Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Bloomberg Philanthropies under home ministry scanner

In response to an email query from The Indian Express, a spokesperson for Bloomberg Philanthropies said, "We have not been formally notified about an investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies; therefore, we do not have a comment."  
Bloomberg Philanthropies, a US-based NGO founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg that provides funds to various NGOs in India working on anti-tobacco projects, is the latest one to come under the scanner of the Union Home Ministry and the Intelligence Bureau, sources have said.

"We have noticed some irregularities in the use of foreign funds and the same is being taken up with the authorities," a senior home ministry official said. Sources said that if the alleged irregularities persist, the NGO may be brought under a category where they will have to inform the home ministry every time they want to bring foreign funds into India.

In response to an email query from The Indian Express, a spokesperson for Bloomberg Philanthropies said, "We have not been formally notified about an investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies; therefore, we do not have a comment."  Senior health ministry officials too said they did not have any idea about the NGO being under the scanner of the home ministry.

After the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, the home ministry has cancelled foreign contribution registration (FCRA) licences of more than 20,000 NGOs over alleged violations.  The probe against Bloomberg started last year following allegations that the NGO is running a campaign to target the tobacco industry in India.
In a report, the Intelligence Bureau has said such lobbying against the tobacco industry impacts the lives of 35 million people employed in this sector.

Home Ministry officials, however, said that the probe against Bloomberg was one of the grounds to reject renewal of licence of a Bangalore-based NGO that was reportedly receiving huge grants from them.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/bloomberg-philanthropies-under-home-ministry-scanner-4821584/

Bloomberg-aided NGOs lose licence

For 'lobbying' violating FCRA norms

The Home Ministry has declined to renew the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of four NGOs which received funds from Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by U.S.-based billionaire Michael Bloomberg. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the former New York Mayor had announced a joint initiative to build smart cities in India aided by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Mr. Modi had also called Mr. Bloomberg a "friend."

Anti-tobacco agenda

A senior Home Ministry official confirmed that the licences were not renewed as they were involved in anti-tobacco lobbying.

"NGOs funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies fund various anti-tobacco NGOs in India to further its international agenda. Foreign corporate interests making foreign contributions to FCRA-registered NGOs for purposes of lobbying against an established economic activity raises multiple economic and social concerns," the official said.

The official said "lobbying" was a violation of FCRA norms and since its a commercial activity, it should be carried out by companies registered under the Companies Act and not done by FCRA-registered NGOs, which are exempted from tax.

The NGOs whose FCRA licences were not renewed are Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru, Voluntary Health Association of India, Rajasthan, Voluntary Health Association of India, Assam and Voluntary Health Association of India, Karnataka.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bloomberg-aided-ngos-lose-licence/article19589203.ece

NGO Advisor announces the Top 500 NGOs WORLD 2017

Geneva, Switzerland – The fifth edition of the Top 500 NGOs World was published December, 12 2016. Known as the Ivy League of the nonprofit world, the Top 500 ranks NGOs in order to showcase the best practices and newest ideas in the sector. The NGOs in this year's ranking are more influential, more powerful, and more innovative than ever before. With 32 new entrants to the list, and thus 32 NGOs leaving the list, this edition reflects the broader evolution of the nonprofit sector as well as the issues faced by global civil society from the local level to the transnational level.

In the last ten years, NGOs have moved further and further from their origins as charity businesses and expanded into an increasingly diverse range of activities. Nonprofits are investing in social enterprise, cultivating academic expertise, and finding strategic ways to address urgent development crises around the world. The fifth edition highlights the evolving values of the sector as a whole, as nonprofits shift away from older strategies of playing to investors and instead focus on producing tangible results. It seems that the impact measurement movement is here to stay.

In order to be consistent, we decided to review and score nominees (over 2'000 for the current edition) based on 2015 data and information. As regards the 2016 edition, we have had a mix of participants with information related to 2014 and 2015. For obvious methodologic concerns we wanted all participants to be on the same line. Because NGOs, NPOs, SOEs, B-Corps which we are looking at, provide their annual report and financial statements between April and September each year, for the most part, from now on further edition will be published every December.

The Top 500 NGOs is a unique ranking in the world of nonprofit evaluation, combining evidence-based quantitative analysis with thorough qualitative research. The Top 500 NGOs has been published in Geneva, Switzerland since 2011. Participation in the ranking requires no subscription or fees, and NGOs are scored based on a rigorous methodology. For more information, please see our website or contact Jean-Christophe Nothias jc.nothias@ngoadvisor.net or Brienne Ellisbrienne@ngoadvisor.net.

NGO Advisor: we connect the nonprofit dots

https://www.ngoadvisor.net

NITI Aayog announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards 2017

Honourable Minister for Textiles and Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani awards top 12 winners, honouring their courage and role in transforming societies

Celebrating the outstanding achievements of women in India, NITI Aayog, in partnership with MyGov and the United Nations, announces winners of the Women Transforming India Awards, 2017. Crowdsourcing thousands of stories of women undertaking phenomenal work to transform societies across India's cities, towns and villages, the second edition of the Awards, celebrates the critical role of women in empowering themselves and their communities.

"NITI Aayog strongly believes in the power of women to contribute towards the development of the country, and we have instituted these awards precisely to recognize these contributions and encourage many more women to step forward," says  Dr. Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog.

Today's awards ceremony recognizes the exceptional work of 12 women in critical areas such as preventing violence against women; bridging the gender gap in education; providing healthcare; building livelihoods and enterprises for women; and promoting inclusion for persons with disabilities.

"This is a very ambitious project to honour unsung women in our society and there is a real need for such initiatives. Such efforts by the Government will go a long way in motivating women working to transform their societies, and in turn the country," says Indian Olympian and Jury member, P.T Usha.

 

"Women Transforming India received a record number of entries this year, demonstrating that all over the country, women are championing change. These inspiring stories speak to the tremendous potential of women to build an inclusive future for all and accelerate India's growth and success story at the same time," says Yuri Afanasiev, Jury Member and United Nations Resident Coordinator.  

 

The awardees were selected after a rigorous process by an eminent jury comprising P.T. Usha, track and field Olympian; Pooja Thakur, Wing Commander, Indian Air Force; Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador, Arvind Panagariya, Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog; Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog and Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator.

Launched on International Women's Day on 8 March, the contest aimed to gather lesser-own stories of women leading change. It was hosted on MyGov.in and ran till 1 June and was supported by an extensive outreach campaign to promote equal opportunity for women.

