117 international bodies taken off FCRA ambit

New Delhi, December 5

The Centre has released a list of 117 United Nations bodies and other international organisations whose contribution to Indian entities will not be covered under the stringent Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, officials said.

Indian organisations receiving foreign funds are mandatorily registered under the FCRA and they must have a special account at a designated branch of the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

According to a Home Ministry document, the UN agencies and other international bodies and organisations “to be not covered” by the definition of “foreign source” under the FCRA include 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, and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNClAD), Geneva, were also not covered under the FCRA.

The Unicef, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations International Drug Control Programme, United Nations Population Fund, World Food Programme, Rome, Economic Commission for Europe and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean have also been excluded from the FCRA ambit.