NGO Consultant

NGO Consultant
Odisha NGO Consultancy Services

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Online registration form for job seekers in Odisha

Odisha Job seekers can avail the benefits of this portal by registering themselves at:

http://empmissionodisha.gov.in/Mission

Apply for jobs on National Career Service Portal

Job seekers can avail the benefits of this portal by registering themselves. You can find career centres, find skill providers and career counsellors, get local help, etc. Employers can also use this portal to find skilled candidates. Information about local employment services, career centres, etc. is available.

Register at: https://www.ncs.gov.in/Pages/default.aspx

Saturday, March 18, 2017

Withdrawal of exemptions if IT returns not filed in time

The Finance Act 2017 has added two conditions for charitable organizations in order to avail benefit u/s 11 & 12.

One of the proposed conditions is that the charitable organization shall be required to file income tax returns before 30th September of the assessment year. In other words the Income Tax exemption for that particular year may not be available to a NGO if the Income Tax returns are filed after 30th September of the assessment year.

In this issue we discuss these amendments requiring charitable organizations to fulfil certain conditions in order to continue their exemption status granted under Sections 12A & 12AA.

For more information please read:

Trust - Changes under Section 12A & 12AA

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Finance Bill 2017 has amended the section 12A and 12AA of the Income Tax Act. It may be noted that section 12A and 12AA are the sections under which a charitable organisation applies for registration as an exempt organisation. The proposed amendments provide that any organisation availing benefit of tax exemption under section 11 should be subjected to the following additional conditions (i) the organisation should inform the Commissioner of Income Tax within 30 days if there is any change in the object clause which changes the character of the organisation (ii) the organisation should file Income Tax returns under section 139(4A).

AMENDMENTS MADE BY FINANCE BILL, 2017

1.2 Clause 9 of the Bill seeks to amend section 12A of the Income-tax Act relating to conditions for applicability of sections 11 and 12. It is proposed to insert a new clause (ab) in sub-section (1) of said section so as to provide another condition for applicability of sections 11 and 12, where a trust or an institution has been granted registration under section 12AA or has obtained registration at any time under section 12A [as it stood before its amendment by the Finance (No. 2) Act, 1996], and, subsequently, it has adopted or undertaken modification of the objects which do not conform to the conditions of registration, it shall be required to make an application for registration in the prescribed form and manner, within a period of thirty days from the date of such adoption or modification in the objects, and that it is registered under section 12AA. It is also proposed to insert a new clause (c) in sub-section (1) of the said section so as to provide that the person in receipt of the income shall furnish the return of income referred to in sub-section (4A) of section 139 within the time allowed under that section. These amendments will take effect from 1st April, 2018 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2018-2019 and subsequent years. Clause 10 of the Bill seeks to amend section 12AA of the Income-tax Act relating to procedure for registration. It is proposed to amend sub-sections (1) and (2) of the said section so as to give reference of newly inserted clause (ab) in section 12A. The proposed amendment is consequential in nature. This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2018 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2018- 2019 and subsequent years.

RATIONALE AND CONTROVERSY

1.3 The proposed amendments will resolve certain existing controversies as under:

- There has been considerable amount of confusion with regard to the power of the CIT in case of amendment to the object clause of Trust Deed or Memorandum of Association. There are numerous were the CIT rejected the application for 12AA registration if the Trust Deed did not provide for a clause stating "any amendments shall be subject to prior approval of the CIT". This amendment should provide relief to organisations applying for 12AA registration, as it clarifies that any amendment to the Trust Deed is the prerogative of the organisation and the CIT has no authority to insist on a prior approval. However all such amendments should be informed within 30 days. If the organisation fails to inform within 30 days then such failure could be a reason for cancellation of registration. It may further be noted that these provisions will apply only if the organisation has made some amendments in the objects which do not conform to the conditions of registration, in the prescribed form and manner. In other words, if some amendments which do not violate the conditions are made then no coercive action can be taken even if such changes are not informed within 30 days.