See below for the full list of winners:

TOP 6 CONTESTANTS

Laxmi Agarwal: Attacked in 2005 in broad daylight at the age of 15, Laxmi Aggarwal is today a champion of violence against women. She has filed public interest litigations in India's highest court to restrict the sale of acid.

Safeena Husain: The founder and executive director of Educate Girls, a non- profit organization working for girls' education, Safeena Husain has worked to bring education to some of India's most backward districts.

Kamal Kumbhar: Broke free from the shackles of poverty and a suffocating marriage to create a micro-enterprise network, enabling women like herself to realise their dreams of a brighter tomorrow.

Subasini Mistry: After losing her husband at a young age, Subasini Mistry saved for two decades to build a hospital for the needy.

Arunima Sinha: Is the first female amputee to scale the highest mountain in the world.

Jamuna Tudu: Along with her band of women activists, Jamuna Tudu has conserved 50 hectares of forest land around her village in Jharkhand, taking on encroachers with little more than bows and arrows and courage.

RUNNERS-UP

Rajlakshmi Borthakur: Determined to save her child's life, Rajlakshmi  Borthakur researched epilepsy for more than three years and developed a simple wearable device, a smart glove, that can predict epileptic seizures before they happen

Harshini Kanhekar: is India's first woman firefighter.

Sunita Kamble: As a goat doctor in the severely drought affected region, Sunita Kamble worked with her team to protect the community's livestock and create alternative and sustainable livelihood opportunities for women.

Kiran Kanojia: Survivor of a horrific accident, Kiran Kanojia, is a champion blade runner, constantly pushing the limits on her quest for the next challenge.

Shima Modak: For almost a decade, Shima Modak has been working relentlessly for the welfare of the distressed. Albeit with very little financial assistance, Shima has helped improve the future of children in her community by taking free education to the doorstep of the vulnerable.

Kanika Tekriwal: A self-made aviation entrepreneur and cancer survivor, Kanika Tekriwal launched her company, JetSetGo in 2013. JetSetGo, India's first marketplace for chartered jets, is an interactive technology-driven platform enabling users to charter aircrafts and helicopters around India.

Bloomberg charity scrutinised by India for anti-tobacco funding, lobbying

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been investigating how Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, funds local non-profit groups for anti-tobacco lobbying, government documents show, making it the latest foreign non-government organisation to come under scrutiny.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has since 2014 tightened surveillance of non-profit groups, saying they were acting against India's national interests. Thousands of foreign-funded charities' licences have been cancelled for misreporting donations.

Critics, however, say the government has used the foreign funding law as a tool to silence non-profit groups which have raised concerns about the social costs of India's rapid economic development.

The intelligence wing of India's home ministry last year drafted a note on Bloomberg Philanthropies, raising concerns that the foundation was running a campaign to "target" Indian tobacco businesses and "aggressively" lobby against the sector.

Though the three-page note, reviewed by Reuters, said the Bloomberg initiative's "claimed intention to free India of tobacco cannot be faulted" given the known risks from tobacco, it highlighted the sector's importance, noting it brings in nearly $5 billion in annual revenue for governments, and provides a livelihood for millions of people.

"Foreign interests making foreign contributions ... for purposes of lobbying against an established economic activity raises multiple concerns," the note said, including, it said, an "adverse economic impact" on 35 million people.

The June 3, 2016 note, marked "SECRET" and circulated to top government officials, including in Modi's office, has not previously been reported. The probe continued until at least April this year, another government document showed.

Rebecca Carriero, a spokeswoman for Michael Bloomberg and New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, declined to comment as they were unaware of any investigation.

A home ministry spokesman said "queries which relate to security agencies cannot be answered." Modi's office did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The ministry's note was one of the factors behind the rejection of a foreign funding licence renewal of at least one Bloomberg-funded India charity last October, said a senior government official aware of the investigation.

Michael Bloomberg, one of the world's richest people and a former New York CityMayor, has committed nearly $1 billion to support global tobacco control efforts. One of his focus countries is India, where tobacco kills 900,000 people a year.

Other than funding Indian NGOs, Bloomberg's charity has in the past worked on improving road safety and supported federal tobacco-control efforts. In 2015, Modi called Michael Bloomberg a "friend", and the two agreed on working together on India's ambitious plan to build so-called smart cities.

BIGGER WARNINGS, DIFFERENT VIEWS

The home ministry note said the Bloomberg charity successfully lobbied for the introduction of bigger health warnings on cigarette packs, "contrary" to the recommendations of a parliamentary panel.

While the panel called for the size of warnings to be more than doubled to 50 percent of a pack's surface area, the health ministry sought a higher figure of 85 percent. Despite protests from India's $10 billion cigarette industry, the Supreme Court last year ordered manufacturers to follow the more stringent health ministry rules.

That, the note said, was the first of the three-phase Bloomberg campaign targeting India's tobacco industry. It did not explain how exactly the Bloomberg charity lobbied.

While the note mirrored some of India's tobacco lobby's positions - such as how anti-smoking policies could adversely impact farmers - the government official said the investigation was not done at the behest of the industry.

"Anti-tobacco lobby wants to kill revenue generating activities," the official said.

A health ministry official, however, said: "We don't see tobacco as an economic activity." He added that the health ministry was unaware of the home ministry's note on Bloomberg Philanthropies.

BROADER CRACKDOWN

India has stepped up scrutiny of NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

In 2015, the home ministry put the Ford Foundation on a watch list and suspended Greenpeace India's FCRA licence, drawing criticism from the United States.

Earlier this year, the government banned foreign funding for the Public Health Foundation of India, a group backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying it used foreign donations to "lobby" for tobacco-control policy issues, "which is prohibited under FCRA."

In the Bloomberg case, the home ministry note included a chart showing how funds flowed from Bloomberg Philanthropies to its partner, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which was then funding five local FCRA-registered NGOs. These NGOs, the note said, were being used by the Bloomberg charity for "anti-tobacco lobbying activities."

The FCRA licence of at least one of them - the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Bengaluru - was not renewed in October, in part due to the home ministry's note, the government official said.

The IPH said it was told by the home ministry that its licence was not being renewed on the basis of a "field agency report", but no details were given. It was unaware of the investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies.

In April, the home ministry wrote to the health ministry, citing an "inquiry into foreign funding" for lobbying to change laws in India. The letter, seen by Reuters, mentioned the Bloomberg initiative and directed the health ministry to report on anti-tobacco lobbying by foreign donors in other countries where tobacco is widely used.

