The foreign donations to the Indian Non Governmental Organisations registered a significant spurt, with 22,702 associations reporting to have jointly received Rs 11,546 crore in 2011-12.
A total of Rs 10,334 crore was received in 2010-2011 by over 22,000 Non Governmental Organisationss across the country. According to a latest report of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Delhi received the highest amount of contributions (Rs 2,285 crore), followed by Tamil Nadu (Rs 1,704 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1,258 crore). The US was the biggest donor, pumping in Rs 3,838 crore followed by the UK (Rs 1,219 crore) and Germany (Rs 1,096 crore).
“The highest amount was received by the World Vision of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Rs 233.38 crore), followed by the Believers Church India, Pathanamthitta, Kerala (Rs 190.05 crore) and Rural Development Trust, Ananthapur, AP (Rs 144.39 crore),” the Ministry of Home Affairs report stated.
Among the districts, the highest foreign donation was received by Chennai with Rs 889 crore, followed by Mumbai (Rs 825 crore) and Bangalore (Rs 812 crore).
The Ministry of Home Affairs said 43,527 NGOs were registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), but only 22,702 associations filed their annual returns.
Action is being taken against the 19,000 defaulter NGOs, the Ministry’s report said. Analysis of the data for the past four years revealed that the World Vision of India, Chennai received the highest amount of foreign contribution and the US continues to be the biggest donor country.
The highest amount of Rs 945.77 crore was utilised for rural development followed by the welfare of children, for which Rs 929 crore was received from foreign donors.
The Non Governmental Organisations also received over Rs 330 crore as foreign contribution in 2011-2012 for religious activities, revealed the report. Out of the total amount, Rs 208.71 crore was received by associations of religious schools, education of priests and preachers, while Rs 128.44 crore was donated for religious functions.
Raising concern over foreign donations, the Ministry of Home Affairs said: “While it is not proper to make sweeping generalizations, it is necessary to note that the Non Governmental Organisations sector in India is vulnerable to the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.” The Ministry said it would continue to coordinate with other countries and state Police organisations to crackdown on suspicious donations.
The officials carried out 132 inspections of the accounts of the Non Governmental Organisations s during 2011-12 apart from routine verifications conducted by the state organisations and by the national agencies.