NGOs involving in ‘anti-development’ actions, forced conversions to lose foreign funding licences: Centre
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New Delhi: Union government has announced that foreign funding licences of non-governmental organizations involved in ‘anti-developmental activities’ or forced religious conversions will be cancelled, Scroll reported.
The funding permits of NGOs will be cancelled in the event of them ‘“inciting protests with malicious intention, linkage with terrorist organisation/anti-national organisations, etc’.
The Union home ministry said in a notice on November 8 that it got representations from some outfits that no clear reasons were given to them why their license under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act were cancelled, or were not renewed.
However, the government gave a list of reasons regarding such actions through a notice signed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act division’s director K Sanjayan.
In order to receive foreign funds it is mandatory for non-profit organisations to have licences under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
The home ministry made it clear that the licenses under the Act could be cancelled in the event of an organistation or its office-bears are found to be having any links with ‘radical organisations’.
Other reasons that could lead to cancellation of licenses include office-bearers facing criminal cases or convictions or concealing key information or an incorrect registered address.
Also, Organizations failing to carry out any ‘reasonable activity’ for the welfare of the society in the past two years can have their licences revoked, alongside in the case of using funds for purposes different to the outfit’s stated objectives.
It is reported that in 2020 the Centre amended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act tightening control over how non-governmental organisations using foreign funds.
Following this move, many NGS accuse the government of targeting outfits it dislikes with licences of non-profits such as Oxfam India and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Centre for Policy Research remaining cancelled or not renewed.