The ministry identified that as per Part 16 of the FCRA, 2010, together with Rule 12 of the FCRA Guidelines, 2011, NGOs are obligated to submit their renewal requests inside a six-month window previous to the expiry of their registration certificates.
The Ministry of House Affairs (MHA) has issued a recent directive to all non-governmental organisations (NGOs) registered underneath the International Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010, stressing the significance of well timed renewal functions. The advisory goals to streamline the scrutiny course of, keep away from last-minute delays, and guarantee easy continuity of foreign-funded tasks.
Renewal functions to be filed upfront
In keeping with the advisory, NGOs should submit renewal functions at the least 4 months earlier than the expiry of their present FCRA registration. The reminder follows recurring delays by a number of organisations, lots of which have been submitting functions lower than 90 days earlier than expiry, creating obstacles in processing.
Authorized mandate and submitting course of
The ministry highlighted that underneath Part 16 of the FCRA, 2010, and Rule 12 of the FCRA Guidelines, 2011, associations are legally required to file renewal functions inside six months earlier than their registration certificates expires. Purposes have to be filed electronically through Type FC-3C and accompanied by affidavits within the prescribed format.
Risk of certificates lapse
MHA expressed concern that late submissions end in delays in safety clearances and administrative scrutiny. In lots of instances, such delays trigger certificates to lapse earlier than renewal is permitted. As soon as a certificates expires, NGOs are barred from receiving or utilising overseas contributions, which disrupts welfare programmes, charitable actions, and developmental initiatives depending on overseas donations.
Advisory to stop disruptions
To safeguard ongoing programmes from pointless disruptions, the ministry suggested NGOs to strictly adhere to the timeline. The directive clearly states that renewal functions ought to be filed no later than 4 months earlier than the expiry date. This, MHA emphasised, will allow well timed processing, guarantee uninterrupted entry to overseas contributions, and keep away from pointless inconvenience for NGOs.
Guaranteeing compliance and easy functioning
The MHA’s transfer displays its rising emphasis on strict compliance underneath the FCRA framework. By urging early functions, the federal government seeks to make sure that NGOs can proceed working with out hurdles whereas sustaining transparency and accountability in overseas funding.