A group of 80 retired civil servants have expressed their concerns to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the cancellation or suspension of FCRA licences of several NGOs working for the betterment of the marginalised sections.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Sadbhavana Trust, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) actively working to empower Dalit and Muslim women, suffered a setback recently as the Union government cancelled its Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA) licence. The cancellation bars the trust from receiving or utilising foreign grants.
Among the many violations of the FRCA cited by the government is the trust’s failure to open an FCRA bank account in the designated State Bank of India in New Delhi, media reports quoted officials as saying on Monday.
The trust was established in 1990 by a group of social activists. It was dedicated to supporting Mehrauli labourers and works in close collaboration with other NGOs. The trust primarily focuses on enhancing the well-being of rural women in economically disadvantaged regions of the country.
The cancellation of the trust’s FCRA licence comes within a fortnight of another NGO getting its licence revoked. The Young Women’s Christian Association of Delhi faced the same Union government’s action. In addition, two other NGOs, CNI Shishu Sangopan Griha and Program for Social Action (PSA), have recently lost their licences as well, media reports said.
Earlier this month, a group of 80 retired civil servants expressed their concerns to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the cancellation or suspension of FCRA licences of several NGOs working for the betterment of the marginalised sections.
In an open letter, the former bureaucrats emphasised the need for a cooperative approach rather than an adversarial one, stating that not every expression of dissent or difference of opinion should be considered a violation of the country’s integrity or against the public interest.
