Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The government is planning to set up a statutory body to keep a tab on the deviations by several NGOs, that have been indulging in the illegal diversion of financial grants as well as engaging in activities beyond their declared scope.
According to sources the government is planning to set up a legal body of ‘charity commissioner’, that will monitor the activities of the NGOs, especially the ones not registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA).
The move is under consideration “amidst deviations observed in the operations by many NGOs – which in many cases have been activities against the interest of India,” according to sources in the government.
In India, while the NGOs registered under the FCRA are monitored by the Ministry of Home Affairs through a separate division, there are nearly 35 lakh NGOs which are not registered under the FCRA and are governed by nearly 40 different laws like the Society Registration Act, The Companies Act, Public Trust Act and others.
“There have been instances, however, where both categories of NGOs have committed violations,” an official added.
A representative of an NGO however said on condition of anonymity, that, “Under the prevailing structure, all NGOs in India are adequately regulated and there are sufficient laws that keep a watch on their activities.” She added that whether under FCRA or non-FCRA, the government has even disallowed NGOs to engage with local partners so as to keep a complete watch on the activities.
But the government has found NGOs to be involved in several dubious activities, especially during the COVID. From conducting illegal and unauthorized biotech-related research to spoiling India’s image in international arenas and from disrupting development projects to funding radicalization and conversions, NGOs have also been engaging in planned propaganda to destabilise internal peace.
“It has been observed that many NGOs have also been indulging in funding disruptions to stall operations at strategic locations like power plants and key government-owned installations,” he added.
The government has taken the matter up on priority following specific instances of crowdfunding money, received by NGOs for the purpose of COVID relief, getting diverted for other purposes. Even the foreign funds which came into the accounts of many NGOs were traced back to entities linked to Al Qaeda and LeT.
A trend of similar funding pattern also came to the fore when an organization related to farm protests, was funded by radical pro-Khalistan organisations, “This also points to the operational collaboration of foreign-based anti-India forces by several terror outfits,” said the official.
Even instances of NGOs undertaking unsanctioned and illegal research works with ‘recent virus and mutants’ backed by foreign funding have come under scrutiny. “It is important to monitor them since in many cases the deviations do not break any law, which invites charges under the criminal code, but the violations are largely procedural, yet they harm the interest of the country. Thus, authorities need to be more vigilant to monitor whether the actions are deliberate and planned,” a government official said.
A senior government official said, “While NGOs have been an integral part of India’s Socio-economic development process, certain entities are misusing the government’s trust and rapport with these kinds of organisations and are operating with vested interest and harmful and dubious anti-India motives.
