Step Motherly? Is the denial of FCRA renewal for the Mother Teresa founded NGO at all justified?

News: Missionaries of Charity (MoC), an NGO founded by Mother Teresa has been denied the renewal of its FCRA registration by the home ministry. 

It should be noted that the FCRA registration is mandatory for any NGO or association to receive foreign funds or donations. MHA is the controlling authority of FCRA, and it conducts inspections and audits of NGOs to establish if their books are in order. 

Why is this refusal under criticism? 

The government has given the reason for refusal as the presence of adverse inputs, while the FCRA rules only allows this refusal in case NGOs are involved in activities detrimental to the national interest.  

What are the allegations faced by MoC?

A key suspicion it faces today can be seen in the FIR filed against one of MoC’s children’s homes in Vadodara earlier this month.

This followed allegations of religious conversions.

What have been previous instances of NGO facing charges under this law? 

Amnesty International exited the country last year as a result of facing issues regarding flow of its finances. 

Why are the challenges posed by these restrictions? 

Services of NGOs are invaluable in a country where the state isn’t always there for everyone. 

NGOs serve the most needy, so it should be ensured that they don’t have to face administrative bottlenecks.

Source: This post is based on the article “Step Motherly? Is the denial of FCRA renewal for the Mother Teresa founded NGO at all justified?” published in Times of India on 28^th Dec 2021.