The Union home ministry has cancelled the licences of six non-governmental organisations for alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act and for religious conversion, The Economic Times reported on Monday.

According to the report, the organisations are: Diocesan Society Church of North, Jesus and Mary Delhi Educational Society, Delhi Diocese Overseas Grant Fund, Institute of Economic Growth, Samuel Foundation Charitable India Trust and Hemophilia Federation of India.

These organisations will not be able to receive foreign contributions or use their existing funds.

The Institute of Economic Growth describes itself as one of the leading academic institutions in the field of economic and social development. It has hosted renowned international scholars, including Nobel laureates Elinor Ostrom and Amartya Sen.

The institute has published several journals and articles on women’s participation in the workforce, child malnutrition and the Covid-19 pandemic. Its faculty of about 20 social scientists and supporting research staff focus on social and policy concerns.

On Tuesday, the newspaper reported that the Institute of Economic Growth’s application for the renewal of Foreign Contribution Registration Act licence was turned down following which it applied again.

“IEG is an ICSSR [Indian Council of Social Science Research] Institute and is largely dependent on the government for funding, not on foreign funds,” The Economic Times quoted the organisation as saying on Tuesday. “In 2022-’23, the project grant from FCRA projects was approximately 4% of the total grants of IEG, a small amount.”

The Hemophilia Federation of India is the only national umbrella organisation in India working for the welfare of the patients with this medical condition.

In April, the home ministry had revoked the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences of five non-governmental organisations: Church’s Auxiliary for Social Action, Church of North India Synodical Board of Social Service, Evangelical Fellowship of India, Indo-Global Social Service Society and Voluntary Health Association of India.

Between financial year 2016-’17 and 2021-’22, the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licences of more than 6,600 non-governmental organisations were scrapped, the Centre had told Parliament in December 2022. Nearly 20,700 non-governmental organisations have lost their Foreign Contribution Regulation Act licence in the last 10 years.

Last year, the Union government told Parliament that 13,520 non-governmental organisations registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act had received Rs 55,741.51 crore in foreign contributions between 2019-’20 and 2021-’22.

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