NGOs seek extension of FCRA licence validity till Dec 31

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have petitioned the Union home ministry to extend the deadline for renewing their licence under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). NGOs require an FCRA licence to receive money from foreign donors and they have to submit annual account statements to the Foreigners Division in the ministry of home affairs.

The renewal process started in April this year and FCRA-registered NGOs were asked to apply forrenewal of their licences by June 30.

?While many NGOs have been able to secure their renewals, a sizeable number of FCRA-registered organisations still await an inkling of communication from the FCRA department,? said Voluntary Action India (VANI), which works as an umbrella organisation for other non-profits, in a press release.

Earlier, the ministry had extended the validity of licences expiring on September 30 to October 31. In their petition, the NGOs have asked the government to extend the validity to December 31.

?Non-disbursement of renewals may result in halt of major development projects as many voluntary organisations are involved in various flagship programme of the central government,? said VANI.

Business Standard tried to contact senior officials in the ministry for a comment but phone calls and text messages remained unanswered till the time of going to press.

According to some news reports, the Centre has made it mandatory for the foreigners division to seek security clearancefrom both the Intelligence Bureau and Research & Analysis Wing before granting approval to the NGOs.

The step was taken following the alleged misuse of foreign funds by the Zakir Naik-run Islamic Research Foundation. The Union government has tried to tighten conditions around NGOs, which were allegedly carrying anti-government and anti- national activities in the name of civil rights.

Source: http://indiatropes.com/IndiaTropes/NewsDetailsServlet?A6789DVVE45R456DJFTSY=11205

Environment NGOs Hail Deal to Limit Powerful Greenhouse Gases

KIGALI, RWANDA: Environment NGOs from both India and abroad today welcomed the historic Kigali Agreement to phase down "super greenhouse gases" known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), saying it reflects the emerging reality of the world.

Hailing the agreement reached in Kigali to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by amending the Montreal Protocol, Director General of New Delhi-based Advocacy group Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said the Kigali Amendment reflected the principal of common but differentiated responsibility.

"It also reflects the emerging reality of a world in which China will have to take more and more responsibility to solve global environmental issues," she said in a statement.

Climate expert and CSE Deputy Director General, Chandra Bhushan, said India went with a clear strategy and a proactive agenda to enhance the overall environmental ambition of the deal and to protect the nation's economic interests.

Praising the Indian negotiation team, he said, the amendment finally agreed to not only protects India's economic interests, but also doubles the climate benefit compared to the previous Indian proposal.

"It will avoid HFC emissions equivalent to 70 billion tonne of CO2," he said.

The amendment is a critical step towards limiting warming and the single biggest climate action of the year, just weeks before leaders meet in Morocco for international climate talks.

The amendment establishes three different timetables for all developed and developing countries to freeze and then reduce their production and use of HFCs.

Developed countries agreed to make their first HFC cuts by 2019. Developed nations have committed to provide additional funds through the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund.

China, Brazil, South Africa, Argentina, and more than 100 other developing countries have committed to freeze their HFC production and use by 2024, and make further reductions thereafter.

India, Gulf States, and Pakistan have agreed to make HFC reductions on a slower track.

Climate Action Network (CAN) said the results from Kigali on HFCs as well as the recent outcome on aviation emissions shows that governments are taking the objective of the Paris Agreement seriously.

"CAN hopes that countries will accelerate national ambition over time but soon enough to give a fighting chance for the world to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 C," it said in a statement.

"To aid the switch to newer and safer natural refrigerants, sufficient funding will be required through the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund to enable poorer countries to invest in the new technology. It is vital that developed countries also share their progress on technological breakthroughs," said Benson Ireri, Senior Policy Advisor, Christian Aid.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/environment-ngos-hail-deal-to-limit-powerful-greenhouse-gases-1474548

Updating of NGO information

All existing NGOs/VOs are requested to update their information in the NGO-PS portal with Aadhaar & PAN Numbers of their Board members/Office bearers, if not done already


Please visit: NGOdarpan at: http://ngo.india.gov.in

http://niti.gov.in/content/ngo-darpan

The NGO-Partnership System (NGO-PS) Portal (NGO-DARPAN) was earlier maintained by erstwhile Planning Commission, which has been replaced by the NITI Aayog w.e.f. 1st January, 2015. The Portal, therefore, is being maintained at present under the aegis of NITI Aayog. NITI Aayog invites all Voluntary Organizations (VOs)/ Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to Sign Up on the Portal.

