Rayalaseema Livelihood Push Gains Ground as RDT Secures FCRA Renewal

Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Shri Nara Lokesh helped secure the Rural Development Trust’s FCRA renewal from the central government, allowing the organisation to resume foreign funding support for education, healthcare, and rural livelihoods until 22 March 2031.

The Rural Development Trust has secured renewal of its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act registration, clearing the way for the organisation to resume receiving foreign funds for its development work in Andhra Pradesh.
The renewal was granted by the central government on 23 March 2026 after a year long struggle, restoring RDT’s ability to access support from international donors until 22 March 2031. The approval is expected to help the organisation continue welfare activities that support thousands of beneficiaries and non governmental organisations across Rayalaseema.

The development follows intervention by Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Shri Nara Lokesh, who met Union Home Ministry officials in Delhi and pressed RDT’s case. He highlighted the organisation’s work over more than five decades in education, healthcare, and social service in the state.
RDT has played a significant role in drought affected districts such as Anantapur, where it has worked at the grassroots level across healthcare, rural education, women’s empowerment, disability support, and sustainable livelihood programmes. Its outreach has touched lakhs of people, making it one of the region’s most established development organisations.

The state government said support from Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Shri Nara Lokesh was important in helping move the process forward through discussions with the central government. The intervention underlined the dependence of rural communities on organisations such as RDT, particularly in areas where livelihoods, healthcare access, and education remain closely linked to non profit work.
The renewal is also significant for the wider development ecosystem in Andhra Pradesh, where organisations working in underserved regions often rely on foreign funding to sustain long term programmes and community support.

With the approval now restored, RDT can continue its work across Rayalaseema and support rural livelihoods, local welfare systems, and the regional economy. The decision marks an important administrative breakthrough for an organisation whose work remains closely tied to daily life in some of Andhra Pradesh’s most vulnerable districts.

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