Maximum FCRA registration has been cancelled in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra: MHA

Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the top three States where a maximum number of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and associations have lost their Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act (FCRA) registration due to "violation" of FCRA rules, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said.

New Delhi:Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra are the top three States where a maximum number of nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and associations have lost their Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act (FCRA) registration due to "violation" of FCRA rules, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The nature of the NGOs and associations who lost their license are religious, social, educational, and cultural.

Similarly, the license of the maximum number of associations and NGOs in Tamil Nadu (1434), West Bengal (1368), Maharashtra (1256) have either ceased or expired to date.

Without elaborating the reasons why the license of several such organizations has been cancelled, the home ministry categorized the cancellation type as a "violation."

In Tamil Nadu, 2576 associations have lost their license followed by 2025 in Andhra Pradesh and 2024 in Maharashtra so far. New Hope Foundation, St Peter Claver Convent, Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Christ for India, are some of the organizations which lost their FCRA license "on violation."

In Andhra Pradesh, Praja Seva Samity, Mother Theresa Educational Society and Social Service, Darul Uloom Imdadia Educational Society among others have lost their license whereas NGOs and institutions like Madrasa Tajweedul-Quaran Trust at Malegaon, Vedic Heritage, Dr Zakir Hussain Education Society among others in Maharashtra who lost their license.

The FCRA registration is necessary for associations to receive foreign contributions for educational, social, religious, economic, and cultural activities.

Significantly, many of the institutions or NGOs whose license has been ceased or expired till December 31 in Tamil Nadu include social, cultural, and religious organizations like Sri Santhana Krishna Padmavathi Health Care and Research, Mizhba Mission, Mother Theresa Institute of Medical Sciences, etc.

Similarly, FCRA registration of several social, cultural, religious institutions and NGOs in West Bengal like Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Sister Nivedita Kalyan Samity, Ramakrishna Math, Missionaries of Charity have not been renewed by the Home Ministry.

The Home Ministry has not renewed the registration. However, the ministry has not clarified the reasons that lead to the non-renewal of their registration.

Referring to the withdrawal of FCRA registration of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, the Home Ministry in a notification, recently, said that renewal of Missionaries of Charity was not done due to "some adverse inputs were noticed."

FCRA registration of a few renowned religious, social, and cultural institutions like Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, Lakshmi Sri Venkateswara Swamy Gnana Peetam in Andhra Pradesh, Shri Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan, Catholic Church in Maharashtra have also not been renewed by the Home Ministry.

The ministry reiterated that the associations or NGOs whose registration has not been renewed would not be able to able to receive or utilize the foreign contributions into the bank account.

In a notification issued on December 31, the Home Ministry has extended the earlier deadline of renewal of registration of thousands of NGOs from December 31, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

As per the Home Ministry, the extended deadline will be applicable to NGOs and associations who had applied before December 31 and their application has not been declined so far.

It may be mentioned here that the registration of nearly 6,000 NGOs and associations under the FCRA lapsed on December 31, 2021.