MHA has cancelled the registration of almost 4000 organisations

Subject: MHA has cancelled the registration of almost 4000 organisations

From: info VANI  Mon, 13 Aug '

Dear friends,
Greetings from VANI!
During the last few months the issue of Foreign Funding has become bone of contention between Indian Government and Voluntary Development Organisations.  Off and on Government comes out with watch list and accuse VDOs and donors for funding the anti-national agenda. Numbers of FCRA registrations are either being frozen or cancelled.  Media presents this issue with great sensation.  This has also created lots of confusion in the minds of general public. The statistics and figures of foreign money received by Indian VOs are also full of confusion.  It does not project the reality at the ground where aid for development is reducing.  The VOs who receive foreign funds have their own logic of receiving foreign funding. On one hand strict scrutiny is advocated for foreign development aid, and on the other had Foreign Direct Investment is allowed without any check. 

As per the government records more than 40,000 organisations have FCRA registration and only 20,000 report. The FCRA annual report also claims that more than 10,000 crores are being received as foreign funds. Serious allegations like conversions and funding anti national/ development are levied on VOs by various government officials and media reports. Being the national apex body of VOs VANI believes that reality at the ground is much different than these. The funding for development is going down, no financial support is available for ensuring entitlements of marginalised within the Indian constitution. The peaceful agitations are termed as anti-national or political activities.  But unfortunately, we don’t have concrete data to substantiate our claim. Majority of the Organisations facing problems are not VANI members, so neither they approach us not we have exact information.  Till now VANI keeps on arguing with ministry on the legal grounds and based on data we have from members.

Recently, MHA has cancelled the registration of almost 4000 organisations, with a plea that they are dormant accounts with no activity. They argue that notices were served with no response. However, initial findings of VANI makes us believe that number of notices were send to the old addresses even if new addresses were updated with the FCRA department. This also includes many such organisations that have been regularly reporting to MHA but are being cancelled. As said earlier most of these organisations are not VANI members so we don’t have access to them. Therefore you input is very important on the subject.

Please inform us, in case your organisations or any of your partners is listed. You can access the list on the FCRA website as well as on VANI website. If answer is yes then send us the details.

I hope considering the seriousness of the situation you will respond to this mail.

Thanking you
Best regards

Harsh Jaitli


Chief Executive Officer
Voluntary Action Network India (VANI)