Oneindia: Chennai: Sunday, 06 July 2014.
After putting on radar a number of voluntary
organisation (NGOs) receiving foreign funds in India, the Union Government will
now sensitise all NGOs about compliance of rules when they receive funds from
abroad.
A meeting headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh
was held in this regard where plans on carrying out sensitisation programme for
NGOs forcing them to conform to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA)
regulations were sketched. In the meeting, Foreigners Division of the Ministry
made a presentation on Visa Policy Citizenship Act, Foreigners' Contribution
and Registration Act (FCRA) and related issues.
"The Home Minister appreciated the FCRA
Outreach Seminars in different parts of the country and desired that all NGOs
receiving foreign funds are sensitized about the compliance with FCRA Act and
rules," said a Home Ministry spokesperson.
The development came in the backdrop of a recent
IB report which alleged that foreign funding of these NGOs is aimed at stalling
development in India. The report memorises the wide protests carried out by
social activist Praful Bidwais, Medha Patkar which grab headlines in the last
few years.
What IB report highlighted?
The leaked IB report on the ‘Impact of NGOs on
Development' had alleged that protests against development projects fuelled by
some foreign-funded NGOs had caused a presumptive loss of 2-3% to India's GDP.
The report also named a number of NGOs namely Greenpeace India, Cordaid,
Amnesty as those fuelling such protests.
NGOs receive over Rs 11,500 crore in foreign funds
annually. The 21-page report calls the NGOs' activities
"anti-development" and has highlighted their plans for 2014. These
include a campaign against palm oil imports from Indonesia and disposal of
e-waste of Indian IT firms, organising construction workers in urban areas,
protests against identified projects such as Gujarat's Special Investment
Regions, Par Tapi Narmada River Interlinking Project and the Delhi-Mumbai
Industrial Corridor.
Who is pumping money to stall development in India?
According to the 2010-2011 Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act (FCRA) reports published by the MHA, the top three donor
countries were USA, Germany, and UK. Over the last decade, more than Rs 20,000
crore by the US and nearly Rs 8000 crores by Germany/UK have been donated to
the NGOs.
What the facts say:
According to a Home Ministry report, NGOs receive
over Rs 11,500 crore in foreign funds annually and the number of such
associations is increasing very fast. There are more than 20 lakh NGOs in the
country but less than 2 per cent of them - which is 43527 - were registered
under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act up to March 31, 2012. During
2011-2012, 22,702 NGOs reported receipt of foreign contributions amounting to
Rs 11546.29 crore. Among all States and Union Territories, NGOs in Delhi
received the highest amount of foreign funds- Rs 2285.75 crore in 2011-12.
The IB report has thrown light on an alarming
issue. Realising gravity of the issue, the Modi Government should take
immediate step to make the process of funding more transparent beside making
Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act more stringent it should have close watch
on the NGOs, which have emerged out as den of corruption. All NGOs should be
made accountable and this could only be done by putting them under RTI ambit.
.JPG)
.JPG)
