The fund collection drive for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya kicked off on Friday with President Ram Nath Kovind donating Rs 5 lakh.

The President made the contribution to the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerath Kshetra Trust set up by the Government to look after the construction and management of the temple.

“President Shri Ramnath Kovind ji contributes Rs 5,00,100  for the construction of Shri Ram Temple in Ayodhya,” said Champat Rai, general  secretary of the trust.

A delegation comprising Vishva Hindu Parishad’s international working president Alok Kumar, Teerath Kshetra Trust treasurer Govind Dev Giri, and temple construction committee head Nripendra Misra met the President on Friday to seek his contribution.

“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,” he said.

The VHP and associated bodies have launched a fund-raising campaign — Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan — from January 15 to February 5 where they will reach out to Hindu families in different States.                                

The trust estimates the total cost of constructing the temple complex at Ayodhya will be about Rs 1,100 crore, including about Rs 300-400 crore to be spent on the temple itself.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to VHP as a contribution to the construction of Ram temple. Former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi also led a fund drive cause in Patna.