FCRA licences of 16,000 NGOs cancelled in 9 years

Animesh Singh

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New Delhi, January 19

As the Centre cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of well-known think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), there have been — over the years — instances of several NGOs facing the wrath of the government over alleged violation of funding norms.

Deep concern

In July last year, a group of retired civil servants — in an open letter to Home Minister Amit Shah — had expressed “deep concern” over such actions and urged him to take necessary steps to “cease needless harassment of organisations serving people of India, especially its most marginalised and disadvantaged sections”

According to the Home Ministry’s own data, more than 16,000 NGOs’ FCRA licence has been cancelled between 2015 and 2024.

Some of the notable ones among these, apart from CPR, are Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Oxfam India.

The government had informed Parliament in March 2023 that it had cancelled FCRA registration of 1,827 NGOs for violation of laws in the past five years, i.e. between 2018 and 2022.

Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had told Rajya Sabha in response to a question that Section 32 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 provides for revision by the central government of any order passed in a proceeding against any association registered under the Act.

In September 2022, the Income Tax Department had conducted a ‘survey’ operation against CPR as part of a probe to scrutinise its foreign funding.

Several civil society organisations have been opposing the government’s move to cancel FCRA licences of NGOs. Last year in July, a group of retired civil servants — in an open letter to Home Minister Amit Shah — had expressed their “deep concern” over such actions and urged him to take necessary steps to “cease needless harassment of organisations serving people of India, especially its most marginalised and disadvantaged sections”.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by CPR after the January 17 action said, “On January 10, CPR received a notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelling its FCRA status. The basis of this decision is incomprehensible and disproportionate and some of the reasons given challenge the very basis of the functioning of a research institution. This includes the publication on our website of policy reports emanating from our research being equated with current affairs programming.”