UPSC Articles
FCRA licences of NGOs extended by three months
Part of: Prelims and GS-II and III – Polity, law, fundamental rights, NGOs; Economy
Context The Union Home Ministry has extended by another three months the validity of the licences of FCRA-registered NGOs which were not renewed by December 31.
What is FCRA?
- It is a law enacted by Parliament to regulate foreign contribution (especially monetary donation) provided by certain individuals or associations to NGOs and others within India.
- FCRA Act was originally passed in 1976 and majorly modified in 2010.
- The government has used the act over the years to freeze bank accounts of certain NGOs who it found were affecting India’s national interest for wrong purposes.
- Ministry: Ministry of Home Affairs
Do you know?
- A registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is mandatory for any NGO or association to receive foreign funds and it is renewed every five years.
- According to terms stipulated in the FCRA, an organisation cannot receive foreign funding unless it is registered under the 2010 Act, except when it gets government approval for a specific project.
- Under the FCRA Act, registered NGOs can receive foreign contribution for five purposes — social, educational, religious, economic and cultural.
