FIACONA Welcomes The Government of India’s Decision To Extend The Validity of FCRA Registration Certificates

May 20, 2021, Washington DC. Federation of Indian Christian Association of North America (FIACONA), an advocacy organization working to defend the religious freedom of Christians religious minorities in India welcomes the decision of the government of India to extend the validity of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) certification to charitable organizations which expired on September 29, 2020 until September 30 2021.

Another order issued by the government today extends the deadline for mandatory opening of a new bank account by these NGOs at a particular branch of the State Bank of India in Delhi, from March 31 2021 to June 30, 2021.

FIACONA recognizes that these are welcome changes. These measures will help several NGOs to continue their much-needed service during this pandemic at least for one more month.  We agree that NGOs should maintain good bookkeeping practices, but the government should not burden them with a heavy hand and unnecessary red tape which could essentially force them to shut down their operations. The government of India should recognize the good humanitarian work done by the NGOs and encourage them to carry out their charitable operations which will help millions of deserving people in India.

On May 16, 21  FIACONA accused the Government of India of hampering the efforts of non-governmental agencies by imposing unnecessary regulations by restricting their operations.FIACONA urged the Indian government to lift the restrictions for at least 12 months and sought help from the US Administration.

Creating a bottleneck by having all the NGOs open an account in a branch in Delhi is an undue burden on many NGOs especially the smaller ones that are located very far from Delhi.  A government should be sympathetic to the needs of disadvantaged and the oppressed, especially during a pandemic. It should encourage the work of NGOs rather than choking them for political reasons.

FIACONA thanks all those helped in the effort.