Renewal application under FCRA for renewal of FCRA registration refused due to adverse inputs, says government
AMN / WEB DESK
The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration is mandatory for any NGO or association to receive foreign funds or donations.
“The renewal application under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for the renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was refused on 25 Dec 2021 for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011. No request / revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity (MoC) for review of this refusal of renewal” HOME MINISTRY said in a statement .
It said that, while considering the MoC’s renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed. In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved. The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up-to 31st December 2021. MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC
Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001 and its registration was valid up-to 31 Oct 2021. The validity was subsequently extended up-to 31 Dec 2021 along with other FCRA Associations whose renewal application were pending renewal.
State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts.
MoC said that as their FCRA application has not been approved, they have asked their centres not to operate the bank accounts associated with it.
According to the 2020-21 annual financial returns filed by the MoC on December 13, it had received over ₹75 crore donation from 347 foreign individuals and 59 institutional donors. It had a balance of ₹27.3 crore in its FCRA account carried forward from the previous year and the total balance stood at ₹103.76 crore.
The NGO registered in Kolkata has more than 250 bank accounts across the country to utilise the foreign funds. Some of the biggest donors are Missionaries of Charity in the U.S.A and United Kingdom that contributed over ₹15 crore to MoC, India, for “primary health care, education assistance, treatment of leprosy patients” among others.
MHA said in a statement that the renewal was refused on December 25 for not meeting the eligibility conditions and “No request / revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity (MoC) for review of this refusal of renewal.” It said that its license was valid till October 31 but it was extended till December 31 along with other associations whose renewal is pending.
“We have been informed that our FCRA renewal application has not been approved. Therefore, as a measure to ensure there is no lapse, we have asked our centres not to operate any of the FC (foreign contribution) accounts until matter is resolved,” a statement from Sister M Prema, Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity said.