No FCRA for NGOs linked to conversions, radical groups: Govt
Govt said it is putting out “consolidated reasons” after receiving representation from several NGOs seeking clarity on why their clearance under FCRA was denied
The Union ministry of home affairs has, for the first time, explicitly listed the reasons for denying the clearance needed under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act to receive funds from abroad.
These include involvement in anti-development activities and religious conversions; inciting protests with malicious intentions; and the existence of links with radical organisations.
The ministry said it is putting out “consolidated reasons” after receiving a representation from several NGOs seeking clarity on why their clearance under FCRA was denied. To be sure, the ministry has neither identified the NGOs nor listed specific reasons.
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“The ministry has received representation from some of the associations stating that reasons for denial of their application are not clear. The matter has been examined and it is decided to disseminate the consolidated reasons of denial of renewal/registration applications for benefit of applicant associations. Accordingly, an illustrative list of reasons of denial of renewal/registration applications is tabulated..”the ministry said in a note issued on November 8.
Earlier this year, the home ministry cancelled the FCRA licence of think-tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for allegedly violating provisions of the foreign funding law. In March, it also cancelled licences of five NGOs including Church of North India- Synodical Board of Social Service (CNI-SBSS), Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), Church Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), and Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFOI).
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In the note, the ministry added that other reasons for refusal of clearance include concealment of facts in application forms, pending prosecution against any office bearer (s) of the NGO, if a field enquiry reveals that no reasonable activity has been carried out by the NGO for two to three years, refusal to provide clarifications, and absence of details of the addresses of office bearers or members.
In cases of renewals, the note said, the MHA can reject the application if it finds that the funds received by the organisation in the past five years have not been used as per aims and objectives; if annual returns are not uploaded; or if there is any discrepancy in financial documents.
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According to MHA data, as many as 16,023 NGOs have FCRA licences as of date while licences of 20,711 organisations have been cancelled.
The Centre has tightened its monitoring of NGOs under FCRA since 2020 . It canceled the licences of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) in 2022 accusing them of violating the law.
The FCRA unit of the MHA carried out inspections or audits of at least 335 NGOs and associations registered or granted prior permission under FCRA between 2019 and 2022 to see if foreign funding rules were being followed by them.
FCRA , amended in September 2020 , barred public servants from receiving foreign funding and made Aadhaar mandatory for every office-bearer of the NGOs. The amended law also barred organisations from using more than 20% of foreign funds for administrative purposes. The limit was previously 50%.