FCRA registration of 5,800 NGOs deemed ceased: Govt informs Rajya Sabha

About 5,8000 NGOs, which did not submit their applications for renewal of FCRA registration, deemed to have ceased to exist according to law.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in Lok Sabha that FCRA registration of a total of 1,811 NGOs have been cancelled during the last three years - from 2019 to 2021.

"About 5,800 FCRA registered associations had not submitted their applications for renewal within stipulated time in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. FCRA registration of these associations has thus been deemed to have ceased as per section 12 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010," he said in a written reply to a question.

Rai said in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has given certain relaxations to NGOs so that welfare programmes and Covid-related relief works are not affected.

The relaxations include extension till December 31, 2021 the validity of registration certificate of NGOs expiring between September 29, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

The validity was further extended with certain conditions up to March 31, 2022, while time period to file annual returns for year 2019-20 was extended by six month i.e. till June 30, 2021 among others, he said.

Rai also said that since November, 2021, the FCRA certificate of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), New Delhi and Missionaries of Charity (MoC), Kolkata was renewed by way of revision.