MHA warns FCRA-registered NGOs of penal action for changing office bearers without permission

The Ministry of Home Affairs has warned of penal action against NGOs who have changed their office-bearers or key functionaries without taking approval from the Ministry. In an official notification dated June 7, the Ministry said it has noted some incidents where few NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) have changed their office bearers or key functionaries without its approval and without updating this data on a real-time basis through the online application meant for changing these details.

The Ministry said the replacement of key functionaries of FCRA -registered organisations without prior permission from it is a violation of the law. "All associations/persons who have been granted a certificate of registration and who have affected any change/modification in the details of their office bearers/key functionaries after their registration are hereby called upon to submit online application for additions/ deletion/ change of details in the statutory FORM FC-6E about such office bearers/key functionaries within one month from the date of issue of this public notice, failing which penal action shall be initiated under the appropriate provisions of the FCRA Act, 2010 and Rules, 2011," the notification read.

The Ministry has called for the organisations to submit "additions/ deletion/ change of details" in the prescribed format about such changes "within one month from the date of the issue of notice", failing to do which the Ministry would take penal action against the organisations.