The health ministry has not yet sent that report, another government official said. The health ministry did not respond to questions.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/exclusive-bloomberg-charity-scrutinised-by-india-for-anti-tobacco-funding-lobbying/articleshow/60275942.cms

Bloomberg charity scrutinized by India for anti-tobacco funding, lobbying - documents

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been investigating how Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, funds local non-profit groups for anti-tobacco lobbying, government documents show, making it the latest foreign non-government organization to come under scrutiny.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has since 2014 tightened surveillance of non-profit groups, saying they were acting against India's national interests. Thousands of foreign-funded charities' licenses have been canceled for misreporting donations.

Critics, however, say the government has used the foreign funding law as a tool to silence non-profit groups which have raised concerns about the social costs of India's rapid economic development.

The intelligence wing of India's home ministry last year drafted a note on Bloomberg Philanthropies, raising concerns that the foundation was running a campaign to "target" Indian tobacco businesses and "aggressively" lobby against the sector.

Though the three-page note, reviewed by Reuters, said the Bloomberg initiative's "claimed intention to free India of tobacco cannot be faulted" given the known risks from tobacco, it highlighted the sector's importance, noting it brings in nearly $5 billion in annual revenue for governments, and provides a livelihood for millions of people.

"Foreign interests making foreign contributions ... for purposes of lobbying against an established economic activity raises multiple concerns," the note said, including, it said, an "adverse economic impact" on 35 million people.

The June 3, 2016 note, marked "SECRET" and circulated to top government officials, including in Modi's office, has not previously been reported. The probe continued until at least April this year, another government document showed.

Rebecca Carriero, a spokeswoman for Michael Bloomberg and New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, declined to comment as they were unaware of any investigation.

A home ministry spokesman said "queries which relate to security agencies cannot be answered." Modi's office did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The ministry's note was one of the factors behind the rejection of a foreign funding license renewal of at least one Bloomberg-funded India charity last October, said a senior government official aware of the investigation.

Michael Bloomberg, one of the world's richest people and a former New York City Mayor, has committed nearly $1 billion to support global tobacco control efforts. One of his focus countries is India, where tobacco kills 900,000 people a year.

Other than funding Indian NGOs, Bloomberg's charity has in the past worked on improving road safety and supported federal tobacco-control efforts. In 2015, Modi called Michael Bloomberg a "friend", and the two agreed on working together on India's ambitious plan to build so-called smart cities.

BIGGER WARNINGS, DIFFERENT VIEWS

The home ministry note said the Bloomberg charity successfully lobbied for the introduction of bigger health warnings on cigarette packs, "contrary" to the recommendations of a parliamentary panel.

While the panel called for the size of warnings to be more than doubled to 50 percent of a pack's surface area, the health ministry sought a higher figure of 85 percent. Despite protests from India's $10 billion cigarette industry, the Supreme Court last year ordered manufacturers to follow the more stringent health ministry rules.

That, the note said, was the first of the three-phase Bloomberg campaign targeting India's tobacco industry. It did not explain how exactly the Bloomberg charity lobbied.

While the note mirrored some of India's tobacco lobby's positions - such as how anti-smoking policies could adversely impact farmers - the government official said the investigation was not done at the behest of the industry.

"Anti-tobacco lobby wants to kill revenue generating activities," the official said.

A health ministry official, however, said: "We don't see tobacco as an economic activity." He added that the health ministry was unaware of the home ministry's note on Bloomberg Philanthropies.

BROADER CRACKDOWN

India has stepped up scrutiny of NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

In 2015, the home ministry put the Ford Foundation on a watch list and suspended Greenpeace India's FCRA license, drawing criticism from the United States.

Earlier this year, the government banned foreign funding for the Public Health Foundation of India, a group backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying it used foreign donations to "lobby" for tobacco-control policy issues, "which is prohibited under FCRA."

In the Bloomberg case, the home ministry note included a chart showing how funds flowed from Bloomberg Philanthropies to its partner, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which was then funding five local FCRA-registered NGOs. These NGOs, the note said, were being used by the Bloomberg charity for "anti-tobacco lobbying activities."

The FCRA license of at least one of them - the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Bengaluru - was not renewed in October, in part due to the home ministry's note, the government official said.

The IPH said it was told by the home ministry that its license was not being renewed on the basis of a "field agency report", but no details were given. It was unaware of the investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies.

In April, the home ministry wrote to the federal health ministry, citing an "inquiry into foreign funding" for lobbying to change laws in India. The letter, seen by Reuters, mentioned the Bloomberg initiative and directed the health ministry to report on anti-tobacco lobbying by foreign donors in other countries where tobacco is widely used.

The health ministry has not yet sent that report, another government official said. The health ministry did not respond to questions.

For a graphic on Bloomberg's efforts to reduce tobacco use globally click tmsnrt.rs/2iD1QcX

Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-tobacco-bloomberg-idUSKCN1B9129

 

Friday, August 25, 2017

Workshop on GST & FCRA Compliances in Hyderabad and Bangalore

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings!

In view of the complexities that the new GST  Law has presented, we have received a number of requests to conduct a workshop in order to address this issue. Therefore we are pleased to announce one day workshop on Goods & Services Tax Act (GST) in Hyderabad and Banglaore

 

S.no

Place of workshop

Date of workshop

1

Hyderabad

5th September 2017

2

Bangalore

6th September 2017

A brief overview of the GST Act and its applicable rules would be covered in this workshop with special focus on itsapplicability to the NGOs. This would also cover other aspects such as Migration to GST, Reverse Charge Mechanism and Subsuming of Existing Taxes such as VAT, Service Tax etc. Apart from GST, a brief update on FCRA covering the latest amendments and Compliances would also be covered in this workshop.

The brochure with the dates for each workshop is being attached for your reference. As the seats are limited to 50 for each venue, we request you to register as soon as possible. To register, please click here.: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XybUoKluRH2Ut0oKRVZRfsehNrEZ6lx86C5fqEZPSSs/viewform?edit_requested=true

 If you have any queries regarding the workshop, you may write to Ms. Akrita Bharos- Capacity Building Coordinator at akrita.bharos@fmsfindia.org

Kindly circulate this brochure widely among your network for wider reach.

Regards

Dr. Sanjay Patra 
Executive Director  

Workshop on GST -13 September 2017 at Mumbai

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings!

 

In view of the complexities that the new GST  Law has presented, we have received a number of requests to conduct a workshop in order to address this issue. Therefore we are pleased to announce one day workshop on Goods & Services Tax Act (GST) as per the details given below:

 

Date: 13th September 2017

 

Venue: YMCA INTERNATIONAL, Behind Maratha Mandir theatre, Agripada Mumbai Central

 

Time : 10 am - 2.30 pm

 

Fees: Rs. 2000/- per participant 

 

Key issues to be addressed are:

 

·           Are you GST ready?

