FCRA licence of 6,677 NGOs cancelled in 5 years: Govt

NEW DELHI: The FCRA registration of 6,677 NGOs were cancelled by the government between 2017 and 2021, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the registration of these NGOs under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, were cancelled for violation of various provisions of the law. He said these NGOs will not be eligible for registration or grant of prior permission for a period of three years from the date of cancellation of registration.

The FCRA registration of 755 NGOs were cancelled in Tamil Nadu, followed by 734 in Maharashtra, 635 in Uttar Pradesh, 622 in Andhra Pradesh and 611 in West Bengal, he said replying to a written question. The minister said FCRA license of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) was cancelled under section 14, and violation of provisions under 11 and section 12(4)(a)(vi) of the FCRA. The FCRA license was cancelled under section 14 (not being engaged in any reasonable activity in its chosen field for the benefit of the society for two consecutive years or has become defunct), for violation of provisions under section 11 (no person having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social programme shall accept foreign contribution unless such person obtains a certificate of registration from the central government) and section 12(4)(a)(vi) (not to use foreign contribution for personal gains and divert it for undesirable purposes).

The FCRA license of the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) was cancelled under section 14 of the FCRA and violation of provisions under section 8(1)(a) (foreign contribution should be used for the purposes it was received), section 11. The RGCT has also violated the FCRA's section 17 (the primary FCRA account is to be opened exclusively in a branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi), section 18 (providing information to the government about the amount of each foreign contribution received by it, the source of the fund, the utilisation purposes, section 19 (maintenance of accounts) and section 12(4)(a)(vi) (not to use foreign contribution for personal gains and divert it for undesirable purposes), he said.