FCRA crackdown on NGOs has worked, huge dip in foreign funding reported

New Delhi, July 26: The crackdown on the NGOs seems to have paid off. In the year 2016-17, foreign funds received by NGOs was reported at Rs 15,329 crore.

In the year 2016-16, it was Rs 17,799 crore, while win 2014-15 it was Rs 15,305 crore. The decline could be attributed to stringent action taken against those NGOs which had received foreign funds illegally.

Further this crackdown also ensured that the number of NGOs violating the FCRA norms also came down. At least 13,000 licences of NGOs were cancelled for violating the norms, junior home home minister Karen Rijijiju informed the Rajya Sabha.

He also told the Rajya Sabha that the FCRA licences of nearly 18,864 associations and institutions had been cancelled since 2011.

He also said that though a one time opportunity was given to the associations to upload the pending annual returns containing details of their income and expenditure, nearly 2,547 NGOs were yet to submit their pending returns.