·           Are you covered as a non-profit organization?

·           What are CGST, SGST, IGST, ITC etc and how do they impact us?

·           Reverse charge mechanism & its impact on non-profit organizations

·           How is Income tax and GST linked and what are its implications…..etc

 

This workshop is being co-hosted with Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP) at Mumbai .

 

Please note that the seats are limited and would be available on first come first serve basis. 

 

Registration process: Please book your seats by Clicking on this link .  : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_OeyiBpfeRnxSgJENWOnUUZHXwU9A9eaaw44hVHO6vuxhDg/viewform

 

 

Regards

 

Dr. Sanjay Patra
Executive Director

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Srijan Scam: Over 500 crore worth of Bihar government funds transferred to NGO

The multi crore scam unearthed in Bihar recently shows how government funds were transferred to the bank accounts of an NGO over a period of seven years. 

The 500 crore Srijan scam has become an embarrassment for the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar. The scam involves the indirect transfer of government funds to an NGO named Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti in Bihar's Bhagalpur district.

Here's all you need to know about the scam:

1.      The scam was carried out by the NGO Srijan Mahila Sahyog Samiti for a period of 7 years from 2007-2014.

2.      The founder of the Srijan NGO, Manorama Devi passed away last year after which the operations of the NGO were hit.

3.      The NGO was known to be providing vocational training to women.

4.      The scam is being pegged at being worth more than 500 crore.

5.      In a report published by the Hindustan Times it is stated that the people involved with the scam were working in partnership with bankers and treasury officials.

6.      Government funds were transferred to the NGO's bank accounts by writing their account numbers on the back of cheques.

7.      The NGO also doctored e-statements which showed the correct balance and interest rate. These e-statements were sent to the government officials.

8.      Bank passbooks were also tampered with to escape auditors between 2007-2014.

9.      The opposition is using the Srijan scam to leverage itself against the Nitish government. Nitish has been in power in Bihar since 2005, while Sushil Modi was the finance minister for most part.

10.  RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav released pictures of the NGOs founder Manorama Devi felicitating some state BJP leaders, and also demanded CM Nitish Kumar's resignation.

11.  One of the main accused in the Srijan scam, Mahesh Mandal died on August 20, 2017 due to kidney problems.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/srijan-scam-bihar-nitish-kumar-sushil-modi-lalu-prasad-yadav-ngo/1/1030420.html

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Reining in NGOs

When it comes to tightening the screws on NGOs, the NDA government at the Centre is proceeding in circumspect manner, fine-tuning its policy and getting set to frame a new law. While anticipating opposition both in and out of Parliament, the Modi regime also has to keep in mind how NGOs linked to religious groups, including saffron ones, will react to any move to regulate their activities and keep tabs on their funds. After all, it came out in Parliament last year that while Christian NGOs attracted some of the largest foreign funds in the country in 2015-16, a group linked with the RSS-VHP was also among the top five. However, the Supreme Court is asking what is the Centre doing about NGOs working with government funds. In an order on April 26, the apex court had asked the Centre to examine enacting a law to regulate disbursal of public funds to over 33 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) in the country, and to prosecute them in case of misuse or misappropriation. It had also suggested that the law can be framed under Entry 97 of Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, which provides the list of issues on which the Centre or States or both can make laws to regulate NGOs. Hearing advocate ML Sharma's PIL alleging misuse of funds by Anna Hazare's NGO Hind Swaraj Trust, the Supreme Court had expanded its scope to include the status of all NGOs. This came after the SC bench was informed with facts and figures that from 2002 to 2009, the Centre — through the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) — had disbursed Rs 4,756 crore to NGOs and VOs, while States had given Rs 1,897 crore, which worked out to an average of Rs 950 crore a year.

However, a CBI report filed in the Supreme Court said only 10 percent of 33 lakh NGOs have filed annual income and expenditure statements. On its part, the CAPART informed that it had blacklisted 718 NGOs for not following due process and not submitting accounting details, and that it had recommended lodging 159 FIRs against various NGOs for alleged misappropriation or misuse of funds. Taking a stern view of the Centre's failure to ensure any sort of accountability at all with such large sums of public money, the apex court made it clear that "mere blacklisting" of rogue organisations would not suffice, that civil and criminal action must be initiated against misappropriation of funds received by them from various government departments. The Centre has now sought some time from the Supreme Court to frame appropriate legislation 'to give more teeth' to regulations on NGOs, which means penal provisions will be included. Earlier, the Modi regime has sought to rein in foreign-funded NGOs like Greenpeace and Amnesty, drawing much flak from activists in various sectors for 'shooting the messenger'. The allegation is that the NDA government is seeking to bring such NGOs to heel to hide failures in protecting environment and human rights, that it perceives them to be following an agenda drawn up by rich countries to stall development in India. They have pointed to foreign funds being well utilised for rural development, children's welfare, construction of schools and colleges and research in the country. In turn, the government has said that actions like freezing Greenpeace's bank accounts were taken because it had broken tax laws and worked against India's economic interests.

What needs be remembered here is that the Congress-led UPA government in 2010 had enacted the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) in place of the 1976 law by the same name. Back in 1976 at the height of Emergency, the FCRA was enacted to restrict foreign funding to civil society groups. Later on, successive governments used this law to keep such groups under tight leash, but the UPA regime took the stand that foreign-funded NGOs must be prepared for more scrutiny. The FCRA 2010 ended the system of permanent registration of NGOs, requiring them to seek renewal of licence every five years. So when the first 5-year term ended in September 2015, the NDA regime at the Centre cancelled the registrations of more than 11,000 NGOs for not filing annual returns for 3 years in a row, while many among them were defunct or did not want to be registered. Since then, the Centre has been tweaking FCRA Rules, making it mandatory for all voluntary organisations to have dedicated accounts in preferably public sector or designated banks with core banking facilities, and that no NGO gets foreign funds under prior permission category more than once. In particular, the Union Home Ministry has declared that NGOs must make it clear that the foreign aid received by them "will not be used for any activities detrimental to national interest, likely to affect public interest, or likely to prejudicially affect the security, scientific, strategic or economic interest of the State." This has got activists questioning the government what it means by terms like 'national interest' and 'public interest' without defining these first. So the government's intent behind proposed FCRA changes will remain an issue that political parties will likely capitalise upon, even though both UPA and NDA have sought to rein in NGOs receiving foreign funds. The Supreme Court has now made it clear that when it comes to NGOs and VOs funded by public money, there can be no compromise either with transparency and accountability.

