Make Tax Deductible Donations to NGO in Odisha

Odisha has come a long way since 1936, the year in which it became a separate province. However, the state still lags behind in many fields of development. A majority of the population in Odisha is still educationally backward. Also, the state has the highest percentage of out of school children aged between six and 14. This was why The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an organisation serving free lunches to school children across India started an NGO in Odisha. Starting its efforts in June 2006 by feeding 500 children in 10 schools, the mid-day meal in Odisha now feeds 125,242 children across 1,461 schools. The NGO has definitely succeeded in making changes in lives of these children. However, the real credit goes to the people who have come forward to donate and support the programme. There is no doubt that these tax deductible donations have helped fight illiteracy and poverty in Odisha.

Another major concern in Odisha is malnutrition. Acute malnutrition affects about 20 % of children in the state. The mid-day meal in Odisha, particularly, is an attempt to tackle this problem. The Non-Governmental Organization in Odisha has designed a special menu so that children will get all the nutrients needed for their growth and also get a chance to enjoy the real taste of Odisha. Mid-day meal menu in Odisha includes rice, roti, dal, sambar and vegetable dishes.

The mid-day meal in Odisha is prepared in Cuttack, Puri, Nayagarh and Rourkela. All the kitchens in Odisha, except Nayagarh, are centralised and are capable of preparing up to 100,000 mid-day meals a day. Puri, the first kitchen of the NGO in Odisha, feeds 55,835 children in 648 schools. The Nayagarh kitchen feeds 24,580 children in 352 schools, while Rourkela and Cuttack serve 40,827 children from 433 schools and 4,000 children in 28 schools respectively.

However, the journey from 500 to over one lakh children in just 9 years was not as simple as it sounds to be. The NGO in Odisha reached these numbers mainly through donors. Realising seriousness of the issue, several people have come forward and donated generously.

The organisation has several techniques to make the procedure easy for donors. Tax deductible donations are one of the most interesting features that have captured attention. Every donation of? 500 or above to Akshaya Patra can get 100% tax exemption under Section 35 Ac / 80 GGA of the Indian Income Tax. On the other hand, donation to any other NGO is only eligible for only 50% tax deduction under Section 80 G of the Income Tax act.

Both online and offline donations are eligible for tax exemption. People who opt for tax deductible donations online receive a 100 % tax exemption certificate within 10 days of making the donation. Tax exemption certificates received through offline donations will take 15 to 20 days to reach the donor. NRI donors can also receive the same benefits.

Literacy rate of Odisha stands at 72.9 percent. Support the programme so that we can together build a better Odisha.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an Ngo in India providing food for 1.6 million school children across 12 States and 28 locations.