The Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) is a registered

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

institution which was established in 2002 by the Indian National Congress. Named after the 6th Prime Minister of India, the trust is headed by the Interim President of the Indian National Congress.

Board of Trustees and Management

The Board of Trustees as well as the Management of the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable is heavily influenced by the Indian National Congress.

Board of Trustees

Management

Initiatives

Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana

Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana
(RGMVP) is a flagship program of the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) which "aims to build and strengthen the

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

institutions of the poor". It is a rights-based

initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...

that works for

poverty reduction Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics cl ...

, women’s

empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

and

rural development Rural development is the process of improving the quality life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas, often relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of ...

in the backward regions of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. The main activity of RGMVP includes organising poor

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

women into

institutions in the form of Self Help Groups (SHGs) - each consisting of 10-20 women - that act as

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

platforms to address issues of

financial inclusion Financial inclusion is defined as the availability and equality of opportunities to access financial services. It refers to a process by which individuals and businesses can access appropriate, affordable, and timely financial products and service ...

, healthcare,

livelihood A person's livelihood (derived from ''life-lode'', "way of life"; cf. OG ''lib-leit'') refers to their "means of securing the basic necessities (food, water, shelter and clothing) of life". Livelihood is defined as a set of activities essential t ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

and environment. The organisation has "the belief that the poor have a strong desire and innate ability to overcome poverty". RGMVP has been designed by RGCT and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (

NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an apex regulatory body for overall regulation of regional rural banks and apex cooperative banks in India. It is under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Finance, Government of India ...

) with

technical assistance Development aid is a type of foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political development of developing countries. Closely-related concepts include: developm ...

from the

Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) is an autonomous society of the Department of Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh. SERP is implementing Indira Kranthi Patham (IKP), a statewide community driven rural poverty reduction ...

( SERP) for promotion, credit linkage and federation of SHGs in select districts of

. The programme has been visited by the

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...

Chairman,

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

and the British ex-Foreign Secretary, David Miliband.

Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital and Research Centre

Indira Gandhi Eye Hospital and Research Centre
(IGEHRC) was established by the Trust (RGCT) in 2006 to address a requirement for quality and affordable

eye care Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Un ...

and eliminate curable

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

in Northern India and Asia. Currently, two hospitals are operating in

: a secondary level facility in

Amethi Amethi is a city situated in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a major town of the Amethi district, in the Faizabad division. The Hanumangarhi temple is located in the heart of the town. Amethi was the 72 nd district of Uttar Pradesh w ...

, and a tertiary level hospital in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...

. Two additional centres are operational in

Gurugram Gurgaon (pronunciation: �ʊɽɡãːw, officially named Gurugram (pronunciation: �ʊɾʊɡɾaːm, is a city located in the northern Indian state of Haryana. It is situated near the Delhi–Haryana border, about southwest of the nationa ...

. IGEHRC aims "to provide timely and affordable world-class eye care to all segments of society". Regular community outreach programmes are organised in rural areas to provide quality eye care and to create eye care awareness among the rural population.

Controversies

Amethi Rajiv Gandhi Trust land grab scam

In 1983 Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation had taken 65 acres land from farmers to set up a factory by Emperor Bicycle Company in Kauhar village of Amethi. After company failed to set up the factory, instead of returning the land to farmers as per rule, it was given to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in violation of rules. The trust was sued. On 26 August 2015, the local court ordered the Rajiv Gandhi Trust to return the land to Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation. But despite the order, the land is continued to be under the trust.

Gurugram Rajiv Gandhi Trust land grab scam

Between 2004-2014,

Government of Haryana The Government of Haryana, also known as the State Government of Haryana, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Haryana and its 22 districts. It consists of an executive, ceremonially led ...

, then under the administration of

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

's Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, had handed over 1,400 acres of panchayat land to the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust in the name of

public interest The public interest is "the welfare or well-being of the general public" and society. Overview Economist Lok Sang Ho in his ''Public Policy and the Public Interest'' argues that the public interest must be assessed impartially and, therefor ...

use, resulting in this trust being sued by the

gram panchayat Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bo ...

Punjab and Haryana High Court Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 ...

against the land grabbing of the Gandhi family by the Hooda government.Rahul ji! See how Gandhi family has grabbed thousands of acres of farmersPerform India
7 Dec 2017.

Investigations

Probe by Home Ministry

In 2018, Ministry of Home Affairs launched a probe to investigate violation of foreign funding laws in 42 organizations one of which was the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.

Inter-Ministerial Committee

In 2020, Ministry of Home Affairs set up a inter-ministerial committee headed by the special director of the Enforcement Department to coordinate investigation into violation of various legal provisions of PMLA, Income Tax Act, FCRA and other provisions by the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust along with the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust. The committee will consist of the representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Enforcement Directorate, Central Bureau of Investigation and Income Tax Department.