The Central Government has cancelled registration of 627 NGOs of the State for non-compliance with the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.
The Union Home Ministry’s FCRA website mentioned that these organisations have not filed their returns in the financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 as a result of which they have been barred from receiving foreign funds.
Some Government organisations like Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC), Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) and Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) have also faced the ban for the same reason.
The Ministry has imposed ban on a total of 4,470 NGOs operating in the country from receiving foreign funds.
According to the FCRA, which sets the guidelines for foreign contributions received by NGOs, any fund transfer has to be reflected in the prescribed returns by the transferor and the recipient.