New Delhi: The Union government has banned around 109 NGOs and other institutions functioning in Odisha from receiving foreign funds as the organisations were found violating laws.
The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the registration of Women Organisation for Rural Development, Voluntary Organisation for Rural Improvement, Vivekanand Palli Agragami Seva Pratisthan, Vikash, TYAAG, Venkateswara Educational Trust, The Sanskar, The Chetana, The Light of Asia Mobilisation among others.
According to Union Home Ministry officials, the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of the NGOs has been cancelled and now they cannot receive foreign funding. The officials further stated that the FCRA registration was cancelled by the Centre as these NGOs did not submit the income and expenditure details of foreign funding for the last six years.
FCRA guidelines say that a registered association is required to submit an online annual report with scanned copies of income and expenditure statement, receipts and payment account and balance-sheet for every financial year within nine months of the closure of the financial year.
The organisations, which do not receive foreign contribution, also need to submit annual statement with ‘Nil’ return for that particular financial year.