India's FCRA makes global donations to NGOs 'very difficult': US Senator

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) of India in its current form makes it "very difficult" for NGOs to receive donations from people around the world, a senior Democratic lawmaker has said.

"India has a law called the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act that was amended in 2010 and has been amended again in 2020 that makes it very difficult for NGOs operating in India to receive donations from people around the world," US Senator Time Kaine said during a Congressional hearing on 'Anti-NGO Laws and Other Tools of Democratic Repression' organised by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"Organisations like Amnesty International and others have had to dramatically limit or shutter operations in India because they do rely on fundraising," Kaine said.

"But India has chosen through this act to significantly restrict the ability of organisations to operate and receive foreign funding. The law allows the freezing of bank accounts investigations, among others," he said.

He said