After the controversy over the Union home ministry’s fresh crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs, the MHA on Wednesday cleared the air saying fund flow from a Netherland-based foreign donor agency Stichting Cordaid to Caritas has come under the scanner since Cordaid is under the prior-approval category.
Cordaid had been placed under prior approval category on Aug. 6, 2012, during the tenure of the UPA-II government. An official statement said the ministry received a reference from Standard Chartered Bank seeking clearance for crediting of an inward remittance of Euro 2,30,000 from Stichting Cordaid in favour of Caritas India, which is an NGO working in India registered under FCRA, 2010.
“Comments of security agency were sought and on the basis of the inputs received from them the matter is under consideration in the ministry,” the statement said. It further said, ‘’Any inward remittance from this agency to any Indian NGO will be credited only after clearance from the ministry of home affairs.” Sources said the IB had raised a red-flag over Cordaid’s fund to Indian NGOs in 2011-12 during the Kudankulam protests prompting the government to put it in the prior-permission category. “Other than Cordaid’s funding to Caritas, we have no problem with the latter receiving money from any other donors,” a top government official said. Meanwhile, security sources also revealed that out of the 16 FCRA registered NGOs, nearly a dozen of them had been put in the prior-permission category during the UPA-II tenure.
Source: http://www.asianage.com/india/caritas-funds-dutch-agency-under-scanner-095
Cordaid had been placed under prior approval category on Aug. 6, 2012, during the tenure of the UPA-II government. An official statement said the ministry received a reference from Standard Chartered Bank seeking clearance for crediting of an inward remittance of Euro 2,30,000 from Stichting Cordaid in favour of Caritas India, which is an NGO working in India registered under FCRA, 2010.
“Comments of security agency were sought and on the basis of the inputs received from them the matter is under consideration in the ministry,” the statement said. It further said, ‘’Any inward remittance from this agency to any Indian NGO will be credited only after clearance from the ministry of home affairs.” Sources said the IB had raised a red-flag over Cordaid’s fund to Indian NGOs in 2011-12 during the Kudankulam protests prompting the government to put it in the prior-permission category. “Other than Cordaid’s funding to Caritas, we have no problem with the latter receiving money from any other donors,” a top government official said. Meanwhile, security sources also revealed that out of the 16 FCRA registered NGOs, nearly a dozen of them had been put in the prior-permission category during the UPA-II tenure.
Source: http://www.asianage.com/india/caritas-funds-dutch-agency-under-scanner-095