- The second condition states that an organisation shall furnish the return of income referred to in sub-section (4A) of section 139 within the time allowed under that section. This is a positive amendment towards greater compliance. Ironically a 12AA registered organisation was not mandatorily required to file return unless its income exceeded the taxable limit. With the proposed amendments all 12AA registered organisation have to file returns under section 139(4A) otherwise non filing of return could be treated as a reason for cancellation of registration.

CONCLUSION

The proposed amendments are positive in nature; however, these issues could have been handled in a more holistic manner. For instance, it provides that if there is any change which does not confirm to the condition of 12AA registration then only it should be informed to the CIT. Ideally any change in the object clause should be informed to the CIT because a change which violates the conditions of registration would in any case invalidate the registration of the said organisation.

Other IT department information’s related to trusts:

http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/booklets%20%20pamphlets/assessment-of-charitable-trust-and-institution.pdf



Friday, March 17, 2017

Linking FCRA accounts to MHA’s online database

The Ministry of Home Affairs had requested RBI Banks to integrate FCRA accounts with Public Financial Management System (PFMS). This will enable the Ministry to monitor the receipt and utilization of foreign contribution credited in such Bank accounts.

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in written reply to a question by Shri Husain Dalwai in the Rajya Sabha today.

Courtesy: pib.nic.in

Source: http://inbministry.blogspot.in/2017/03/linking-fcra-accounts-to-mhas-online.html

Govt asks RBI to link FCRA a/c with PFMS for easy monitoring

New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) All FCRA accounts of the NGOs will soon be connected with an online banking system for easy access and monitoring by the government, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Home Ministry had requested the Reserve Bank of India to integrate FCRA accounts with Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

This will enable the Ministry to monitor the receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution credited in such bank accounts, he said in a written reply. PTI ACB RT

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/govt-asks-rbi-to-link-fcra-a-c-with-pfms-for-easy-monitoring/1/904665.html

Govt asks RBI to link FCRA a/c with PFMS for easy monitoring

NEW DELHI: All FCRA accounts of the NGOs will soon be connected with an online banking system for easy access and monitoring by the government, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Home Ministry had requested the Reserve Bank of India to integrate FCRA accounts with Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/57651754.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Govt asks RBI to link FCRA a/c online

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Home Ministry had requested the Reserve Bank of India to integrate FCRA accounts with Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
PTI

All FCRA accounts of the NGOs will soon be connected with an online banking system for easy access and monitoring by the government, Rajya Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said the Home Ministry had requested the Reserve Bank of India to integrate FCRA accounts with Public Financial Management System (PFMS).

This will enable the Ministry to monitor the receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution credited in such bank accounts, he said in a written reply.

Source: http://m.greaterkashmir.com/news/business/govt-asks-rbi-to-link-fcra-a-c-online/243792.html

FCRA’s use of vague terms like “public interest” and “national interest” have left it open to abuse

Excerpts from India 2016 Human Rights Report for 2016 of the US Department of State, Bureau on Human Rights Practices:

In a statement released on June 16, UN Special rapporteurs on human rights expressed the view that FCRA Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) “provisions were increasingly being used…to silence organizations involved in advocating civil, political, economic, social, environmental, or cultural priorities, which may differ from those backed by the Government.” The statement highlighted the suspension of foreign banking licenses for NGOs including Greenpeace India, Lawyers Collective, and the Sabrang Trust.

The law provides for freedom of association. While the government generally respected that right, the government’s increased regulation of NGO activities that receive foreign funding has caused concern. In certain cases, for example, the government required “prior approval” of some NGOs foreign funds, and in other instances declined to renew NGOs’ FCRA registration.

NGOs expressed continued concern regarding the government’s enforcement of FCRA, provisions of which bar some foreign-funded NGOs from engaging in activities the government believed were not in the “national or public interest,” curtailing the work of some civil society organizations. Some NGOs expressed concern over politically motivated enforcement of the act to intimidate organizations that address social issues or criticize the government or its policies, arguing that the law’s use of broad and vague terms such as “public interest” and “national interest” have left it open to abuse. Some multi-national and domestic companies also stated that in some instances the act made it difficult to comply with government-mandated corporate social responsibility obligations due to lengthy and complicated registration processes.

According to media reports, in early November the Ministry of Home Affairs rejected FCRA registration renewals of 25 NGOs, including Lawyer’s Collective and Compassion International’s two primary partners. In addition, some NGOs were placed on a “prior permissions” list, which requires government preapproval of any transfer of funds from abroad. Several NGOs stated these actions threaten their ability to continue to operate in the country.

In April the UN special rapporteur on freedom of assembly and association published a legal analysis asserting that the FCRA did not conform to international law, principles, and standards. In June the UN special rapporteurs on human rights defenders, on freedom of expression, and on freedom of association called on the government to repeal the FCRA.

According to media reports, the government took action to suspend foreign banking licenses or freeze accounts for NGOs on the basis that they received foreign funding without the proper clearances or illegally combined foreign and domestic funding streams, although some human rights organizations reported these types of actions were sometimes used to target specific NGOs.

Most domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. In some circumstances groups faced restrictions. Government officials were generally responsive to NGO requests. There were more than three million NGOs in the country advocating for social justice, sustainable development, and human rights. The government generally met with domestic NGOs, responded to their inquiries, and took action in response to their reports or recommendations. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) worked cooperatively with numerous NGOs. Several NHRC committees had NGO representation. Human rights monitors in Jammu and Kashmir were able to document human rights violations, but security forces, police, and counterinsurgents at times reportedly restrained or harassed them.

Representatives of certain international human rights NGOs sometimes faced difficulties obtaining visas and reported that occasional official harassment and restrictions limited their public distribution of materials.

Police charged activists Teesta Setalvad, Javed Anand, Salim Sandhi, Feroz Gulzar, Mohammed Pathan, and Tanvir Jafri with embezzlement after donors claimed Setalvad, founder of Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) misused 1.5 million rupees ($22,500) collected to build a memorial to victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The Supreme Court granted defendants anticipatory bail after several denials in lower courts in Gujarat. The Gujarat state government froze CJP bank accounts in January 2014 pending the investigation. On August 17, the Supreme Court formally notified the Gujarat government it was seeking a response on a CJP appeal.

In July 2015 the CBI launched a second investigation of Setalvad and Anand for alleged misuse of grants from foreign donors. On March 9, the Supreme Court extended the interim bail to Setalvad and Anand. The activists alleged authorities filed the case in retaliation for their work on behalf of the victims in the Gujarat 2002 riots.

The government continued to restrict access by the United Nations to the northeastern states and Maoist-controlled areas. On August 17, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed regret at the failure of government authorities to grant UNHCR access to Jammu and Kashmir given “grave concerns about recent allegations of serious human rights violations.”

The NHRC is an independent and impartial investigatory and advisory body, established by the central government, with a dual mandate to investigate and remedy instances of human rights violations and to promote public awareness of human rights. It is directly accountable to parliament but works in close coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice. It has a mandate to address official violations of human rights or negligence in the prevention of violations, intervene in judicial proceedings involving allegations of human rights violations, and review any factors (including acts of terrorism) that infringe on human rights. The law authorizes the NHRC to issue summonses and compel testimony, produce documentation, and requisition public records. The NHRC also recommends appropriate remedies for abuses in the form of compensation to the victims of government killings or their families. It has neither the authority to enforce the implementation of its recommendations nor the power to address allegations against military and paramilitary personnel.

Human rights groups claimed these limitations hampered the work of the NHRC. While the NHRC has the authority to initiate investigations and to request state governments submit reports, it has no ability to enforce these requests, press charges, or grant compensation. It cannot investigate human rights violations by the armed forces. Some human rights NGOs criticized the NHRC’s budgetary dependence on the government and its policy of not investigating abuses more than one year old. Some claimed the NHRC did not register all complaints, dismissed cases arbitrarily, did not investigate cases thoroughly, rerouted complaints back to the alleged violator, and did not adequately protect complainants.

