State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) channelled nearly ₹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 states that ONGC donated ₹670.97 crore to these organisations over the 12-year period through its CSR programme, which funds initiatives in education, healthcare, community development and social welfare.
According to ONGC’s CSR annual reports cited in the report, the public sector undertaking disbursed ₹4,531 crore in CSR funds to around 2,000 organisations and projects across India between the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2025. Of this, approximately ₹668 crore, or 14.7%, reportedly went to 20 organisations identified as having links with the RSS.
Recipients include hospitals, educational institutions and service organisations
The report classifies the 20 organisations into three categories: nine directly affiliated with the RSS, nine founded or headed by individuals associated with the organisation, and two that have worked closely with it.
Among the largest recipients is Swargadew Siu-Ka-Pha Hospital in Assam’s Sivasagar district, a 300-bed multi-speciality hospital jointly managed by ONGC and the Aurangabad-based Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan (BAVP). According to the report, BAVP describes itself as being inspired by RSS ideology and also runs Dr Hedgewar Hospital in Aurangabad.
The second-largest recipient is Dr Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha in Nagpur, which reportedly received ₹140 crore between 2017 and 2022 for establishing the National Cancer Institute.
Other organisations named in the report include Bengaluru-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA), which reportedly received ₹15.53 crore for hostel construction and yoga programmes, and various units of Sewa Bharati, which together received ₹13.95 crore for flood relief, medical equipment, yoga centres and student welfare initiatives.
The report also states that schools run by the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation received ₹8.69 crore in CSR funding.
Debate over public-sector CSR funding
The disclosures have reignited debate over whether public-sector companies should fund organisations associated with ideological or socio-political movements.
Critics have questioned the appropriateness of allocating CSR funds from a government-owned company to institutions linked to the RSS, while supporters argue that CSR grants are awarded for education, healthcare and social welfare projects irrespective of an organisation’s ideological background.
The report also notes that the RSS 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. The RSS has consistently maintained that it operates transparently through a network of registered trusts and affiliated organisations and that formal registration of the parent body is not legally required.
