POLITICS
•
2355 views
668 Cr Question: ONGC’s CSR Fund siphoning off to Sangh-linked bodies triggers row
Two healthcare projects reportedly accounted for nearly 86% of the funds, while other beneficiaries included organisations running schools, hostels, yoga centres and welfare programmes.
A report claiming that state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) channelled more than ₹668 crore in Corporate Social Responsibility funds to 20 organisations linked in different ways to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—facing a question from Karnataka government for showing identity by getting registered—has triggered a political controversy and renewed questions about transparency in PSU funding.
According to a report published by The News Minute, ONGC provided ₹670.97 crore to the identified organisations beginning in 2013. Of this, ₹668.01 crore was reportedly disbursed between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2025.
During this period, ONGC reportedly spent around ₹4,531 crore on more than 2,000 organisations and projects. Thus, the amount received by the 20 identified bodies constituted approximately 14.7% of its total CSR expenditure.
The report classified the beneficiaries into three categories: nine organisations directly affiliated with the Sangh; nine established or led by persons with reported RSS connections; and two that had worked with the RSS.
The largest allocation—over ₹434 crore—reportedly went towards the Swargadew Siu-Ka-Pha Multispeciality Hospital in Sivasagar, Assam. The 300-bed facility is managed by the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan, described in the report as an organisation guided by RSS philosophy.
Another ₹140 crore was reportedly provided to the Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha for establishing the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur. The trust is named after Aabaji Thatte, who served as personal assistant to former RSS chief M.S. Golwalkar. Together, the two healthcare projects accounted for nearly ₹574 crore, or about 86% of the amount highlighted in the report.
Other reported beneficiaries included S-VYASA, Sewa Bharati, Rashtrotthana Parishat, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Vivekanand Medical Research Trust, Ekalavya Foundation, Samarpan Charitable Trust, Param Shakti Peeth and Deendayal Research Institute. The funds were stated to have been used for hospitals, medical equipment, schools, hostels, yoga camps, flood relief and other welfare projects.
The report gained wider attention after it was shared on X by fact-checker Mohammed Zubair. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the findings as “scandalous but not surprising” and alleged that CSR had been made a “complete mockery.”
The controversy has also revived the debate over the RSS’s organisational and financial structure. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently rejected demands for formal registration and financial disclosure, maintaining that registration was necessary for organisations seeking government funds.
The report does not allege that ONGC transferred money directly to the RSS. The beneficiaries are separately constituted organisations engaged in healthcare, education and social-welfare activities. Their association with the Sangh does not, by itself, establish any illegality or misuse of funds.
However, the scale and concentration of the allocations may raise questions about ONGC’s beneficiary-selection process, due diligence and safeguards against ideological preference in the distribution of CSR funds. The publication stated that ONGC did not respond to its repeated requests for comment.
A report claiming that state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) channelled more than ₹668 crore in Corporate Social Responsibility funds to 20 organisations linked in different ways to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—facing a question from Karnataka government for showing identity by getting registered—has triggered a political controversy and renewed questions about transparency in PSU funding.
According to a report published by The News Minute, ONGC provided ₹670.97 crore to the identified organisations beginning in 2013. Of this, ₹668.01 crore was reportedly disbursed between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2025.
During this period, ONGC reportedly spent around ₹4,531 crore on more than 2,000 organisations and projects. Thus, the amount received by the 20 identified bodies constituted approximately 14.7% of its total CSR expenditure.
The report classified the beneficiaries into three categories: nine organisations directly affiliated with the Sangh; nine established or led by persons with reported RSS connections; and two that had worked with the RSS.
The largest allocation—over ₹434 crore—reportedly went towards the Swargadew Siu-Ka-Pha Multispeciality Hospital in Sivasagar, Assam. The 300-bed facility is managed by the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan, described in the report as an organisation guided by RSS philosophy.
Another ₹140 crore was reportedly provided to the Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha for establishing the National Cancer Institute in Nagpur. The trust is named after Aabaji Thatte, who served as personal assistant to former RSS chief M.S. Golwalkar. Together, the two healthcare projects accounted for nearly ₹574 crore, or about 86% of the amount highlighted in the report.
Other reported beneficiaries included S-VYASA, Sewa Bharati, Rashtrotthana Parishat, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Vivekanand Medical Research Trust, Ekalavya Foundation, Samarpan Charitable Trust, Param Shakti Peeth and Deendayal Research Institute. The funds were stated to have been used for hospitals, medical equipment, schools, hostels, yoga camps, flood relief and other welfare projects.
The report gained wider attention after it was shared on X by fact-checker Mohammed Zubair. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh described the findings as “scandalous but not surprising” and alleged that CSR had been made a “complete mockery.”
The controversy has also revived the debate over the RSS’s organisational and financial structure. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had recently rejected demands for formal registration and financial disclosure, maintaining that registration was necessary for organisations seeking government funds.
The report does not allege that ONGC transferred money directly to the RSS. The beneficiaries are separately constituted organisations engaged in healthcare, education and social-welfare activities. Their association with the Sangh does not, by itself, establish any illegality or misuse of funds.
However, the scale and concentration of the allocations may raise questions about ONGC’s beneficiary-selection process, due diligence and safeguards against ideological preference in the distribution of CSR funds. The publication stated that ONGC did not respond to its repeated requests for comment.
