Questions people ask

Jana Mangala Parishad is a registered society based at Kuarmunda in Sundargarh district, Odisha. It works on tree plantation, health camps, awareness programmes and other community work in the surrounding villages, and is run by its members through an elected committee.

Anyone who supports the society's aims and is willing to abide by its bye-laws may apply. Applying is not the same as being admitted: every application is placed before the committee, and membership begins only when it is approved.

Fill in the membership form on this website under "Become a Member", or ask any office bearer for a paper form. You will be asked for your details, a photograph and proof of identity. Once the committee approves the application you will be given a membership number and a card.

The fees are set by the committee and are shown on the membership form before you pay, so you always see the current amount rather than one printed here. There is a one-time joining fee and a recurring fee to remain a member; some categories can be paid monthly instead of in one payment. Ask any office bearer if you are unsure which category applies to you.

A photograph and proof of identity. The society accepts several kinds of identity document and the list is shown on the form. Please note that the society keeps only the last four digits of an Aadhaar number, never the whole number.

A card is issued once your membership is approved. The QR code on it lets anyone confirm that the card is genuine and current by scanning it — it shows only that the membership is valid, never your address, telephone number or anything else about you. If you lose your card, tell the society: a new one is issued and the old code stops working.

You will be reminded before the due date on whichever contact details the society holds for you. Paying the fee for a period extends the membership through that period. If a renewal is missed the membership is shown as lapsed, and you can bring it up to date by paying what is outstanding.

For some categories, yes. Where a monthly rate is offered it is shown against that category. A part payment is recorded, but a period counts as paid only once it has been settled in full.

Yes. Every membership payment is receipted with its own number, and the receipt states the period it is for. A membership fee is a subscription rather than a donation, so its receipt carries no tax-deduction reference — donations are receipted separately.

The society issues a receipt for every donation with its own number. Whether a particular donation is deductible depends on the society's registration and on the rules in force for the year in question, so please check with the society or your own tax adviser before relying on it. Donations of more than ₹2,000 in cash are not eligible under the present rules, so please use a bank transfer or UPI for larger amounts.

Every receipt and every payment is recorded against a numbered series that cannot have gaps, and the accounts are placed before the members. Any member may ask to see how the society's funds have been used.

By the members, at properly called meetings. Notice is given in advance, a meeting must be quorate to decide anything, and what was decided is written into minutes that are confirmed at a later meeting and then locked so they cannot be quietly altered afterwards.

Minutes are kept for the members. They name who attended and record what each person said, so they are not published on this website; any member with a proper interest may ask the Secretary for a copy.

It is used to run your membership — your record in the register, your card, your receipts and reminders — and for nothing else without your agreement. The privacy notice on this site lists every piece of information collected, why it is held and for how long. You can ask at any time what is held about you, ask for it to be corrected, or ask for it to be erased where the law allows.

Use the contact page on this website, or speak to any office bearer. For anything about your own information there is a form under "Your information" that goes straight to the person responsible for answering it.