Ford funding to non-FCRA NGOs, Setalvad's Sabrang Trust

Ford Foundation has funded several NGOs, which were not registered under the FCRA, and another organisation with which activist Teesta Setalvad is associated.

"There are inputs from security agencies that some amounts have been credited from Ford Foundation to some NGOs which are not registered under the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010.

"Hence, to keep a watch on such recipients, the credits from Ford Foundation has been put under prior permission category under FCRA 2010," Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said in Lok Sabha replying a written question.

Rijiju said Teesta Setalvad is associated with two NGOs namely Citizen for Justice and Peace and Sabrang Trust which are registered under FCRA.

"As far as funding from Ford Foundation is concerned, only Sabrang Trust has been funded," he said.

Replying another question, the Minister said in 2014, penalty of Rs 51.99 lakh was imposed on 24 NGOs for receiving and utilising foreign contribution without registration or prior permission.

Till date, 30 cases of violation involving misappropriation or misutilisation of foreign contribution have been referred to CBI of which six cases resulted in conviction.

Ten cases of violation involving mis-appropriation of foreign contribution have been referred to the concerned state police and accounts of 34 associations have been frozen for violation of various provisions of FCRA.

A total of 69 NGOs have been prohibited from receiving foreign contribution, 16 foreign donor agencies have been placed under prior permission category.

"Registration of 10,117 associations has been cancelled for not filing the annual returns continuously for three years and even not responding to show cause notices issued," he said.

In 2014, government has conducted inspections in 69 off-site and 50 on-site locations for violation of various provisions of the FCRA.

Till date, in 2015, 12 off-site and 24 on-site inspections have been conducted and violations noticed in majority of the cases related in clubbing foreign contribution account with domestic accounts i.e. failure to maintain exclusive accounts as required by FCRA, failure to submit annual accounts within the stipulated period.

Transfer of foreign contribution to unregistered NGOs, utilisation of foreign contribution amount for the purposes different from the grant of different from the objectives of the recipient NGO, registration of assets are some of the other reasons of taking action against NGOs.