Lokpal's jurisdiction to include NGOs

The anti-graft Lokpal Bill that was tabled by the government in Parliament proposes to bring NGOs receiving donations above Rs 10 lakh from foreign sources a year under its ambit.

There are about 42,202 NGOs receiving funds from abroad, of which at least 958 got Rs 1 crore or above last financial year.

If accepted, the Lokpal will have jurisdiction over 4.5 lakh NGOs. The standing committee on law and justice has recommended that NGOs that are either wholly or partly financed by the government, receive foreign funds above Rs 10 lakh or receive donations from the public should be accountable to the Lokpal.

Most of the foreign contributions to Indian NGOs came from Germany, Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Canada.

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs recently released name of those organisations that that received more than Rs 1 crore annually in the past five years.

World Vision of India followed by Kolkata-based Missionaries of Charity and Compassion East India topped the list.

Also in the list is Team Anna member Kiran Bedi's NGO, Navjyoti India Foundation, which received Rs 1.27 crore in donations from abroad.

A majority of the NGOs that received funds from abroad last year were Christian organisations working in the rural areas of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.

According to a report by the Indian Express, of the 958, at least 515 were Christian organisations which collectively received Rs 2,003.75 crore as foreign contributions. The remaining 443 received 1,459.96 crore.

Besides Christian NGOs, organisations related to Brahmakumaris, ISKCON, Chinmay Mission and Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement also figured among the top 100 beneficaries, the report said.

The provision to include public sector firms, NGOs and trusts within the Lokpal was part of the government draft.

The Lokpal Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha is now pending in the the Rajya Sabha and would be taken up when the house reconvenes for the Budget Session in March.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die on December 29 amid uproar created by several MPs, without voting on the Bill.

The BJP top brass on Thursday met President Pratibha Patil seeking her intervention for reconvening of the Parliament session to enable voting on the Lokpal Bill in Rajya Sabha.

The UPA government squarely blamed the BJP for the failure to get the Lokpal Bill passed in the Parliament.