The non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating out of Tamil Nadu received the maximum foreign funding of about Rs.547 crore in 2013-14, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) provides for the NGOs to receive foreign funds after due registration or prior permission, and the registered NGOs are required to submit annual returns of accounts to the regulating bodies.
In 2013-14, till November 14, the government received annual returns from 1,344 Tamil Nadu-based NGOs disclosing that they had received about Rs.547 crore during the period. Second in the list were those from Andhra Pradesh (1,022), which received a cumulative total of Rs.480 crore from foreign sources. In Kerala, 951 organisations filed returns disclosing receipt of Rs.385 crore, while 734 NGOs in Maharashtra received Rs.378 crore. As submitted in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, government statistics revealed that a total of 8,636 NGOs across the country filed their returns, showing receipt of foreign donations to the tune of Rs.3,784 crore.
The amount is almost half of the foreign funding (Rs.10,963 crore) disclosed by 18,297 voluntary organisations in 2012-13. Also, the government in 2011-12 received annual returns from 22,719 NGOs showing receipt of Rs.11,554 crore in foreign funding.
The maximum foreign donations of about Rs.1,107 crore in 2013-14 originated from the United States. Germany stood second with Rs.518 crore and Rs.332 crore was received from the United Kingdom.
Stating that there were intelligence inputs alleging that some organisations were diverting funds for purposes other than the permitted use, the MHA informed the Lok Sabha that on the basis of complaints, 24 cases had been referred to the CBI and nine to the State police for investigation.
