The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has suspended the licenses for six NGOs listed under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). These NGOs will no longer be able to receive any foreign funds.
For any non-profit organisation to receive funds from a foreign entity an FCRA license is a mandatory requirement in India.
Of the six NGOs whose FCRA licences have been cancelled, four of them are Christian evangelical organizations: North Western Gossner Evangelical in Jharkhand, the Evangelical Churches Association (ECA) in Manipur, Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jharkhand and New Life Fellowship Association (NLFA) in Mumbai.
The New Life Fellowship Association started operations in India in 1964, following the arrival of missionaries from New Life Churches in New Zealand. The government had suspended its licence on February 10, 2020.
In April and September 2019, the Bajrang Dal had disrupted ‘prayer meetings’ conducted by the association and registered a complaint with the police for using the platform to convert people. The Legal Rights Observatory, a legal rights activism group working in the area of national security had moved a complaint against the Christian association for indulging in black magic and using children for religious conversion.
As per reports, at least two US based Christian donors Seventh Day Adventist Church and Baptist Church are also under MHA’s scanner. A serious probe is presently being pursued
with regards to their funding activities in India.
Many NGOs receive funds from the foreign evangelical organisations which is used for religious conversion. In 2017 a powerful US-based Christian donor called Compassion International had to stop its operations because it funded NGOs which encouraged religious conversions.
The other two NGOs whose FCRA licence has been suspended are Rajnandgaon Leprosy Hospital and Clinics, and the Don Bosco Tribal Development Society.