FCRA licence of 5,000 NGOS cancelled: govt
The government barred nearly 5,000 NGOS from receiving foreign funding after the cancellation of their licences since April 2017, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju said the registration of the NGOS under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was cancelled after they were found to be violating the laws.
“Close to 5,000 FCRA registrations have been cancelled since April 1, 2017,” he said in a written reply.
Rijiju said one-time opportunity to upload pending annual returns from 2010-11 onwards without depositing any penalty was provided to all the defaulting NGOS from May 14, 2017, to June 15, 2017.
Replying to another question, the minister said during the last five financial years, Directorate of Enforcement has registered cases against 2,745 companies under the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, out of which 537 cases have been closed, and 183 show cause notices have been issued.
An NGO set up by Olympic medalist and Rajya Sabha MP Mery Kom, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, and the apex body for India’s IT industry NASSCOM are among 42 organisations which were inquired into by the Home Ministry to find whether they allegedly violated foreign funding laws.
Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in Lok Sabha that 21 NGOS were served with standard questionnaire which include Mery Kom Regional Boxing Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, Delhi, Asianet New Charitable Trust, Kerala, Amnesty International (India) Foundation.
Rijiju said, replying to a written question in Lok Sabha, that audit and inspection completed in cases of 21 other NGOS like Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, Delhi, NASSCOM, Delhi and Public Health Foundation of India.
The minister said the NGOS have received foreign funding and the inquiry was initiated under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation was registered and established as a charitable trust in 2006. It was a pioneering initiative by 2012 London Olympics Bronze medalist, Padma Bhushan awardee and nominated Rajya Sabha MP MC Mary Kom and her husband K Onler with the aim to promote the boxing amongst underprivileged youth in Manipur and other parts the Northeastern India.
The Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) was established in 2002 to address the development needs of the underprivileged of the country, especially the rural poor. It is the largest social mobilisation programme for women’s empowerment in Uttar Pradesh with its work impacting 42 districts.
NASSCOM, a not-forprofit industry association, is the apex body for the 154 billion dollar Indian IT BPM industry.
The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a public private initiative that has collaboratively evolved through consultations with multiple constituencies including Indian and international academia, state and central governments, multi & bi-lateral agencies and civil society groups.
The Centre for Internet and Society, a Bengaluru-based NGO which had reportedly flagged breach of Aadhaar data, was among the 21 NGOS which were served with questionnaire.