Source: http://sentinelassam.com/story/editorial/0/reining-in-ngos/2017-08-20/1/317662#.WZppfigjHIU

Friday, August 18, 2017

Framing Of Law To Regulate NGOs Under Process, Center Tells Supreme Court

The Additional Solicitor General sought some more time to apprise the court about the possible step to be taken by the government to regulate activities of the NGOs.

NEW DELHI:  The Centre today told the Supreme Court that it was in the process of taking a final policy decision, including the framing of a law to regulate the activities of NGOs across the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud considered the statement of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre, and adjourned the matter for further hearing on August 21.

The bench said that in all probabality, the Centre was going to come out with a legislation on the issue.

The Additional Solicitor General sought some more time to apprise the court about the possible step to be taken by the government to regulate activities of the NGOs.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer ML Sharma, in his personal capacity, seeking to regulate activities of the NGOs including financial ones.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked central government body CAPART to apprise it about the steps taken in pursuance to its direction to consider making a law to regulate the NGOs, disbursal of funds and consequential proceedings against them.

It had sought an affidavit from the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) on action taken on its April 26 order, suggesting that the Centre should consider prosecuting NGOs or voluntary organisations if they were found misusing public funds.


The Supreme Court had in its April 26 order asked the Centre to examine enacting a law to regulate disbursal of public funds to over 32 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) and prosecute them in case of misuse or misappropriation.

The court had suggested to the Centre that it can legislate under Entry 97 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution which provides the list of issues on which the Centre or states or both can make laws to regulate NGOs.


Favouring a fresh all-encompassing law, the court had said if the government "desires to extend statutory status to regulations, then they would not only provide for enforceable consequences, but also envisage civil and criminal action as may be considered by the legislation".

The CAPART, which works under the Ministry of Rural Development and disburses funds to voluntary organisations (VOs) working in rural areas, had earlier apprised the top court that it has recommended lodging of 159 FIRs against various NGOs for alleged misappropriation or misuse of funds.

It had initially said it had blacklisted 718 NGOs for not following the due process and not submitting their accounting details, but had later removed 15 NGOs from the black-list after they complied with the accounting norms.

While hearing the PIL filed by Sharma, the court had said the Centre and its departments were doling out crores of rupees but were not aware of the repercussion of non-auditing.

Referring to details provided by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, the court had said that a phenomenal amount of Rs. 950 crore every year was being given by the Centre and state governments to NGOs.

The bench had also said that "mere blacklisting" of these organisations would not suffice and civil and criminal action should be initiated for misappropriation of public money received by them from various government departments.

The CBI had in September 2015 informed the Supreme Court that less than ten per cent of over 30 lakh NGOs functioning in the country had submitted their returns or balance sheets and other financial details to the authorities.

Source: http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/framing-of-law-to-regulate-ngos-under-process-centre-tells-supreme-court-1738764

NGOs to soon be under law; confirms central government

In a statement to the supreme court, Central government stated that it is planning to regulate the activities of NGOs registered within the country.

Non Governmental organisations will soon be included under the parameters of law. In a statement to the supreme court, the central government stated that it is working on a policy, which will soon be finalised and once done, it will bring organisations under the rule of law throughout the country.

The statement was given to a bench comprising of CJI JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud. Considering the statement of additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the central government, the apex court adjourned the matter till 21st of August.

The Additional Solicitor General stated that the government needs more time to update the court about possible steps which are being thought upon to regulate the activities of NGO. To this, the bench reacted by saying that the central government is looking at the possibilities of bringing a legislation on the same.

A lawyer named ML Sharma had filed a PIL requesting the apex court to look into the matter and to decide a criteria to regulate the activities of NGOs. To which, the apex court had sought response from central government and its concerned department about the steps taken to regulate the activities. The PIL requests regulating all the activities of NGOs operating throughout the country, including the expenditure of their funds and the mechanism of fund raise.

In its order to the central government on 26th April, supreme court had directed it to regulate if public funds were being misused by the NGOs. Along with funds, the court had also asked the government to regulate the activities of these NGOs.

The Government has been working to regulate the activities of NGOs since a long time. In its previous statement to the supreme court, the government had added that it is not looking at a possibility of just blacklisting the NGOs and there needs to be a mechanism which regulates all the ongoing activities of NGOs.

In september 2015, CBI had stated the supreme court that there are over 30 lakh registered NGOs in the country and less than 10 percent of them have regularly filed their balance sheets and other financial details to the concerned authorities.

Source: https://www.theindianwire.com/business/ngos-to-soon-be-under-law-confirms-central-government-27991/

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Framing of law to regulate NGOs under process, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Supreme Court had in its 26 April order asked the Centre to examine enacting a law to regulate disbursal of public funds to over 32 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations. Photo: Mint

Centre tells Supreme Court that it was in the process of taking a final policy decision, including the framing of a law to regulate the activities of NGOs

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it was in the process of taking a final policy decision, including the framing of a law to regulate the activities of NGOs across the country.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and justice D.Y. Chandrachud considered the statement of additional solicitor general (ASG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, and adjourned the matter for further hearing on 21 August. The bench said that, in all probability, the Centre was going to come out with a legislation on the issue.

The ASG sought some more time to apprise the court about the possible step to be taken by the government to regulate activities of the NGOs. The court was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer M.L. Sharma, in his personal capacity, seeking to regulate activities of the NGOs including financial ones.

Earlier, the apex court had asked central government body the Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) to apprise it about the steps taken in pursuance to its direction to consider making a law to regulate the NGOs, disbursal of funds and consequential proceedings against them. It had sought an affidavit from CAPART on action taken on its 26 April order, suggesting that the Centre should consider prosecuting NGOs or voluntary organisations if they were found misusing public funds.

The apex court had in its 26 April order asked the Centre to examine enacting a law to regulate disbursal of public funds to over 32 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) and prosecute them in case of misuse or misappropriation. The court had suggested to the Centre that it can legislate under Entry 97 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution which provides the list of issues on which the Centre or states or both can make laws to regulate NGOs.

Favouring a fresh all-encompassing law, the court had said if the government "desires to extend statutory status to regulations, then they would not only provide for enforceable consequences, but also envisage civil and criminal action as may be considered by the legislation".

The CAPART, which works under the Ministry of Rural Development and disburses funds to voluntary organisations (VOs) working in rural areas, had earlier apprised the top court that it has recommended lodging of 159 FIRs against various NGOs for alleged misappropriation or misuse of funds. It had initially said it had blacklisted 718 NGOs for not following the due process and not submitting their accounting details, but had later removed 15 NGOs from the black-list after they complied with the accounting norms.