Twenty-three of 29 states have human rights commissions, which operated independently under the auspices of the NHRC. In seven states the position of chairperson remained vacant. Some human rights groups alleged local politics influenced state committees, which were less likely to offer fair judgments than the NHRC.

In the course of its nationwide evaluation of state human rights committees, the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) observed most state committees had few or no minority, civil society, or female representatives. The HRLN claimed the committees were ineffective and at times hostile toward victims, hampered by political appointments, understaffed, and underfunded.

The Jammu and Kashmir commission does not have the authority to investigate alleged human rights violations committed by members of paramilitary security forces. The NHRC has jurisdiction over all human rights violations, except in certain cases involving the army. The NHRC has authority to investigate cases of human rights violations committed by Ministry of Home Affairs paramilitary forces operating under the AFSPA in the northeast states and in Jammu and Kashmir.

Full Report: https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/265748.pdf

Source: https://counterview.org/2017/03/16/fcras-use-of-vague-terms-like-public-interest-and-national-interest-have-left-it-open-to-abuse/

Curious case of CSR, FDI and FCRA

In 2015 India emerged on top of the foreign direct investment (FDI) league overtaking China and US1. Given that India has become one of the favourite destinations for foreign corporations to set up companies or joint ventures, there are a large number of companies which are classified as subsidiaries of a foreign company or having foreign shareholders owning more than one half of the capital (hereinafter Indian Subsidiaries, for convenience).
Mandatory CSR spend for Indian Subsidiaries
On 1st April 2014 India became the first country, to have legislated Corporate Social Responsibility (hereinafter CSR or Legislated CSR, for convenience)2. A company incorporated in India has mandatory social responsibility to be performed by it if it has a net worth of Rs. 500 crores or turnover of Rs. 1000 crores or net profit of Rs. 5 crores, as mandated by the Companies Act, 2013.
Therefore, Indian Subsidiaries too will be bound by section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 to spend either directly towards CSR or give grants to other entities towards CSR purposes.
Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 lists out the activities which are considered as CSR initiatives. It is interesting to note that these CSR purposes listed out in the Schedule are very closely related with those which Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (hereinafter FCRA, for convenience) regulates - cultural, economic, educational, religious or social program.
What is under FCRA?
Any money, amongst other things, received from a 'Foreign Source' is categorized as 'Foreign Contribution' in terms of section 2(1)(h) of FCRA. Definition of the term 'Foreign Source' covers 'Foreign Company', and definition of 'Foreign Company' covers an Indian Subsidiary. Therefore, any contribution by an Indian Subsidiary to another organization in India will qualify as Foreign Contribution. Receipt of Foreign Contribution is regulated. It cannot be received in India without the recipient entity having been registered or having obtained prior permission.
In terms of section 2(1)(h) of FCRA, "Foreign Contribution" means the donation, delivery or transfer made by any foreign source, -
(i)

of any article, not being an article given to a person as a gift for his personal use, if the market value, in India, of such article, on the date of such gift, is not more than such sum as may be specified from time to time, by the Central Government by the rules made by it in this behalf;
(ii)

of any currency, whether Indian or foreign;
(iii)

of any security as defined in clause (h) of section 2 of the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956 (42 of 1956) and includes any foreign security as defined in clause (o) of section 2 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (42 of 1999).
In terms of section 2(1)(j) of FCRA, the term "Foreign Source" includes, -
(i)

the Government of any foreign country or territory and any agency of such Government;
(ii)

any international agency, not being the United Nations or any of its specialised agencies, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund or such other agency as the Central Government may, by notification, specify in this behalf;
(iii)

a foreign company;
(iv)

a corporation, not being a foreign company, incorporated in a foreign country or territory;
(v)

a multi-national corporation referred to in sub-clause (iv)of clause (g);
(vi)

a company within the meaning of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956), and more than one-half of the nominal value of its share capital is held, either singly or in the aggregate, by one or more of the following, namely: -

