Online forms for NGOs to cut confusion

NGOs will no longer have to run up and down the corridors of the Home Ministry in Delhi to find out about the fate of their applications for approval for foreign funding. Their applications will be online and will not be lost in the dusty files of the ministry.

The Home Ministry recently asked NGOs to seek online permission for receiving foreign funds.

The move has come even as the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006, is being considered by a Parliamentary standing committee.

The NGOs have been up in arms against the proposed Act which, the government claims, is aimed at regulating the flow of foreign funds so that the money is not used for subversive activities.

The proposed piece of legislation that also promises to bring in transparency in foreign funding, would replace the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 1976.

The new Bill does not have provision for online permissions. In an apparent move to go pro-active on this, the MHA has recently asked the NGOs to apply on-line for seeking prior permission to receive foreign contribution (form FC-1A).

Said a ministry spokesperson: "The move aims at providing efficient, transparent and accountable service delivery to stakeholders i.e. NGOs and the government."

The facility of on-line application for seeking permission to receive foreign funds was started on November 11 on the MHA website "" www.mha.nic.in.

The MHA had already launched 'FCRA on-line' on September 29 to help NGOs to file on-line applications for registration and submit the statutory annual returns regarding receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976.

NGOs said that the move was welcome and would cut harassment and uncertainty among NGOs, especially those based outside Delhi. Now, we have evidence that we have applied, says P P Pandey, director of the Times Foundation.

However the ministry has stopped short of giving a deadline for the approvals and there is no guarantee that NGOs will get ready responses to their emails.