While hearing the PIL filed by Sharma, the court had said the Centre and its departments were doling out crores of rupees but were not aware of the repercussion of non-auditing. Referring to details provided by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, the court had said that a phenomenal amount of Rs950 crore every year was being given by the Centre and state governments to NGOs.

The bench had also said that "mere blacklisting" of these organisations would not suffice and civil and criminal action should be initiated for misappropriation of public money received by them from various government departments. The CBI had in September 2015 informed the apex court that less than 10% of over 30 lakh NGOs functioning in the country had submitted their returns or balance sheets and other financial details to the authorities.

Source: http://www.livemint.com/Politics/wVnr2HyqhbnuIARDnCP8TN/Framing-of-law-to-regulate-NGOs-under-process-Centre-tells.html

German Chancellor Fellowship | call for applications from India, China, Russia

Deadline:September 15, 2017

Website:https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/web/german-chancellor-fellowship.html

The German Chancellor Fellowship for tomorrow's leaders is a programme of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Applications from the cultural sector are welcomed from the leaders of tomorrow in China, Russian Federation and India (also Brazil and the USA). Up to ten fellowships per country are offered each year.

The German Chancellor Fellowship offers you an opportunity to take the next career step in Germany – irrespective of your field of work. In order to apply, develop your own project idea and find the host of your choice to mentor you. Once your host has confirmed, you can apply for a fellowship.

We offer you

·         a monthly fellowship of €2,150, €2,450 or €2,750, depending on your qualifications

·         individual mentoring during your stay in Germany

·         additional financial support for items such as family members accompanying you, travel expenses or a German language course

·         a study tour of Germany and a number of events during which you can make contact with other fellows and representatives of German companies and institutions

·         extensive alumni sponsorship, particularly to help you sustain contact with collaborative partners in Germany during your entire professional career

Send an application, if you

·         are a university graduate with an international bias from Brazil, China, India, Russia or the USA and have already acquired initial leadership experience

·         completed your first degree less than 12 years ago

·         would like to spend a year working on a project you have developed yourself with a host of your choice in Germany

·         can demonstrate that your project will be of social significance and that you have the potential to build future bridges between Germany and your own country

·         work in a sector such as politics, economics, the media, administration and culture

Please consult the Programme Information (https://www.humboldt-foundation.de/pls/web/docs/F29497/programme_information.pdf)

(PDF) for details of the application requirements and fellowship specifications.

The Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany is the patron of this fellowship programme. The Foundation grants up to 50 German Chancellor Fellowships annually – up to ten for each country.

Application deadline: 15 September 2017

 
Source: http://culture360.asef.org/opportunity/german-chancellor-fellowship-call-applications-india-china-russia/

Foreign funds row hits NGOs in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: The Union Home Ministry has served notices under the Foreign Contributions Registrations Act (FCRA) on several NGOs and registered societies in Telangana state and Andhra Pradesh regarding non-validation of their bank accounts that have foreign contributions.

Top institutions like Archdiocese of Hyderabad Society, R.C. Diocese of Hyderabad Deccan Society, Don Bosco Society, Sisters of Charity of St. Bartho-lomew and Vincenza Education Society of Secunderabad, Lions Club of Secunderabad Charitable Trust, Andh-ra Seva Samiti, Visakap-atnam Public Library Society, Godavari Delta Steward Association, are all in this list.

The home ministry has made it mandatory for NGOs to have a designated bank account to receive foreign funds.

MHA FCRA Wing Joint Secretary Mukesh Mittal in the notice stated, "All associations which have been granted registration or prior permission under Foreign Contributions Regulations Act shall receive foreign contribution in a bank account specially designated for foreign contributions. As per the rules, all the banks shall report to the central government within 48 hours of such receipts or even utilisation of foreign contribution by NGOs."

He observed that several associations had not validated their designated accounts causing problems for the banks to comply with the provision of FCRA. The associations were asked to validate the accounts.

The home ministry based on an Intelligence Bureau report had recently cancelled the licenses of several NGOs in Hyderabad as they were being used for hawala operation or for purposes other than what the funds were meant for.

The home ministry also warned non-government organisations for not uploading the annual returns and said that their registrations would be cancelled if they failed to do so.

A source said, "Some of the NGOs are getting money from United States and Europe for hawala operations. In some cases the money is used for religious purposes though it comes here for charity."

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/170817/foreign-funds-row-hits-ngos-in-telangana-and-andhra-pradesh.html

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Govt doesn't want 'anti-national' NGOs challenging it & BJP alone is not guilty

When the Narendra Modi-led BJP won a decisive mandate in the 2014 general elections, civil society groups in India braced for some sort of crackdown. After all, the right-wing had dubbed a lot of these groups as 'anti-national' for providing assistance to those who dared to raise their voice against a development paradigm which had no space for dissent.

Even the NGOs that had raised questions about Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat pogrom and extra-judicial killings as Gujarat Chief Minister were certain of facing government's wrath, in the wake of the new political reality.

Their fears came true last year, when the central government decided to cut foreign funding licence of certain NGOs that were critical of the government. Then, in November 2016, licences of close to 20,000 NGOs were cancelled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

What was worrisome was the ambiguity over the invalidation of licences of certain NGOs, and the cancellation of their foreign funding under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act).

Some prominent NGOs working on human rights violations and policy reforms were informed that their licences were being cancelled or not renewed in the 'national interest', citing reports from the ground which were never made public.

The government's intent was to silence all those NGOs that were engaged in exposing the fallacies of this development paradigm, by highlighting the maladies in projects that violated human rights and environmental norms, and mobilised people to speak for their rights.

This was a major setback for many NGOs who sourced foreign funds only because of dearth of funds on offer by Indian philanthropists.

NOT ALL IN THE SAME BRACKET

It would also be wrong to put all these NGOs in the same bracket, considering how some of them may have voluntarily opted to not renew their FCRA licences. Some NGOs may have availed foreign funds for a particular project, and once that got over, they would not have applied for renewal of licences.

Anil Chaudhary, convenor of Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE), says: "It's a misguided notion that 20,000 licences have been cancelled. In fact, all those who applied for renewal in 2016 either got the licence or will get it. These numbers were fed to the media to create a perception that the government is taking strict action. There are only 20-25 cases where renewal of licences has been refused, but they do not get reported amongst these numbers being quoted by the media.

PEACE is among the NGOs that have received clear orders from the government that their licence has either been cancelled or will not be renewed. Some other NGOs in this bracket are Greenpeace, Lawyers Collective, Sabrang Trust and ANHAD. These NGOs had a history of being overtly critical of BJP state governments, and even the PM himself.

Chaudhary says the crackdown on non-profits is a global phenomenon, which gained momentum in India after the BJP came to power.