VOs/NGOs play a major role in the development of the nation by supplementing the efforts of the Government. This portal enables VOs/NGOs to enrol centrally and thus facilitates creation of a repository of information about VOs/NGOs, Sector/State wise. The Portal facilitates VOs/NGOs to obtain a system generated Unique ID, as and when signed. The Unique ID is mandatory to apply for grants under various schemes of Ministries/Departments/Governments Bodies.


Click here(link is external) to visit NGO Darpan Portal

GET NGO CURRENT UPDATES

Please Visit Now:
http://www.ngo.in.net

Application for Award of financial assistance To Cultural Organization with National Presence

Ministry of Culture invites applications from the Cultural Organizations with National Presence for sanction of grant under the Scheme

Financial Assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence’ for the financial year 2016-17

Last Date to apply:

23 Sep 2016

About the Scheme:

This Scheme is to provide financial assistance to Cultural Organizations with National Presence to meet the expenditure to be incurred on the cultural programmes during the financial year 2016-17.

Eligibility to apply for grant :-

1. The Applicant Organization should be registered in India having an all India Character with national presence and should have operational presence at national/international level.

2. The activities of the organization should be primarily or significantly Cultural.

3. The Organization should have capacity to do at least 20 events/programmes in a year. The Organization should have adequate working strength artistes/staff/volunteers, Organization should have spent Rs.1 crore or more during 3 of the last 5 years on cultural activities.

How to apply for Grant :-

The eligible Cultural Organizations may apply on the prescribed proforma download (Application for financial assistance to cultural organizations with national presence): http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/sites/default/files/Schemes/formnationalpresence.pdf from website provide by Ministry of culture, India. Before applying the Cultural Grant all the NGOs are requested to have NGO portal unique Id by Niti Aayog Portal. Then apply for grant. NGOs need (About Ngo partnership System unique Id: http://ngo.india.gov.in

Applications complete in all respect should be submitted by 23 Sep 2016 at the address mentioned below:-

Section Officer (Parts. I),

Room No.205, 2nd Floor,

D -Block, Puratatva Bhawan, GPO Complex, INA,

New Delhi-110023

More details please see on ministry of culture website:-

Important links:-

Application for financial assistance to cultural organizations with national presence : http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/sites/default/files/Schemes/formnationalpresence.pdf

Scheme for Financial Assistance to Cultural Organisations with National Presence

http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/scheme-financial-assistance-cultural-organisations-national-presence

Ngo partnership System Unique Id Registration Details : http://ngo.india.gov.in

MHA wants real-time monitoring of NGOs’ foreign funds

According to MHA officials, some banks currently update their intranet systems with transaction details of these accounts only once in 24 hours.

AN effort to keep track of foreign funds received by NGOs on a “real-time basis”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the Reserve Bank of India to instruct all banks to link designated foreign contribution accounts to the MHA’s online database through the Core Banking Solutions system and Public Financial Management System.

According to MHA officials, some banks currently update their intranet systems with transaction details of these accounts only once in 24 hours. The MHA wants automatic updates on any activity regarding these accounts.

“Each beneficiary of foreign contribution has a designated account. We have observed that banks are pushing transaction data of these accounts only once in 24 hours and that too is updated manually. We have taken up the matter with the RBI, as we want to ensure that we can track all such transactions on a real-time basis through an automatic reflection in the Home Ministry’s own online system,” said a home ministry official.

“What we have proposed is that all designated accounts of those who receive foreign contributions are linked to the core banking system and the PFMS, which in turn, is linked to our own online database,” the official added.

GET NGO CURRENT UPDATES

Please Visit Now:

http://www.ngo.in.net

Get NGO Expert NGO Consultancy Services, Clear NGO Information, Direction and Resources for Indian NGOs

Please Visit Now:

NGO INDIA GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT SERVICES

http://www.ngo.in.net

HCL Grants for Indian NGOs

HCL Grant Adds Two More Categories This Year
Health and Environment added besides Education
Call for Entries Open

Dear Change Leader,

As you would probably know, HCL Grant<http://hclgrant.hcltech.com/>, is an initiative by HCL Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCL Technologies<http://www.hcltech.com/>, for recognizing the rise of The Fifth Estate – the Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) which are formed and led by the citizens of this country. The Grant supports such change agents that reach out to marginalized, isolated and underdeveloped rural communities, and achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

In its first year, HCL Grant identified the best NGOs working in the area of rural education. From a pool of over 400 NGOs who applied for HCL Grant, six finalists were selected. Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Honorable President of India, awarded the first HCL Grant Award of Rs.5 crore to Going to School, an NGO which currently covers over 1,300 schools and is impacting 1,50,000 children every week, with imperative life changing skills through their design-driven approach and learning material, in remote villages of Bihar.

