Indian state energy giant gave $70M to Hindutva groups
Investigation finds state-owned oil company directed nearly 15% of its corporate social responsibility funding to organizations linked to Hindu supremacist group
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) directed nearly $70 million in corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding over a decade to organizations linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The RSS is a Hindu supremacist organization that serves as the ideological parent of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to The News Minute, ONGC allocated about 14.7% of its CSR spending between 2015 and 2025 to 20 organizations connected to the RSS.
During that period, the state-owned energy company distributed approximately $470 million in CSR funding to nearly 2,000 organizations and projects across India.
Indian law requires large companies to spend a portion of their profits on corporate social responsibility initiatives, including education, healthcare, environmental protection and community development.
Because ONGC is majority owned by the federal government, its CSR spending ultimately involves public-sector funds.
According to the report, the beneficiaries included hospitals, educational institutions and charitable organizations. Of the 20 recipients, nine were directly affiliated with the RSS, nine were founded or headed by individuals associated with the organization, and two had worked closely with the RSS.
Among the largest recipients was Swargadew Siu-Ka-Pha Hospital in the northeastern state of Assam, a 300-bed hospital jointly managed by ONGC and the Aurangabad-based Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Vaidyakiya Pratishthan (BAVP).
The report said BAVP describes itself as inspired by RSS ideology and also operates Dr. Hedgewar Hospital, named after RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
Another major recipient was Dr. Aabaji Thatte Seva Aur Anusandhan Sanstha in Nagpur, which received about $14.5 million between 2017 and 2022 to establish the National Cancer Institute.
Other recipients included Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) in Bengaluru, which received funding for student hostels and yoga programs, multiple units of Sewa Bharati for flood relief, medical equipment and community welfare projects, and schools operated by the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation.
The disclosures have renewed scrutiny over whether government-owned companies should finance organizations linked to Hindutva ideological movements.
Observers argue that public-sector resources should remain politically neutral and not be directed toward institutions associated with the ideological ecosystem of the ruling party.
Founded in 1925, the RSS is a Hindu extremist paramilitary organization that promotes the ideology of Hindutva, which envisions India primarily as a Hindu nation.
The organization has played a central role in shaping the BJP’s political philosophy, and many senior BJP leaders, including Modi, began their political careers as RSS members.
Human rights organizations and scholars have long documented anti-Muslim violence orchestrated by the RSS and its affiliated organizations.
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