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Scroll.in
28-05-2025
- Business
- Scroll.in
NGOs that receive foreign funding cannot publish news content, says home ministry
Non-governmental organisations engaged in publication-related activities and receiving foreign funds will not be able to publish any newsletter, and will have to obtain a certificate from the Registrar of Newspapers for India stating that they do not circulate any news content, according to directives introduced by the Union Home Ministry on Monday. The new directive is part of amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules. Non-profit organisations that wish to receive funds from abroad need to register themselves under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. The amended rules say that if the publication of an organisation is registered with the Registrar of Newspapers for India, it has to submit a 'Not a Newspaper' certificate from the government body. Further, non-governmental organisations seeking permission to receive foreign funds need to furnish an undertaking that they will adhere to the Good Practices Guidelines of the Financial Action Task Force, the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering. Such organisations also need to enclose financial statements and audit reports of the last three financial years, as per the amended rules. These documents have to include a statement of assets and liabilities, receipts and payments account, and income and expenditure account. Non-profit organisations that want to register themselves under the Act also need to submit year-wise activity reports for the last three years, according to the amended rules. In 2020, the Centre amended the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act to extend tighter control over how non-profit organisations use foreign funds. Since then, several NGOs have alleged that the government has been using the law to target organisations they do not agree with. Among organisations whose licences under the Act were cancelled or not renewed were non-profits working on human rights, such as Oxfam India and Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, and think tanks such as Centre for Policy Research.
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Ministry amends FCRA norms: NGOs getting foreign funds can't publish news content, says MHA
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has amended the rules under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and henceforth, NGOs engaged in publication-related activities and receiving foreign contributions will not be able to publish any newsletter and must get a certificate from the Registrar of Newspapers for India that it does not circulate any news content. In a notification issued late Monday night, the ministry said under the amended rules, NGOs which are seeking permission to get foreign funding must give an undertaking that they will adhere to the Good Practice Guidelines of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). 'Such bodies or NGOs, which are seeking registration, must enclose financial statements and audit reports of the last three years, including the statement of assets and liabilities, receipts and payments account, and income and expenditure account,' it said. 'If the audit reports and financial statements do not contain activity-wise expenditure for the last three financial years, a chartered accountant's certificate specifying the activity-wise amount spent by the association, duly reconciled with the income and expenditure account and the receipt and payment account must be submitted,' it added. 'In case the association or the NGO is engaged in publication-related activities or if publication activities are among its aims as stated in the Memorandum of Association or trust deed, an undertaking from the chief functionary regarding compliance with the FCRA, 2010, must be given,' it said.
