NGOs received over Rs 11,000cr from abroad in 2012-13

The Sunday Guardian: New Delhi: Sunday, March 01, 2015.

Non governmental organisations working in the country received more than Rs 11,028 crore from foreign countries in 2012-2013. Rs 3,772 crore came from different sources in the United States, which leads the list of countries from where money came to the NGOs. It is followed by Germany (Rs 1,086 crore) and United Kingdom (Rs 1,061 crore). The other countries that gave funds to the NGOs working in India include Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, Australia, France, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, UAE etc. The top 10 NGOs that received maximum funding in 2012-13 were World Vision of India (Chennai), Indian Society of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Delhi), Rural Development Trust (Ananthapur), Caruna Bal Vikas (Chennai), Action Aid (Bangalore), Compassion East (Kolkata), Plan International (Delhi), Aga Khan Foundation (Delhi), SoS Children's Village of India (Delhi) and Pratham Education Foundation (Mumbai). This information was provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs in response to an RTI filed by a social activist.

There was uproar in the country last year following an Intelligence Bureau report, identifying several-foreign funded NGOs which are negatively impacting economic development. The report revealed that a significant number of Indian NGOs, funded by foreign donors, were using people-centric issues to create an environment which often stalled development projects.

The Centre monitors the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions received by any person, including NGOs in the country, as part of the Foreign Contribution Regulatory Act (FCRA) 2010. The Act provides for NGOs to receive funds after registration or prior permission. Every application made by the NGOs is decided after getting inputs from the concerned security agencies. The NGOs receiving foreign funds are required to submit annual returns of their accounts. These are scrutinised from time to time. As per information, registrations of as many as 4,138 associations under FCRA were cancelled as they did not file their annual returns during 2006-07 to 2008-09.

So far, as many as 24 cases have been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), while 10 cases have been referred to the state police for investigation. Some of the NGOs against which CBI cases are pending are Tamil Nadu Muslim Muneetra Kazagham (Tamil Nadu), Reach (Tamil Nadu), Abdul Kalam Azad Islamic Awakening Centre (Delhi), Khwaja Khushal Charitable Trust (UP), Anjumane Hussamia Educational Association (Hyderabad), says the MHA reply to the RTI query.

The government also found many NGOs to be fake, following ground level inspection. West Bengal and Orissa had the maximum number of NGOs, eight each, that had either shut down or did not exist. Karnataka and Maharashtra had six such NGOs. Four such NGOs were found in combined Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, while there were two such NGOs in Punjab.

As per information, 10,343 NGOs did not file annual returns in any of the financial years from 2009-10 to 2011-12. The government has issued notices to these organisations.