(A)

the Government of a foreign country or territory;
(B)

the citizens of a foreign country or territory;
(C)

corporations incorporated in a foreign country or territory;
(D)

trusts, societies or other associations of individuals (whether incorporated or not), formed or registered in a foreign country or territory;
(E)

foreign company;

(vii)

a trade union in any foreign country or territory, whether or not registered in such foreign country or territory;
(viii)

a foreign trust or a foreign foundation, by whatever name called, or such trust or foundation mainly financed by a foreign country or territory;
(ix)

a society, club or other association of individuals formed or registered outside India;
(x)

a citizen of a foreign country;
In terms of section 2(1)(g) of FCRA, the term "Foreign Company" means any company or association or body of individuals incorporated outside India and includes -
(i)

a foreign company within the meaning of section 591 of the Companies Act, 1956 (1 of 1956);
(ii)

a company which is a subsidiary of a foreign company;
(iii)

the registered office or principal place of business of a foreign company referred to in sub-clause (i) or company referred to in sub-clause (ii);
(iv)

a multi-national corporation.
Section 11(1) of FCRA prohibits receipt of any foreign contribution unless the recipient organization having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social program is registered under FCRA or has taken prior permission from the Central Government (administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs).
Interplay of FCRA and Legislated CSR - makes it curious
The Companies Act makes CSR spend mandatory regardless of its ownership – Indian or foreign. In order to comply with this Legislated CSR, the Indian Subsidiaries will find themselves violating the provisions of FCRA - as Foreign Sources cannot undertake social activities directly for reasons of national interest. On one hand, the Companies Act mandates; on the other hand, FCRA stops - making it a curious case.
Therefore, such Indian Subsidiaries can only contribute to the CSR efforts carried out by other entities. Even here, the hands of the recipient are tied. FCRA requires that the organisations engaged in cultural, economic, educational, religious or social program (hereinafter Social Organisations, for convenience) should either be registered or has taken prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs before accepting the contribution from foreign companies.
Social Organisations are ever willing to receive any penny which anybody wants to give. Ever since the CSR has become mandatory, Social Organisations have started approaching companies for contribution towards social works mindless of company's ownership - whether Indian ownership or foreign ownership. It is seen that such Social Organisations are not aware of the shareholding pattern of the companies whom they approach.
Options to such Indian Subsidiaries
Given that the Indian Subsidiaries are not incorporated with social work in the list of main objects in their Memorandum of Association, it is likely that instead of undertaking such social works directly, they will only fund such works carried out by other Social Organisations. If at all, such Indian Subsidiaries wish to undertake CSR initiatives by themselves, FCRA requires them to register or obtain prior permission. It is unlikely that they will be given registration or prior permission in view of national interest under FCRA.
In order that contributions of the Indian Subsidiaries are utilized fruitfully, it will be wise to advise the recipient Social Organisation to get the registration under FCRA, if already not taken. This can be done by conducting Eligibility Test of the recipient organization. Indian Subsidiary can protect themselves by ensuring these:
(i)

has the recipient obtained FCRA registration or has the recipient obtained prior permission?
(ii)

keep a copy of the certificate of registration or prior permission
(iii)

