The Fo Guang Shan Cultural and Educational Center in Delhi, a Buddhist monastic order from Taiwan, has been granted permission to accept foreign donations under the Foreign Contribution Act, of 2010.
The Buddhist religious trust is training fifty kids to become novice monks. In 2016, they applied for FCRA registration, which was denied. The second attempt has allowed them to obtain foreign funding. In the first month of the year, thirty associations and NGOs were granted FCRA registration, the highest number since 2014. Last year, 1,111 NGOs received permission to receive foreign donations.
Fo Guang Shan Cultural and Educational Center in Delhi, Credits: Website
Christian NGOs make up nearly half of the newly registered FCRAs in the religious category, according to MHA data. Registration is required for foreign donations and requires a clear cultural, economic, educational, religious, or social program. Between 2014 and 2023, 3,294 associations were registered. The Ministry reported that 722 out of 1,615 applications for registration in 2021 and 2022 were cleared, while 225 were denied due to failure to meet eligibility requirements as stipulated by the FCRA, 2010 and its implementing regulations.
Great Buddha Standing Statue at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung Taiwan
The statement revealed that in the 2019–2020, 2020–21, and 2021–22 fiscal years, 13,520 associations received foreign contributions totaling ₹55,741.51 crore. However, almost 6,000 NGOs' FCRA registrations were rendered invalid on January 1, 2022, leaving five years remaining on their registrations as the Ministry declined to renew their applications.
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