For the second season of The Grant, HCL Foundation is inviting applications in the following three categories:

HEALTH:

Complements state efforts towards achievement of the Goals under National Health Mission and aims at supporting innovative, scalable models that would help the nation meet its targets faster than planned, in rural India. Gender transformative projects ranging from providing equitable & universal access to health for all, equitable access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to all, prevention and elimination of water borne diseases, are all in the radar of HCL Grant. Given that the country needs substantial push on these health indicators, maternal, adolescent, child health and nutrition, eradication of communicable diseases, while reaching out to the most unreached and the underprivileged, is the primary focus of this Grant.

ENVIRONMENT:

Sustainable Environment conservation by supporting the National Missions under Climate Change, ranging from providing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy to all, combatting climate change and its impact, protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystem, wetlands and other water bodies, combatting desertification, deforestation, land degradation and biodiversity loss, combatting pollution and promoting sustainable use of non-renewable resources, in the rural belt. The Grant focuses on direct action that leads to long term impact, achieved through lasting behavioural change towards conservation of environment, the flora and the fauna, as well as strengthening of the state systems towards a common goal of instilling cross sectoral shared responsibility towards protection of environment. Gender transformative and inclusive approaches will be a key consideration to make it to a winning idea.

EDUCATION:

The Grant is focused on Right to Education for All, by upscaling initiatives that strengthen Elementary, Secondary and Higher Education as well as Adult Literacy. The Grant essentially considers scalable and replicable education models that promote lifelong learning opportunities through skill development and confidence building, including digital literacy for all. Gender transformative education initiatives that lead to girl child and women empowerment through education are central to this Grant. The project should be designed around equitable, inclusive and quality education approach, thereby strengthening state systems and attaining sustainability in rural development.

In each of the above mentioned categories, an amount of INR 5 Crore will be awarded to the winning NGO, selected through a robust evaluation process consisting of  multiple levels of assessment, including field level due diligence. The winner will be announced in February 2017.

The last date for receiving applications for HCL Grant is September 15th, 2016. To know more and apply, please Click here. http://hclgrant.hcltech.com/#Apply

Best regards,

Nidhi Pundhir
Director CSR - Lead HCL Foundation

For queries, please write to hclgrant@hcl.com<mailto:hclgrant@hcl.com

Foreign fund flow comes under intelligence radar

KOZHIKODE: In the wake of warnings on massive arrival of foreign funds for anti-national activities, the Central intelligence has put the activities of various NGOs and organisations in Kerala under thorough scanner.

Surprisingly, there has been drastic increase in number of organisations in Kerala which have been found violating rules under Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). As per a latest MHA report, FCRA licences of 527 organisations have been cancelled in Kerala in 2015 compared to two in 2014. In 2013, FCRA licences of one organisation was cancelled while 450 faced action for violation in 2012. Strict directions have been issued to all enforcement agencies concerned to keep track of the flow of funds to the NGOs and other charitable organisations in Kerala. According to officers with the intelligence, the Union Home Ministry has started to flag the organisations where they suspect diversion of funds for other purposes.

"The MHA has upped the surveillance and reports are filed. There is information that many organisations are using the subsidiary route for pumping in money. A lot of fund transfer is happening between parent organisation in a foreign country and its subsidiary opened in a different name in India," said a senior intelligence officer.All the organisations have been directed to keep their account books update. The MHA has been strict in taking action only in those cases where violations of FCRA have come to notice. It is learnt that a detailed probe is on to trace the funding activities of a few organisations in Kerala with regard to latest incident of 21 missing persons who reportedly left for Syria to join the IS. Officers said that they have collected details about a few bank accounts of the organisations. "Mostly, hard cash might have been used for the deals but we are put the accounts under surveillance," the officers added.

Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Foreign-fund-flow-comes-under-intelligence-radar/2016/07/28/article3550484.ece