get declarations from the recipient that they will abide by the provisions of FCRA and intimate the donor immediately in case the FCRA registration/prior permission is withdrawn/revoked by the Central Government.
Options to Social Organisations
The Legislated CSR has given a shot in the arms of Social Organisations. It would do good to keep their excitement in check and conduct Ownership Test of the donor entities. In case it is found that the donor entity has foreign ownership in excess of one half of its paid up capital, the recipient organization needs to be cautious. To benefit from the CSR legislation, it will be important for such willing organisations to get registration in terms of section 11(1) of FCRA. This will broaden their donors-base. Such a registration will be valid for a period of five years. These organizations will prefer "Registration" over "Prior Permission" as it will eliminate the necessity of approaching the Ministry of Home Affairs for every case of grant.
What Government can do
One hand of the government requires to donate, while the other hand prohibits receipt of this donation! Enable the receiving hand – this is the least the government can do. There are three options before the government, to resolve this quandary.
One, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs may issue a notification/circular giving over-riding effect to section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act.
Second, Ministry of Home Affairs may pass a notification/circular exempting Indian Subsidiaries from the requirements of registration or prior permission in case they fall within the mandate of section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. Section 50 of FCRA vests the Central Government with power to exempt.
Third, in exercise of its power under section 5o of FCRA, the Ministry of Home Affairs can alternatively pass a notification/circular exempting receipt of funds from Indian Subsidiaries, in discharge of latter's CSR duty, from the definition of Foreign Contribution.
It will be really difficult for the government to pass any of these three notifications/circulars given the underlying national interest which is the prime reason for existence of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010.
Summary
CSR mandate by the Companies Act conflicts with the restrictions imposed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). Given that FCRA has an element of national interest, Companies which have received Foreign Investment amounting to more than one half of their paid-up capital and to whom CSR also is applicable will need to tread carefully. The recipients of grants from such companies will need to be even more cautious. A basic Ownership Test of the grantor company will help the recipients.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Updating detail of FCRA Bank Accounts

As you may be aware that FCRA Dept had issued a Notice dated 18th July 2016 requiring all ‎organisations to update their Utilisation Accounts on FCRA website. Now the Department has ‎published a list of FCRA registered NGOs who have not updated their bank details till now. ‎

As per this list about 5845 FCRA Registered organizations have not yet updated their banks ‎details. In fact surprisingly this includes 2077 organization where even Designated Bank details ‎are not available with the FCRA department. ‎

We strongly recommend that please go and check these lists and if you find your organisation’s ‎name is also their please ensure that it is immediately updated.‎

Saturday, March 4, 2017

FCRA: Home ministry's service centres to help clear NGO queries

'A need was felt to bring human interface for accountability and transparency of the division'

After facing controversy, the Union home ministry has set up dedicated service centres to deal with NGOs receiving foreign aid in the country. The foreigners division of the home ministry has set up a one-of-a-kind facilitation centre to answer queries from NGOs that have been registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) .

Sources in the ministry said the decision came after a need was felt to bring human interface for accountability and transparency in the working of the division.

The foreigners division in the ministry had recently got mired in controversy after it accorded FCRA clearance to an NGO-run by controversial televangelist Zakir Naik despite the central agencies accusing him of influencing youth to join the ISIS.

Besides Naik's, fingers had been raised about granting clearances and denying permission to to other NGOs. Last year in September, the joint-secretary in the foreigners division G K Dwivedi and three other officials had been suspended for “oversight” during the automatic renewal of Naik's NGO.

Several representations have also been made to the top brass of the ministry time and again alleging delays and seeking explanations of action taken against them, which prompted an overhaul of the foreigners division.

It may also be recalled that the Modi government's crackdown on foreign-aided NGOs fueling protests in the country had created unease among the NGOs.

Keeping all this in mind, the ministry decided to make all dealings public by making an online system for granting licences to NGOs in the country and renewal and filing of their I-T returns, among others. While the online system has been kicked off, there are some hiccups as all data getting transferred online is taking time and NGOs are making a beeline waiting for the ministry to answer their queries.

The one-of-its-kind FCRA desk is answering queries to know about the statuses of their applications seeking licences, renewals, tax declarations and other issues they wish to seek clarity on.

"On a regular day, we divide the work between us. While one person answers the queries, another checks the status of their online application," said a home ministry official. Meanwhile, the top officials of the ministry are keeping a close watch on the foreigners division by holding regular review meetings to ensure there are no more goof-ups till the time the FCRA division become a paper-less office.

Source: http://www.theweek.in/news/india/fcra-home-ministrys-service-centres-to-help-clear-ngo-queries.html



Regarding Updation of FCRA Bank Accounts

As per the notice from FCRA department dated 19.07.2016, the central government had notified that the FCRA registered organization are required to update their bank accounts details (Designated Account and Utilization Account) by filling the required information in form FC-6 latest by 31st August, 2016.

