Chartered accountants

In May last year, the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation decided to appoint an outside company of Chartered Accountants “for accounting and allied services” with effect from the Financial Year 2025-2026.

In the previous issue of Auroville Today we published the major considerations and decisions of the Governing Board as reported in the minutes of its 67th Governing Board meeting held in Auroville on 31 May 2024.

On 21 March, the Secretary of the Auroville Foundation called all trustees, executives, managers and accountants of all Auroville units for an urgent meeting at the Sri Aurobindo Auditorium to hear about Income Tax (IT) and General Service Tax (GST) issues.

Further to the meeting of 21 March, Dr. G. Seetharaman, the Officer on Special Duty of the Auroville Foundation, sent out a mass bulletin informing the community about the changes of Chartered Accountants (CAs) effective 1 April 2025.

In response to a Right to Information request of 7 December, 2024 the Department of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education has sent the applicant on 3 January the minutes of the 67th Governing Board meeting held in Auroville on 31 May, 2024.

Manuel Thomas, a long-time friend and well-wisher of Auroville, left his body peacefully in his sleep during the night of January 26th. His passing is a great loss for Auroville and for his many friends and admirers.

Manuel Thomas is a senior Chartered Accountant who works with Auroville groups and commercial units in various consultative capacities. He is also co-author with Henk Thomas of a history of Auroville’s economy, Economics for People and Earth: The Auroville Case 1968-2008.

It’s generally Auroville’s attractive products or tangible outputs that have gained the most attention for the community’s units and services over the years.