Notices provided Recently on Foreign Relief Disallowance or FCRA

Notices provided Recently on Foreign Relief Dis-allowance or FCRA

The FCRA licence is a compulsory and obligatory registration that allows an NGO or other non-profit organisation to receive the donations from the countries falling outside India or abroad in short.
Around 12000 non-profit groups and institutions have stopped accepting foreign donations, according to the FCRA’s official website reports and publications. And this was mainly due to the following reasons:
i) Their registration has been revoked because of the violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, or
ii) They have not made the relevant application for licence renewal in a timely manner. In a general manner, Licenses approved and provided under the FCRA Act is generally valid for a term of 5 years or until the number of Foreign Contributions for which the permission was obtained has been fully utilised by such NGO or non-profit organization.
Around 12000 organisations and entities’ registrations have been cancelled or their validity has expired, according to the FCRA’s official website. The below given are some of the famous and well-known entities falling under this stream:

• The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts,
• Tuberculosis Association of India,
• All India Marwari Yuva Manch,
• Bhartiya Sanskriti Parishad,
• Nehru Memorial Museum and Library,
• Maharishi Ayurveda Pratishthan,
• India Habitat Centre,
• Medical Council of India,
• Emmanuel Hospital Association,
• Vishwa Dharamayatan,
• National Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperatives Ltd, and
• Oxfam India.

The above given list also includes some of the colleges which are listed below:

• Hamdard Education Society,
• Lady Shri Ram College for Women,
• Delhi School of Social Work Society,
• DAV College Trust and Management Society,
• India Islamic Cultural Centre,
• Nuclear Science Centre in JNU,
• Asha Kiran Rural Educational Development Society,
• The Delhi Public School Society,
• Delhi College of Engineering.

However, in the light of the interest of the public, the Ministry of Human Resource Department has decided to extend the validity of FCRA registration certificates of NGOs whose validity was expiring on the dates of

• 29^thSeptember2020
• 30^th

This was extended to the date of 31^st March 2022 or until the date of disposition of their renewal applications made, whichever is coming first.And this shall be applicable and made available in respect of only those entities who have applied for renewal of the registration of the FCRA Certificate and their application status is pending.
In September 2020, the government made changes to the FCRA standards, making them more stringent. Non-government groups that receive foreign financing will now be required to operate solely through bank accounts which is maintained with the State Bank of India in New Delhi.

FCRA Rules

The Ministry of Home Affairs through the Notification No. II/21022/23(22)/2020-FCRA-III dated 31^st of December 2021, stated that pertaining to the Rule 12 of the Foreign Contributions (Regulations) Rules, 2011, whoever have submitted application for the renewal of the FCRA Registration Certificate which was due for expiry between 29^th September 2020 and 31^st March 2022. The expiry date shall be extended to either of the following, but whichever is falling earlier:

1. Up to the date of 31^st March 2022, or
2. Date of disposal of the renewal application.

But for being eligible for such extension the entities should have complied with the below given points also:

1. The FCRA Registration Certificate of such entities were expiring between the period of 29^th September 2020 and 31^st March 2022, and
2. These entities has applied or would be applying for the renewal of such registration certificate on the official Portal of FCRA prior to the expiry of the same pertaining to the said Rule 12 of the ForeignContribution (Regulations) Rules, 2011 as stipulated before.

It shall also be noted by these entities that, in case where any of the applications for renewal of the certificates has been refused, then their certificate shall be deemed to be expired on the proper date on which it has become expired and shall not be holding any longer the eligibility to neither receive the foreign contribution or utilize such received foreign contribution.
Say, the entity XYZ’s FCRA Registration Certificate was expiring on 10^th of October 2021 and the application made by them for the renewal of the same was refused by the authority on 15^th of November 2021. Then the said certificate shall be deemed to have been expired on 10^th of October 2021 itself and they become ineligible to either receive or utilize the foreign contribution from such date.

FCRA Renewal Application Procedure

In case of an FCRA Registration Certificate which is going to expire and need to be renewed, the applicant entity should follow the below given procedure:
1. Go to the FCRA Portal Home Page by typing the web address http://fcraonline.nic.in or searching the same on the Google Search Engine. And click on the ‘Where do I need to file?’ available on the Homepage.

2. Now a page namely, the ‘FCRA Online Forms’, would appear and here you should click on the option, ‘FC-3C Application for Renewal of FCRA Registration’.

3. And on this page, you should click on the ‘Click to apply Online’ button given on the screen available.

4. Now you will be re-directed to a page where you will have to login by giving the User Id and Password pertaining to you. Then the access code given should be types as provided in the text box given for entering the same. Then click on the Login Button which will open your personal account on the FCRA Official Portal.

5. Upon opening or gaining access to the same, there will be a page displayed, on the down part of which would be given ‘I am Applying For’, there choose ‘FCRA Renewal’.
6. Now a page displaying the form 3C with the details would be appear, and on the upper part of the screen there will be a button named, ‘Instructions’, select the same and read carefully.
7. Now complete the filing of application for renewal in the following way:
– Association Details
– Executive Committee
– EC Details & Others
– Bank Details
– Utilization Accounts
– Upload Doc
– Final Submit
– Payment.

8. While conducting the final submit the Place and Date details should be entered and it should also be noted that after making the final submit no changes can be made to the application and details entered.
9. You can print the application by clicking on the button named, ‘Print Application’ and then pay by clicking on the button, ‘Make Online Payment’.
10. A fee of INR 500 should be made for renewing the FCRA Registration Certificate by going to the Payment Gateway powered by the SBI or Axis Bank.
11. Once this has been done you can click on the button namely, ‘Log Out’ such that you have safely logged out.

Documents Required for Renewal

The following documents should be kept ready for renewing the FCRA Registration Certificate Renewal:

• The Self-certified Registration Certificate of Association which should be in the PDF format with a maximum size of 1 MB.
• Self-certified Memorandum of Association or Trust Deed which should be in PDF format with a maximum size of 5 MB.
• The FCRA Registration Certificate of Association issued by the MHA which should be in the PDF format and with a maximum size of 1 MB.
• The Associations has to upload affidavit of each key functionary in the PDF format and with a maximum size of 1 MB.
• The Chief Functionary signature which should be holding the dimensions of width*height Pixel as 140*60 and the maximum size of 50 KB.
• The Seal of the Association which should again be holding dimensions of width*height Pixel as 140*60.

FCRA Renewal Status

For checking the status of your application for the renewal of the FCRA Registration Certificate you can follow the below given procedure:

1. Access the official online portal of FCRA, by clicking on https://fcraonline.nic.in/home/index.aspx. The below given page shall appear.

2. Now go to the down part of the screen and on the left bottom part you would see a tab namely, ‘Track Your Application’. Click on the same.
3. Then you will be redirected to the below given page where you have to select, ‘FCRA Renewal Application (FC3) Status’.

5. Now the below given screen would appear in which you should enter your MHA File Number which is a 10 Digit Number and then enter the Access Code as given in the box. Then click on the button named, ‘Submit’.
6. And now the status of your application will be shown.

Thus, it can be concluded that the FCRA Registration Certificate renewal or the application for the same should be done within the applicable time. And the same can be easily done through online at the lowest cost.
The expiry of the FCRA Registration Certificate will make the entity ineligible to receive or utilize the received foreign contribution.