UK Minister provides very welcome information about the NGOs in India that have faced difficulties i due to the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Indian Government. Indian decision to extend the registration window to the end of March 2022 very constructive.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
Lord Harries of Pentregarth
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
Baroness Northover
Lord Alton of Liverpool
Lord Collins of Highbury
Lord Hamilton of Epsom
Lord Bruce of Bennachie
Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
17 January 2022
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to follow up on the points you raised in the House of Lords on 6 January, following Lord Harries’s Oral Question on the Missionaries of Charity and other non-governmental organisations in India.
I mentioned that I had asked to see a breakdown of the numbers of NGOs that have faced difficulties in India due to the use of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the Indian Government. While there is not yet publicly available information from the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on the number of NGOs impacted, media reporting has provided some figures.
Of the 12,989 organisations that applied to renew their foreign funding licenses, 179 had their applications rejected by MHA; the remaining applications are under scrutiny. In addition, 5,789 organisations failed to apply before the deadline and lost their licenses as a result. However, the registration window has now been extended to the end of March 2022.
Christian, Hindu and Muslim organisations were all affected. Reporting indicates that among the organisations that either did not submit applications in time or had their applications rejected, there were approximately 1,800 Christian NGOs, 250 Hindu NGOs and over 250 Muslim NGOs.
We have previously made representations regarding the issues for NGOs directly to the government of India and I was pleased to learn that, on 8 January, the MHA restored the FCRA license of the Missionaries of Charity, meaning the NGO will be able to receive and use foreign funding again.
I want to reassure you that human rights remains a regular part of our dialogue with India. We engage with India on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments, and with NGOs, to build capacity and share expertise to promote human rights for all. Where we have concerns, we continue to raise them. Officials have discussed issues facing NGOs directly with the Indian Government, and the British High Commission in New Delhi will continue to monitor developments. We continue to support a wide range of local NGO partners in India, including through programmes.
I hope this information is helpful. A copy of this letter will be placed in the House Library.
Yours sincerely,
LORD (TARIQ) AHMAD OF WIMBLEDON
Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth
Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict
