Government approves more land for Ramakrishna Mission

NEW DELHI: The government is learnt to have given the nod for additional land allotment to Ramakrishna Mission, which has a few acres already in central Delhi. A Cabinet note by the urban development ministry giving additional land to Ramakrishna Mission for “welfare activities” in Paharganj, adjacent to the mission, has been prepared and is likely to be cleared soon, said officials.

Founded on the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vedanta, the mission was recently in news when PM Narendra Modi during his visit to Kolkata visited Swami Atmasthanand Maharaj, the 97-year-old head o f t h e Ramakrishna Math and Mission Order, who has been unwell for a while.

Before taking over as PM, Modi used to seek guidance from Swami and treated him as his guru. RK Mission Delhi head, Swami Santatmanand, told ET, “the land will be used for building a structure which will be used as a coaching centre. We have already purchased a land adjacent to the plot being allotted by the government.

The mission had applied for this piece of land even before NDA came to power as we did not want this land to go in the hand of any anti-social elements.” “The Union UD minister M Venkaiah Naidu has been very nice and forthright in his approach.

The land being allotted by the government will help us to have easy access to the project we are going to start. Moreover, it is a small piece of land lying vacant for too long.