Centre excludes 117 worldwide companies from FCRA ambit; can contribute funds unhindered

By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has launched an inventory of 117 United Nations our bodies and different worldwide organisations whose contribution to Indian entities won’t be lined underneath the stringent Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, officers mentioned.

Indian organisations receiving international funds are mandatorily registered underneath the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 they usually should have a particular account at a delegated department of the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

According to a house ministry doc, the UN companies and different worldwide our bodies and organisations “to be not covered” by the definition of “foreign source” underneath the FCRA embrace the UN System’s Secretariat, Office of Internal Oversight Services, Department of Political Affairs, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.

The United Nations Office at Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), New York, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNClAD), Geneva have been additionally not lined underneath the FCRA.

The UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Rome, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic Commission for Western Asia have been additionally excluded by the FCRA ambit.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Geneva, Global Environment Facility, Washington, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNESCO, World Health Organisation can even not be lined underneath the FCRA.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, International Potato Centre, Peru, Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Vienna, International Solar Alliance have been additionally a part of the 117 organisations which have been excluded from the ambit of the FCRA.

Since the Narendra Modi authorities got here to energy in 2014, guidelines associated to the FCRA have been tightened. The authorities has additionally cancelled the FCRA registration of almost 2,000 NGOs for violating numerous provisions of the legislation in the previous few years.

There have been 22,762 FCRA-registered organisations until December-end 2021.

NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has launched an inventory of 117 United Nations our bodies and different worldwide organisations whose contribution to Indian entities won’t be lined underneath the stringent Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, officers mentioned.

Indian organisations receiving international funds are mandatorily registered underneath the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 they usually should have a particular account at a delegated department of the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

According to a house ministry doc, the UN companies and different worldwide our bodies and organisations “to be not covered” by the definition of “foreign source” underneath the FCRA embrace the UN System’s Secretariat, Office of Internal Oversight Services, Department of Political Affairs, Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Services.

The United Nations Office at Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Geneva, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Geneva, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), New York, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNClAD), Geneva have been additionally not lined underneath the FCRA.

The UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Rome, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic Commission for Western Asia have been additionally excluded by the FCRA ambit.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Geneva, Global Environment Facility, Washington, International Labour Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation, UNESCO, World Health Organisation can even not be lined underneath the FCRA.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Monetary Fund, International Finance Corporation, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, International Potato Centre, Peru, Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Indonesia, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), Vienna, International Solar Alliance have been additionally a part of the 117 organisations which have been excluded from the ambit of the FCRA.

Since the Narendra Modi authorities got here to energy in 2014, guidelines associated to the FCRA have been tightened. The authorities has additionally cancelled the FCRA registration of almost 2,000 NGOs for violating numerous provisions of the legislation in the previous few years.

There have been 22,762 FCRA-registered organisations until December-end 2021.