Govt cancelled over 6600 FCRA License of various NGOs across country

Tags: National News

The government has cancelled over six thousand six hundred Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licences of various NGOs across the country during 2017 to 2021.

Important facts

• In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed this on 7 December.  

• Maximum FCRA licences have been cancelled in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra with more than seven hundred.

• Whereas, more than six hundred licences have been cancelled in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. The list also includes the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust.

• These NGOs were violating the various provisions of the FCRA Act.

• NGOs whose FCRA registration has been cancelled under FCRA shall not be eligible for registration or grant of prior permission for a period of three years from the date of cancellation of registration.

What is FCRA? 

• The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010 regulates the receipts of foreign contribution foreign contribution received by certain Individuals, companies, Political Parties, association or NGO resident in India .

• The government can ban receipt of foreign contributions if it feels that it harms the national interest.

• It can also cancel the license of the Associations, NGO if they do not follow the procedure mentioned in the law.

• The law is administered by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.