Sri Sri among new trustees of govt-established group
NEW DELHI : The Centre has made Art of Living (AoL) foundation head, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Parmarth Niketan Ashram chief, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, new trustees of the India Development Foundation (IDF), a nonprofit trust set up by the government.
The IDF was set up to facilitate the contribution of overseas Indians to social and development projects in India.
The Swami, the founder and spiritual head of the Hindu Jain Temple in Pittsburgh, is also leading figure in promotion of yoga. He also played a key role in compiling the 11-volume Encyclopaedia of Hinduism.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj is the president of the body and foreign secretary, home secretary, and secretary economic affairs among its ex-officio members.
Another new trustee of the IDF is Dr Bharat Barai, medical director of the Cancer Institute, Methodist Hospitals, Indiana, in the United States of America.
He was also the key organiser of the diaspora event of Prime Minister at Madison Square in 2014. The event was a roaring success. The other trustees include the UAE-based Indian businessman MA Yusuff Ali, chairman and managing director, Lulu International.
At the meeting of the foundation on Friday, Swaraj sought their guidance in making its working a success. The first board meeting of the foundation was held in 2009. It was founded to serve as a “credible institutional avenue” to enable Overseas Indians to engage in philanthropy to supplement India’s social and development efforts. The Trust is exempt from the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010.