How UK is drilling down on FCRA licences in India

New Delhi, Jan 08: The UK government has asked for specific numbers over a period to drill-down on the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Indian government around funding licences of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), the House of Lords was informed during a debate, PTI reported.

Peers in the Upper House of the UK Parliament debated the issue on Thursday following a question raised by crossbench peer Lord Harries of Pentregarth, asking what representations the British government had made to its Indian counterparts about the "blocking of overseas funds for the Missionaries of Charity and other non-governmental organisations".

The charity founded by Mother Teresa in Kolkata was recently denied an FCRA renewal along with other NGOs, a move the Indian government has said is a matter of "routine processing" by the Ministry of Home Affairs under "well-established procedure and long-standing administrative practice".

"We are aware of some non-governmental organisations that face difficulties in India due to the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act by the Indian government, and that some have recently had applications to renew their foreign funding licences rejected," said Lord Tariq Ahmad, responding to questions on behalf of the UK government as Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

"On the issue of the licence in India, I have looked into this specifically, and we do not know why its applications were rejected. I have asked and pressed to see the kinds of numbers that currently exist," he said, in reference to the Missionaries of Charity.

(PTI)