Nearly 6,000 NGOs Lose FCRA Licence: What Does it Mean? Why is it Important?

The list of organisations whose FCRA registration has lapsed include Jamia Milia Isamia, Oxfam India, and even IMA.

For nearly 6,000 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO)s across the country, 2022 began with terrible news: their Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registrations had lapsed. This meant foreign funds, necessary for day-to-day work and charitable endeavours, had either been snipped off or locked out of reach.

Before Saturday, 1 January, 22,762 NGOs were registered under the FCRA, as per news agency PTI. The website of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) shows that the number has now come drastically down to 16,829.

On 1 January, 5,933 names were added to the MHA's list of NGOs whose registration was "deemed to have ceased."