"Interference has increased, so that whoever is ruling can guide it. It is happening in Russia, US, and Indonesia, among other countries, wherein governments are putting pressure on non-profits. However, if this trend was not enough, we saw BJP being elected to power, which is now using it to its political advantage, and silencing all those who have genuinely been opposed to its brand of politics and development," he says.

FATF RESPONSIBLE FOR CRACKDOWN

According to Chaudhary, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body, is responsible for the crackdown on NGOs.

FATF sets standards and promotes effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

"The FATF is, therefore, a 'policy-making body', which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas," reads a statement on its website.

Chaudhary points out how FATF, in one of its reports, had claimed non-profits were vulnerable to 'terrorist funding', which led to this worldwide crackdown.

India, being a member country, has been working on FATF's guidelines, and with the BJP in power, this is being further used to silence those who were particularly critical of the ruling dispensation.

In fact, a leaked intelligence report from 2015 claimed that organisations like Greenpeace were hurting India's economy by presenting key development projects in bad light.

Just a few days after the report was leaked, Greenpeace's FCRA licence was cancelled.

RSS INFLUENCE

Similarly, Lawyers Collective, a prominent NGO run by senior lawyers Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, was barred from receiving any foreign donations allegedly because it criticised Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister and his environmental policies. Lawyers Collective has been at the forefront of providing legal assistance to those who either could not afford legal services for the last three decades.

In fact, the major bone of contention between the BJP government and Lawyers Collective was the latter's decision to represent Teesta Setalvad in her quest for justice for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat pogrom. Later, when the BJP assumed power, Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand were accused of embezzlement of funds meant for the riot victims. Her offices were raided and subsequently, her NGO, Sabrang, was denied the renewal of its FCRA licence.

Similarly, in 2017, the government barred the Public Health Foundation of India from receiving foreign funds, on the request of RSS's economic wing, the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, which reflected how the government's decisions were driven by organisations affiliated to the RSS.

FCRA AMENDMENT THAT HELPED POLITICAL PARTIES

Ever since Modi took over, cancellation of these licences has become the norm. The crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs gained momentum in 2015, a year after Modi took oath as Prime Minister.

In 2015 alone, the government cancelled FCRA licences of over 10,000 NGOs, which was far more than the preceding years.

Home Ministry data shows there were 59 cancellations in 2014, compared to four in 2013. However, in 2012, when the Congress was in power, 4,138 NGOs had to face cancellation of their FCRA licences.

Interestingly, the FCRA was initially brought into force in 1976 with the sole intent to curb foreign funding to political parties and media, and to keep a watch on their funding patterns. But, in 2010, the government brought NGOs into its ambit.

However, the government, in 2015, introduced a clause to amend the FCRA, wherein political parties could get funding from subsidiaries of foreign companies, and received backing from Opposition parties.

In fact, the Association of Democratic Rights filed a petition in the Delhi High Court accusing the Congress and the BJP of accepting foreign funds in 2014, thus violating FCRA. The High Court, in its judgement on 28 March 2016, held the two political parties responsible for the violations, and directed the Union government to take appropriate action against them within six months. But the government is yet to take any action against them.

DON'T BLAME BJP ALONE

Chaudhary actually says that the saffron party is only taking the UPA's policy forward, and blames former Home Minister P Chidambaram for the crackdown on NGOs.

"He brought in the amendment which made the renewal of licences mandatory after five years. He also brought in other clauses that interfered in the way non-profits worked. The only difference between the BJP and the Congress is that the latter does the job without creating any noise, while the saffron party creates all the noise without doing anything," he says.

Chaudhary also points out how bank accounts of INSAF, another NGO, were frozen under UPA rule. "The BJP alone should not be blamed. It is as much as Congress's doing as that of BJP," he says.

Questioning why there are no such restrictions on political parties and corporate houses, Chaudhary adds: "If the non-profits have to survive this onslaught, they should be ready to work as an extension of the State or the market. The rest will all perish, unless they fight to restore order."

Source: http://www.catchnews.com/india-news/india-70-what-s-behind-modi-s-crackdown-on-ngos-and-where-is-it-leading-77383.html

SC asks CAPART about action taken on regulating NGOs, funds

The Supreme Court today asked central government body CAPART to apprise it about the steps taken in pursuance to its direction to consider making a law to regulate NGOs, disbursal of funds and consequential proceedings against them.

A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar sought an affidavit from Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) on action taken on its April 26 order by which it had suggested that the Centre should consider prosecuting NGOs or voluntary organisations if they are found misusing public funds.

"CAPART shall file an affidavit indicating the steps taken by it in pursuance of our directions passed on April 26.

We need to know what actions have been taken by them," the bench, also comprising Justice D Y Chandrachud, said and posted the matter for hearing on August 17.

The apex court had in its April 26 order asked the Centre to examine enacting a law to regulate disbursal of public funds to over 32 lakh NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs) and prosecute them in case of misuse or misappropriation.

The court had suggested to the Centre that it can legislate under Entry 97 of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution which provides the list of issues on which the Centre or states or both can make laws to regulate NGOs.

Favouring a fresh all-encompassing law, the court had said if the government "desires to extend statutory status to regulations, then they would not only provide for enforceable consequences, but also envisage civil and criminal action as may be considered by the legislation".

The CAPART, which works under the Ministry of Rural Development and disburses funds to voluntary organisations (VOs) working in rural areas, had earlier apprised the top court that it has recommended lodging of 159 FIRs against various NGOs for alleged misappropriation or misuse of funds.

It had initially said that it had blacklisted 718 NGOs for not following the due process and not submitting their accounting details, but had later removed 15 NGOs from the black-list after they complied with the accounting norms.

While hearing a PIL filed by lawyer M L Sharma, the court had said the Centre and its departments were doling out crores of rupees but were not aware of the repercussion of non-auditing.

Referring to details provided by senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, the court had said that a phenomenal amount of Rs 950 crore every year was being given by the Centre and state governments to NGOs.

The bench had also said that "mere blacklisting" of these organisations would not suffice and civil and criminal action should be initiated for misappropriation of public money received by them from various government departments.

Earlier, the government had faced some tough questions for failing to evolve a regulatory mechanism to monitor the massive amount of funds to over 32 lakh NGOs.

CBI had in September 2015 informed the apex court that less than ten per cent of over 30 lakh NGOs functioning across the country had submitted their returns or balance sheets and other financial details to the authorities.

