-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Draft guidelines outlining stringent regulations intended to enhance accountability of lakhs of NGOs and voluntary organisations receiving nearly Rs 1,000 crore of government grants every year were submitted by the Centre to the Supreme Court on Wednesday . The guidelines may seem exhaustive for most NGOs and VOs as they said organisations wanting to get government funds must register afresh online with Niti Aayog's `NGO-Darpan' portal...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: In a reprieve for Lawyers Collective, the NGO run by noted lawyer Indira Jaising, the Bombay high court on Monday by an interim order defreezed the non-FCRA/ domestic bank accounts of the organisation. Justice Mahesh Sonak, while admitting the petition filed by Lawyers Collective challenging the cancellation of its registration, also halted the Union government's directive to the charity commissioner to dispose off its assets. "The allegations...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Union home ministry today barred a non-government organisation run by a Narendra Modi-critic from receiving foreign funds, revoking its FCRA licence and that of three others for alleged "undesirable activities against public interest". The action, which drew accusations that the government was trying to stifle voices of dissent, means Anhad, run by Shabnam Hashmi, the Marwar Muslim Educational and Welfare Society, and the Gujarat-based Navsarjan Trust and...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The Centre today told the Supreme Court that political parties that received donation from Indian subsidiaries of foreign companies could not be said to have flouted the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act as Parliament had amended the relevant provision in 2010. Neither the BJP nor the Congress had, therefore, violated the FCRA in receiving donations from the Vedanta Group's Indian subsidiaries between 2007 and 2009, the Centre contended. Hence,...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry cancelled the licence of 11,319 NGOs on Thursday under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010, after they failed to apply for its renewal within the deadline of June 30, 2016. The validity of FCRA registration of these NGOs had been extended until October 31, 2016 (the earlier deadline being September 30) vide a home ministry order dated March 29, 2016. However,...