President Ram Nath Kovind, on Friday donated Rs 5 lakh in his personal capacity towards the construction of Ram Temple. the President's contribution came after the Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra announced a contribution campaign for the construction of Ram Temple. "He is the first citizen of the country so we went to him to initiate this drive. He donated a sum of Rs 5,01,000," VHP's Alok Kumar said. The massive contribution drive which began on Friday will continue till February 27. According to the trust, the iconic structure will be built keeping in mind the country's ancient construction techniques and will be built to sustain storms, earthquakes and other natural calamities.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan handed over a cheque of ₹ 1 lakh towards the fund, ANI reported.In Patna, launching the Samarpan Nidhi Sangraha Abhiyan, BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said, "I hope every Hindu family in Bihar contributes towards the building of the beautiful temple. I'm sure that whatever fund is required for the temple, we will get it out of people's cooperation."Asked if followers of other religions can contribute, too, Mr Modi said: "Why not? But the thing is if it is a mosque, it is expected that Muslims will be at the forefront. So, it is the Hindu community's responsibility that they come forward for Lord Ram's temple. We will certainly take cooperation from the followers of other religions too. "In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India brought the curtains down on the long-standing religious dispute over the site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, saying it belonged to Lord Ram. The five-judge constitution bench ruled that a "prominent site" in the same holy town will be allotted for a new mosque, in place of the one unlawfully razed down by Hindu activists in 1992. It ordered the Central government to set up a Trust to manage and oversee the construction of the temple. In August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the construction of the temple at the site.