New Delhi: The ministry of home affairs (MHA) has amended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011, asking several NGOs receiving funds from abroad to submit details of their movable and immovable assets created out of those contributions.
According to the ministry’s notification issued Monday, a copy of which is with ThePrint, the NGOs will have to include the description and value of all movable assets, as on the beginning of the financial year, acquired during the financial year and disposed of during the financial year. Details of their value according to the balance sheet at the end of the financial year will also have to be given.
Similarly, for immovable assets, details including the land or building size, location and value will have to be included in Form FC-4 (annual return).
The principal rules were published in the Gazette of India.
According to sources in the ministry, the amendment is meant to make the system more “transparent” and the NGOs more “accountable”.
“There should be accountability for all remittances from abroad. This will also ensure transparency. Which is why the decision was taken to include these columns in the form. These details will make sure that everything is declared,” a source told ThePrint.
A valid FCRA licence is essential for any NGO to receive foreign contributions. Once granted, it is valid for a five-year period and has to be subsequently renewed.
The FCRA licence of around 6,000 organisations, including Oxfam India Trust, ceased to exist from 1 January, 2022, over “violations observed” in their functioning.
An MHA official had earlier told ThePrint that 5,789 of the nearly 6,000 organisations did not apply for a renewal “despite several reminders”. Another 179 were denied renewal.
Among those whose renewal request was rejected was Oxfam.
Following this, the ministry recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged violations of FCRA rules by Oxfam.
According to a government source, the probe was recommended after it was found that the organisation had “violated several norms” and “illegally routed money”.
Last month, the ministry reportedly withdrew the permit for UK-based NGO Save The Children’s Indian offshoot, Bal Raksha Bharat. Before that, Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Delhi, CNI Shishu Sangopan Griha and Program for Social Action (PSA) had lost their FCRA licences in May and June.
The organisations were among a cumulative 12,580 whose FCRA licence has ceased to exist over the past few years.
According to a list on the home ministry website, these 12,580 organisations include several cultural, economic, educational, social, and religious outfits.
The dashboard on the website states that 16,829 organisations currently have an active FCRA license.
Among the 12,580 organisations whose licences have ceased to exist are 1,800 Christian NGOs, 250 Hindu NGOs and over 250 Muslim NGOs, according to the list.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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