As of February 3, there were 17,019 FCRA-registered NGOs active in the country. The FCRA registration of nearly 6,000 NGOs ceased to operate from January 1, 2022, as the MHA either refused to renew their application or the NGOs did not apply. – Vijaita Singh
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of a Christian organisation—Tamil Nadu Social Service Society (TASOSS).
The non-governmental organisation (NGO) is the second Tamil Nadu-based Christian association whose FCRA registration has been cancelled 2024.
According to its website, which is under construction, TASOSS is an official organisation of the Tamil Nadu Catholic Bishops Conference.
According to MHA’s order, the NGO is no longer eligible to receive foreign donations and the registration has been cancelled on account of “violation”.
The NGO is registered as a “social” organisation. Registered associations can receive foreign contributions for social, educational, religious, economic and cultural programmes. FCRA registration is mandatory to receive foreign donations.
The cancellation comes days after MHA revoked the FCRA registration of World Vision India (WVI). Its parent arm, the U.S.-based World Vision, is one of the largest Christian voluntary groups with a presence in over 100 countries. WVI has been operational in India for the past 70 years.
Through FCRA, the ministry regulates foreign donations to ensure that such funds do not adversely affect the country’s internal security.
Since 2015, the FCRA registration of more than 16,000 NGOs has been cancelled on account of “violation”. As of February 3, there were 17,019 FCRA-registered NGOs active in the country. The FCRA registration of nearly 6,000 NGOs ceased to operate from January 1, 2022, as the MHA either refused to renew their application or the NGOs did not apply. – The Hindu, February 4, 2024
› Vijaita Singh is a deputy editor at The Hindu in New Delhi.
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Filed under: india | Tagged: christian charities, christian evangelism, FCRA violations, foreign donations, world vision |
BHARATA BHARATI 
US Citizens Detained For Allegedly Preaching Christianity In Assam – Ratnadip Choudhury – India News – February 04, 2024
Two US nationals, John Matthew Bone and Michael James Flinchum, have been detained by the Assam Police for violating their visa conditions, police sources said.
Religious preaching is barred under visa rules and the men were detained on February 2 at the Baptist Christian Hospital in Tezpur. Action was taken after the locals filed a complaint, police sources added.
The men were fined $500 each, and the district police have forwarded the case filed at Kacharigaon police station to the police headquarters. It is likely that the US nationals will be deported, sources said.
On January 31, the men attended the inauguration of the North Bank Baptist Christian Association office at the Baptish Mission Complex in Tezpur.
Sonitpur Additional Superintendent of Police Madhurima Das said the two US citizens took part in a religious meeting on February 1 at Baptist Christian Mission Hospital, reported news agency Press Trust of India.
“The police detained them after getting information. We conducted a probe and found them involved in the religious gathering,” she was quoted as saying.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had previously asked religious communities to avoid converting indigenous people.
“Unfortunately, indigenous communities in India often become the target of conversion efforts by mainstream religions,” the Chief Minister had said.
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In October 2022, seven German nationals and three Swedish nationals were detained from Assam’s Golaghat and Dibrugarh districts for allegedly flouting visa norms by indulging in missionary activities.
The police took them to Guwahati and later deported them.
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