.
Founded by a Spanish Jesuit missionary, Vicente Ferrer, in 1969, the Rural Development Trust (RDT) started offering services in one of the driest regions of India, the Anantapur district, by undertaking a food-for-work project in the 1970s.
Appealing to Shah by explaining RDT's decades-long service to the poor helped clear the hurdle of foreign funds, the chief minister said.
"I convey my gratitude to PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Central Government for resolving the foreign contributions issue of RDT," said Naidu in a post on X.
RDT offers a wide range of services to the poor in thousands of villages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, he added.
According to the CM, decisions taken earlier under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to block foreign donations to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) had disrupted RDT's services.
The Centre's approval for RDT to collect funds from overseas has paved the way for the NGO to pool funds, said Naidu.
Ferrer first arrived in Mumbai in 1952 and started working with poor farmers in the Manmad region of Maharashtra, and fought against social hierarchy, including contributing to improving land and water systems.
In Andhra Pradesh, RDT works in the districts of Anantapur, Kurnool, Prakasam, Guntur, and Nellore, along with Vijayawada.
Similarly, it works in the Bhoopalapalli, Nagar Kurnool, and Nalgonda districts of Telangana.
RDT's areas of work include inclusive development for people with disabilities, ecology, sustainable livelihoods, education, habitat, rural hospitals and clinics, sports for development, and women's development.