'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
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
