The Union Home Ministry has announced that the FCRA license of any NGO will be canceled which is involved in anti-development activities, religious conversion or inciting protests with malicious intent or which has links with terrorist or fundamentalist groups.
In a notice uploaded on the official website on Monday, the Home Ministry said NGOs whose acceptance of foreign donations may affect social or religious harmony or which are involved in induced or forced conversions will be subject to the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). Their registration under IPC, 2010 will also be cancelled.
The ministry said that FCRA registration of an NGO will also be canceled if it does not utilize foreign donations as per its aims and objectives or does not file annual returns.
According to law, it is mandatory for an NGO to be registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act to receive foreign funding.
The Home Ministry said that the FCRA registration of an NGO can also be canceled if it has not been involved in any activities in the last two-three years or has become inactive or those activities cannot be confirmed during field investigation. It was claimed or found that it did not do any proper activity for the welfare of the society.
According to the ministry, other reasons for which an FCRA license can be canceled include non-response to clarifications sought, or failure to provide requisite information or documents despite being given an opportunity to do so, against an officer, member or key official. Including the pending case against.
The notice states that if an NGO has used foreign funds to carry out anti-development activities or incite protests with malicious intent, or if field investigation reveals that the organization or its office-bearers are likely to have derived benefits. If the foreign contribution has been used for undesirable activities, or is found to have links with terrorist organizations or anti-national elements, their FCRA registration will be cancelled.
According to the notice, if any investigating agency reports that an NGO is involved in adverse activities or expresses apprehension that social and religious harmony will be affected by the foreign donations it receives, its FCRA license will also be cancelled.
The notice states that the NGO must not have utilized the foreign donations received for projects in accordance with its aims and objectives, not have uploaded annual returns for any of the last six financial years and have not carried out its core activities during the last three financial years. FCRA license will also be canceled if the criteria of spending a minimum amount of Rs 15 lakh for the welfare of the society is not met.
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