A day after launching the My Brick – My Amaravati initiative seeking donations from people for the Amaravati project, the State Government is exploring the possibilities of extending income tax benefits to enable donors residing abroad.
At present, donations are being accepted from residents within the country. Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) officials said international donations would be enabled shortly. The idea is to make it convenient for people living abroad to donate for the cause.
“We have already approached the State Government to give us the necessary permissions and Income Tax exemption. Hopefully, orders would be issued in a couple of days,” said a CRDA official.
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Meanwhile, donations continued to pour in from different regions of the State and other states as well. On Friday evening, the number of donors escalated to 11500 and more than 7.7 lakh Amaravati e-bricks were purchased, bringing in Rs.77 lakh.
People residing in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and other States have donated to the initiative.
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A. Siva Rama Prasad, a native of Guntur who is settled in Hyderabad, purchased 10,116 bricks on Friday. “This is a unique opportunity and I am glad to be part of the capital construction.
“I envisage a beautiful, economical and people’s capital,” said Mr. Prasad. He said his move should encourage many others to donate.
Chief Minster Chandrababu Naidu launched the novel initiative on Thursday.