The apex court had expanded the scope of the PIL, filed in 2011 against an NGO, Hind Swaraj Trust, run by anti- corruption crusader Anna Hazare. The PIL had sought probe into alleged embezzlement of funds.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-sc-asks-capart-about-action-taken-on-regulating-ngos-funds-2529795

SBI launches SBI Gram Seva to focus on health, education, environment, rural infrastructure

The nation's largest lender State Bank of India today launched a CSR initiative, SBI Gram Seva, which will work in the areas of health, education, environment and rural infrastructure.

The SBI Foundation will identify and partner with NGOs to carry out CSR initiatives under which it adopt five villages each from 10 village panchayats with each village getting around Rs 2.40 crore over the next three years.

"The reason why we undertook this initiative is threefold. One is to ensure it is holistic, sustainable and we want to ensure that we do it in collaboration," chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya told reporters.

Initially, 10 gram panchayats comprising of 50 villages in six states have been adopted, she said, added the banks plans to adopt 100 gram panchayats in the next three years.

Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-sbi-launches-sbi-gram-seva-to-focus-on-health-education-environment-rural-infrastructure-2530007

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Over 800 NGOs denied FCRA renewal, government tells Parliament

Since the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government came to power in May 2014, around 20,000 NGOs have lost their licences to receive foreign funds under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010. Some of the prominent NGOs whose FCRA licences were cancelled by the Ministry of Home Affairs included Lawyers Collective (LC) run by senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Indira Jaising, Greenpeace, Sabrang trust run by Teesta Setalvad and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

On 1st August 2017, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju stated in the Lok Sabha that more than 800 NGOs were denied renewal because of various violations of the provisions of the FCRA. He stated that more than 19,000 NGOs were granted renewal during 2016 and 2017.

He was replying to Unstarred Question No. 2593 raised by Shrimati Santosh Ahlawat in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing session.

In response to a specific question as to whether the Government of India is planning to monitor all the international donations received by NGOs, Mr Rijiju stated that the NGOs receiving foreign contributions are governed and monitored through the provisions of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 read with Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011.

Source: https://www.theapolitical.in/human-rights/800-ngos-denied-fcra-renewal-government-tells-parliament

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

NITI Aayog selects 3 States for transformative change in Health & Education sectors

In a major push to competitive, cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog, today, announces partnership with three States each to radically transform their Health and Education sectors. 

NITI Aayog has selected Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Karnataka to improve healthcare delivery and key outcomes in these States. In Education, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Jharkhand have been selected for support to better learning outcomes. The six States have been chosen after a rigorous competitive process based on comprehensive metrics to determine potential for impact and likelihood of success. 

States were called to, first, express intent of collaborating with NITI Aayog to better their Health and Education indices. States then made presentations for each sector which was assessed by a committee comprised of senior members of NITI Aayog and Health and Education ministries. The States highlighted the initiatives undertaken by them thus far, their willingness to accelerate improvement and justified why they should be selected for the institutional support being offered by NITI Aayog. 

On thorough technical evaluation, the chosen States have committed to time-bound, governance reforms in both sectors. A Program Management Unit to push for efficiency and efficacy in governance structures and service delivery will now be available in the six chosen States for a period of 30 months. It is expected that these three years of focussed attention and support from the premier think tank will lead to a marked transformation and also provide a model for other States to replicate and adapt. 

This three-way partnership between NITI, State Governments and a knowledge partner for each of the sectors is part of the Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital (SATH) initiative of NITI Aayog. 

NITI Aayog has been working to foster co-operative federalism by ranking states through health, water, education, and agricultural indices. However, SATH has been launched to go beyond ranking states and to handhold them in improving their social sector indicators. SATH is a challenging and ambitious initiative as the baseline of various indicators and parameters of education and health in the States are in public domain. It defines a new dimension for cooperative federalism, where NITI Aayog and its knowledge partner will actively aid implementation of their recommendations, in addition to just policy inputs. All stakeholders will be under pressure from the day of signing of the MOU to initiate reforms or processes which will show improvement in education and learning outcomes. 

Saturday, August 5, 2017

UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service NGLS

Apply for UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on the New Urban Agenda and UN-Habitat, 5-6 September 2017 at UN Headquarters in New York.
On 5-6 September 2017, the President of the UN General Assembly will convene a two-day High-level Meeting of the General Assembly to discuss the effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the positioning of UN-Habitat in this regard. At the request of the Office of the President of the General Assembly, the UN-NGLS NY office is facilitating a process to identify stakeholders wishing to speak at or attend this event, propose questions for the panel discussions, or serve on the Stakeholder Selection Committee for this process.

Read more and apply here: http://bit.ly/5-6-Sept-NewUrbanAgenda-Habitat-Apply

DEADLINES:
6 August 2017 – Apply for stakeholder Selection Committee
7 August 2017 – Apply for stakeholder speaking roles
13 August 2017 – Submit proposed questions for the panel discussions
20 August 2017 – Apply to attend the event as an observer

https://www.facebook.com/UNNGLS/posts/780087252173583

More information at: https://unngls.org/index.php/80-home/2776-5-6-september-new-urban-agenda-habitat-unga-hlm

Friday, August 4, 2017

Workshop on GST & FCRA Compliances in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bangalore

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings!

As you might be aware that Goods and Service Tax Bill was passed in the Parliament and GST Act would be applicable in India from 1st July, 2017. Therefore, we have been receiving few queries on the additional compliance requirements for NPOs with respect to GST. Thus, to address significant issues, respond to queries and provide clarity pertaining to the changes in the statutory regulations we are conducting a series of one day workshops on "Good and Service Tax (GST) & FCRA Compliance."

The list of cities in the order of the workshop are as follows: 

S.no

Place of workshop

Date of workshop

1

Kolkata

17th August 2017

2

Hyderabad

5th September 2017

3

Bangalore

6th September 2017

A brief overview of the GST Act and its applicable rules would be covered in this workshop with special focus on its applicability to the NGOs. This would also cover other aspects such as Migration to GST, Reverse Charge Mechanism and Subsuming of Existing Taxes such as VAT, Service Tax etc. Apart from GST, a brief update on FCRA covering the latest amendments and Compliances would also be covered in this workshop.

The brochure with the dates for each workshop is being attached for your reference. As the seats are limited to 50 for each venue, we request you to register as soon as possible. To register, please click here.: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1XybUoKluRH2Ut0oKRVZRfsehNrEZ6lx86C5fqEZPSSs/viewform?edit_requested=true  If you have any queries regarding the workshop, you may write to Ms. Akrita Bharos- Capacity Building Coordinator at akrita.bharos@fmsfindia.org

Kindly circulate this brochure widely among your network for wider reach.

Regards

Dr. Sanjay Patra 
Executive Director