NGOs face action if they don’t file account info online

New Delhi: The home ministry has once again reiterated that it would be compulsory for all NGOs who receive foreign donations to compulsorily file their account details online failing which they will face penal action. Ministry official said the fresh directive will help check misuse of foreign funds by such organisations. The ministry has already stopped the practice of submitting hard copies of such returns and will now only accept details filed online. “All persons who are either registered or have been granted prior permission to receive foreign contribution, are once again advised to file their annual return for the financial year 2014-15 onwards online and it is informed that hard copy, if received, will not be accepted and treated as not received,” a home ministry order said. “All such persons will be liable for consequential penal action under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 and rules made thereunder,” the ministry said in a recent directive. According to the fresh order any person or organisation, who receives foreign funds, has to submit digitally-signed report electronically with scanned copies of income and expenditure statement, receipt and payment account and balance sheet for every financial year beginning on April 1, within nine months of the closure of financial year.

According to the ministry many persons have submitted hard copy of the returns pertaining to financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 “which have not been accepted and treated as if not received” and will now have to be submitted again online.