Govt asks 1,222 NGOs to validate bank accounts in which they receive foreign contribution

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New Delhi: The Home Ministry has directed as many as 1,222 NGOs across the country to validate the bank accounts in which they receive foreign contribution.

The failure to do so will invite punitive action.

Sri Ramakrishna Math, Ramakrishna Mission, Indore Cancer Foundation Charitable Trust, Coimbatore Christian Charitable Trust, Delhi School Of Social Work Society, Hindu Anath Ashram and Madani Darut Tarbiyat are among those in the list.

A few others NGOs named are Rehmat E Alam Hospital Trust Anantanag, Rotary Club of Mumbai Midwest, JK Trust, Bombay, Goonj, Madina Education and Charitable Society, Nagaland Bible College, Indian Institute for Nature and Environment Study.

In a circular, the ministry has said that all NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) should receive foreign donations in a single designated bank account.

However, it is seen that a number of such organisations have not validated their foreign contribution designated accounts, causing problems for the banks to comply with the FCRA provisions that they (banks) report to the central government within 48 hours of such receipt or utilisation of foreign contribution, the circular read.

These associations are required to validate their foreign designated accounts and also the utilisation accounts immediately and send the details, including the bank branch, code, account number, IFSC etc through FC 6 form which is available on fcraonline.nic.in, the circular said.

"Non-compliance may lead to penal actions as per FCRA 2010," it said, as per PTI.

On December 27, 2016, the FCRA licences of around 20,000 NGOs had been cancelled by the government after they were found to be allegedly violating various provisions of the FCRA, thus barring them from receiving foreign funds.

As per FCRA, if an NGO is put under prior permission category, it is barred to receive foreign funding from abroad without taking permission from the Home Ministry.

(With PTI inputs)