ONGC gave over Rs 670 cr in CSR funds to RSS-linked bodies over 12 yrs: Report

State-owned energy giant Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Ltd, one of India’s largest public sector enterprises, channelled nearly Rs 671 crore in corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds to 20 organisations linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) between 2013 and 2025, according to a report published by The News Minute.

The report claims that ONGC donated a total of Rs 670.97 crore to these organisations over the 12-year period. The contributions were made under ONGC’s CSR programme, through which the company annually allocates substantial funds to social welfare, education, healthcare and community development initiatives across the country.

According to ONGC’s CSR annual reports cited by The News Minute, the PSU donated Rs 4,531 crore through CSR to 2,000 organisations and projects across India between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2025. Of this, around Rs 668 crore — approximately 14.7 per cent of the total — reportedly went to 20 organisations identified as having links with the RSS.

The report categorises these entities into three groups: nine organisations directly affiliated with the RSS, nine founded or headed by individuals associated with the Sangh, and two that have collaborated closely with the organisation.

Among the largest recipients was Swargadew Siu-Ka-Pha Hospital, a 300-bed multi-speciality healthcare facility in Assam’s Sivasagar district. The hospital is jointly managed by ONGC and the Aurangabad-based Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan (BAVP), which describes itself in its literature as being inspired by RSS ideology.

BAVP, established in 1989, operates several medical institutions, including the Dr Hedgewar Hospital in Aurangabad, named after RSS founder K.B. Hedgewar. The hospital has been described in RSS publications as being run by RSS volunteers.

The second-largest recipient identified in the report is Nagpur-based Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha, named after a close aide of former RSS chief M.S. Golwalkar. Between 2017 and 2022, ONGC reportedly provided Rs 140 crore to the trust for setting up the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur.

Other beneficiaries include Bengaluru-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), a deemed university that received Rs 15.53 crore for hostel construction and yoga-related programmes in Karnataka, Odisha and Assam.

Various units of Sewa Bharati, part of Rashtriya Sewa Bharati — the RSS’s social service network — received Rs 13.95 crore for activities such as flood relief, procurement of medical equipment, construction of yoga centres and student welfare initiatives.

The report also states that schools run by the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation received Rs 8.69 crore. The foundation's educational model is said to draw inspiration from ideas promoted by Bhaurao Deoras, brother of former RSS chief Balasaheb Deoras.

The disclosures have triggered debate over the use of public-sector CSR funds and whether government-owned companies should finance organisations associated with the RSS. Critics have questioned the propriety of such funding, while supporters argue that CSR allocations are made to institutions engaged in education, healthcare and social service activities irrespective of their ideological affiliations.

The issue has also revived discussion about the legal status of the RSS, which functions as an unregistered voluntary association. Under Article 19(1)(c) of the Constitution, citizens have the right to form associations, and registration is not mandatory for such bodies.

RSS leaders have consistently maintained that formal registration is unnecessary. The organisation says it functions transparently, has a written constitution available to the government, and manages its properties and institutional activities through a network of registered trusts and affiliated bodies.