In continuation to the above requirement, the department through its notice dated 27.02.2017 has issued a list of 3768 associations where the bank accounts in the FCRA database do not conform to the Core Banking system (CBS). You may find the list at the below link

https://fcraonline.nic.in/home/PDF_Doc/fcra_notice_27022017_01.pdf

Further, the department has also issued a list of 2077 associations where the bank accounts are not available in the FCRA database. You may find the list at the below link

https://fcraonline.nic.in/home/PDF_Doc/fcra_notice_27022017.pdf

Hence, in the light of the above notice, the associations mentioned in the respective lists are advised to update or add their current FCRA Designated and Utilization bank accounts by filling form FC-6 available in the FCRA website www.fcraonline.nic.in

Both the documents are attached herewith in a single pdf for your reference.

Hope this will be useful

Friday, March 3, 2017

NITI Aayog to partner with eminent Civil Society organizations



Press Information Bureau
Government of India
NITI Aayog
02-March-2017 12:15 IST

NITI Aayog to partner with eminent Civil Society organizations

Recognizing the important role played by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in effective implementation of government policies/schemes, NITI Aayog organized an interaction with the leading CSOs and key ministries of the Union Government in the national capital on Wednesday, March 01, 2017.

Over 17 leading voluntary organizations and 15 central ministries took part in the deliberations to take forward the social sector initiatives of the government. The voluntary organizations from all over the country, working across the spectrum of social sector services from education, health, geriatric care, women’s empowerment, rural development to handlooms, interacted with senior officials from Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Women and Child Development, FSSAI, Ministry of Minority Affairs, among others.

Highlighting the crucial role of CSOs in ensuring inclusive growth and development down to the last mile, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman, Dr. Arvind Panagariya said, “An effective partnership between the government and the CSOs will go a long way in efficient utilization of government resources, especially in the social sector.”

Emphasizing the potential of a collaborative approach to create a lasting impact on the lives of all citizens, NITI Aayog CEO, Mr. Amitabh Kant said that innovative solutions to eliminate poverty, hunger and all other forms of deprivation can emerge through greater coordination between CSOs and the government.

The meeting identified effective ways of strengthening partnership between CSOs and the government at the national, state/district and ground level for improving service delivery of major government schemes.

A range of issues pertaining to social sector service delivery from allocation of funds to monitoring and evaluation processes, including self-regulation of CSOs, were discussed at the roundtable. Elucidating the nature and impact of work performed by the organization, each CSO brought to the table specific sector-wise recommendations to collaborate with government ministries and departments. Suggestions were made by leading voluntary organizations including Pratham, Help Age India, Sulabh International, Pradhan, Akshaya Patra and Prayas for developing a sustainable partnership between voluntary organizations and the Government.

Carrying forward the spirit of partnership, it has been decided that similar interactions to build strong partnerships for effective governance will take place at regular intervals.

Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=158783



Thursday, March 2, 2017

FCRA Update – File FC6 Bank Account Details

Recently FCRA department has issued two lists of the organizations whose Bank Accounts are either not updated with FCRA or not as per Core Banking System format. These organizations are advised to update their Bank Accounts immediately in Form FC6.

As FCRA department is in the process of being paperless department, this is another step to have updated information regarding Bank Accounts of organizations.

List 1 Those NGOs, whose bank account detail is not updated as per core banking format

Before 4-5 years, due to core banking, Bank Accounts are changed to 10 or 12 digits instead of 4 or 5 digits. However, many NGOs have not intimate this change to FCRA department.

Check out the list and your NGOs name here – List 1

List 2 Those NGOs, whose bank account details are not there with FCRA department

Some of the NGOs have change their bank account after registration and not intimated such change to FCRA department. Or simply, FCRA department do not have any information regarding NGOs bank Account.

Check out the list and your NGOs name here – List 2

Action to be taken

Above NGOs have to update their Bank details immediately by filling online form FC-6.