Foreign funding: Modi Government cancels licences of 9, 000 NGOs

New Delhi, April 28: Tightening its noose over dubious NGOs, receiving foreign funding government has cancelled licenses of nearly 9,000 such entities. The stern action has been taken in the wake of violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by these NGOs.

The move has come close on the heels of Centre taking hard step against US-based Ford Foundation. Recently, the Modi government had ordered that funds coming from the US-based Ford Foundation should not be released by any bank to any Indian NGOs without mandatory permission from the Home Ministry.

Earlier, the Centre had suspended the FCRA licence issued to Greenpeace India and frozen their seven bank accounts for various alleged violation of laws.

What has been done now

In an order, the Home Ministry has said that notices were issued to 10,343 NGOs for not filing annual returns for the year 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Reportedly, the notices were served on October 16, 2014 saying that the NGOs should file their annual returns within a month specifying amount of foreign funds received, sources of such funds, for which purpose it was received and in manner in which such foreign contribution was utilised, according to a Home Ministry notification.

There was no reply from the remaining NGOs leading to cancellation of their registration issued under FCRA, the notification issued yesterday said.

Among the registration cancelled 8,975 NGOs include 510 NGOs against whom notices were sent but returned undelivered.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from PTI)