How and why the revenue dept is tightening its grip on charitable bodies

The CAG, in a 2022 report, estimated the loss of potential revenue from charitable bodies at Rs 18,800 crore between the assessment years 2014-15 and 2017-18

It is all about giving, say charities. But they do not seem to practise it when it comes to the revenue department. Not for much longer, though.

Officials of the revenue department, under the finance ministry housed in the North Block, the cream and red sandstone structure at New Delhi’s Raisina Hill, always had the inkling that the exchequer was suffering losses due to the accounting processes of several charitable trusts and institutions. Yet, they were in for a shock when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the national auditor, flashed the numbers.
 

The CAG, in a 2022 report, estimated