Crackdown On NGOs Intensifies: Modi Government Asks All To Re-Register With NITI Aayog

The central government has proposed new, stringent guidelines for non-government organisations (NGOs), Dhananjay Mahapatra, who is an Associate Editor with Times of India, has reported. The draft guidelines, which if accepted will require NGOs to register afresh with the NITI Aayog, have been submitted to the Supreme Court.

The draft guidelines call for issuing unique IDs to NGOs and evaluating them based on their internal governance and ethical standards. NGOs will be required to give details of audited account, IT returns, area of operation and names of key individuals involved in the operations of the organisation. Before accreditation, past track record and performance of NGOs will also be scrutinised.

The draft guidelines propose a three-tier scrutiny process to evaluate how an NGO utilises funds granted to it by the government. This, as Mahapatra states on the micro-blogging site Twitter, will also include quality evaluation of work done by NGOs apart from financial and physical evaluation.

The draft guidelines also state that an NGO will be required to refund grants with 10 per cent interest if the work for which the grant was provided is not done. In case of misappropriation of funds, the draft guidelines propose registration of criminal case against NGOs and their key officials.

The apex court has directed the government to frame these guidelines.