The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of World Vision India (WVI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that focusses on kids’s points. The U.S.-based World Vision is without doubt one of the world’s largest Christian voluntary teams with a presence in over 100 nations. It has been operational in India for the previous 70 years.

According to the MHA’s order, the Indian NGO is not eligible to obtain international donations, together with from its guardian organisation, as its registration has been cancelled on account of “violation” of FCRA guidelines.

WVI has been registered beneath the FCRA since 1986, to obtain cash used to conduct “social and educational” programmes. The NGO has signed agreements with a number of authorities departments previously. In 2016, amid an uproar on social media, the Rajasthan authorities needed to cancel a memorandum of understanding signed with WVI on Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). 

Suspended in 2022

The NGO’s registration was first suspended in November 2022, a 12 months after it utilized for the renewal of its FCRA registration, which should be accomplished each 5 years. The Ministry initially suspended the registration for 180 days for alleged non-compliance with the FCRA’s provisions. The suspension was prolonged in May 2023.

According to WVI’s newest monetary assertion for the 12 months 2022-33, submitted to the MHA on October 14, 2023, “the Society (WVI) has submitted its detailed responses to the MHA for all matters raised by them alleging non compliance by the Society with the provisions of FCRA relating to the periods from 2012-13 to 2020-21. The Society has also provided the required supporting documents for all the matters raised in the letters from the MHA.”

‘Unable to settle liabilities’

The monetary assertion added that WVI’s operations had been considerably impacted as a result of suspension, because it couldn’t perform any actions lined beneath FCRA after November 2022. “The Society has closed all of its project offices working exclusively on FCRA projects and also terminated the contract with its employees working on FCRA projects in the month of May 2023,” it mentioned. “Considering the suspension, the Society has not been able to access the funds or assets and has not been able to settle its liabilities to employees and vendors (including ₹39.72 crore relating to the period from November 2022 to 31 March 2023). The Society has applied for access to 25% of the funds to settle the liabilities before the MHA which is pending disposal as of date,” it added.

In 2022, WVI acquired round ₹170 crore in international donations from its companions within the U.S., Switzerland, and Germany, amongst others. It additionally acquired ₹8 lakh as a donation from the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Since 2011, the FCRA registrations of round 20,000 NGOs have been cancelled on varied grounds of violation of provisions. On January 10, the MHA cancelled the FCRA registration of the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a number one public coverage assume tank in New Delhi.