തിരുവല്ല – ചർച്ച് ഓഫ് ഗോഡ് കേരളാ സ്റ്റേറ്റ് 102 – മത് ജനറൽ കൺവൻഷന് ഉജ്ജ്വല സമാപനം.
രാവിലെ സൗത്ത് ഏഷ്യൻ റീജിയണൽ സൂപ്രണ്ട് റവ. സി സി തോമസ് തിരുവത്താഴ ശുശ്രൂഷയ്ക്ക് നേതൃത്വം നൽകി.
സ്റ്റേറ്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി പാസ്റ്റർ സാംകുട്ടി മാത്യൂ അധ്യക്ഷത വഹിച്ചു.
സങ്കീർത്തന പ്രസംഗം പാസ്റ്റർ ജെ. ജോസഫ് നടത്തി. ഡോ. ജെയ്സൺ തോമസ് ധ്യാന പ്രസംഗം നടത്തി.
പാസ്റ്റർ വൈ മോനി, മാത്യൂ ബേബി എന്നിവർ വേദവായന നടത്തി. പാസ്റ്റർന്മാരായ കെ വി ഗീവർഗീസ്, കെ വി ജേക്കബ്, കെ റെജി, പി എ ജെറാൾഡ്, കെ ടി വർഗ്ഗീസ്, വി ജെ കുഞ്ഞുമ്മൻ, പി സി എബ്രഹാം , ബിനോയ് പി അലക്സ് എന്നിവർ പ്രാർഥന നയിച്ചു.
അഡ്മിനിസ്ട്രേറ്റീവ് ബിഷപ്പ് റവ. വൈ റെജി, സൗത്ത് ഏഷ്യൻ സൂപ്രണ്ട് റവ. സി സി തോമസ് എന്നിവർ സമാപന സന്ദേശം നൽകി. ബിലിവേഴ്‌സ് ബോർഡ് സ്റ്റേറ്റ് സെക്രട്ടറി ജോസഫ് മറ്റത്തുകാല, അജി കുളങ്ങര എന്നിവർ സംസാരിച്ചു.
ബോവസ് രാജുവിൻ്റെ നേതൃത്വത്തിൽ കൺവൻഷൻ ക്വയർ ഗാനശുശ്രൂഷ നിർവ്വഹിച്ചു.
 http://theendtimeradio.com

The Union home ministry has warned that non-government organisations (NGOs) that receive and utilise foreign funds without having a licence under the foreign contribution regulation act (FCRA) or after its expiry will be penalised, according to a communication by the ministry on Tuesday.

The ministry came across some instances of credit or debit in the accounts of NGOs without a licence, which caused it to issue a public notice on Tuesday.

All NGOs receiving foreign funds have to be mandatorily registered under the FCRA and they have to utilise such funds only for the purposes these have been received.

Besides, those who get the FCRA registration certificate must renew it within six months before the expiry of the period of the registration and if not done, their registration ceases to exist and they can’t receive or utilise foreign contribution.

“However, instances have come to the notice to this ministry where credit or debit of the FC (foreign contribution) has been noticed into the accounts of the NGOs/associations who have not been granted registration/prior permission/renewal under the FCRA 2010 or such NGOs/associations whose registration has ceased on expiry of validity period or whose registration has been cancelled,” the notice stated.

It added that any receipt or utilisation of the FC without valid registration is violation of the provisions of the FCRA 2010.

Accordingly, it said, “any transaction in FCRA accounts/FCRA utilisation accounts of the NGO/association whose FCRA registration has been cancelled or ceased or validity expired would amount to violation of FCRA 2010 and is liable for penal action”.

In November 2024, the home ministry said that any non-government organisation involved in anti-development activities, religious conversions or incites protests with malicious intentions or has links with radical organisations will be refused foreign contribution regulation act (FCRA) licence.

According to the MHA data, as many as 16,091 NGOs have FCRA licences as of date while licences of 20,713 organisations have been cancelled.

The Centre tightened the FCRA in 2020 by making several amendments. It even canceled the licences of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) in 2022 accusing them of violating the law.

The FCRA unit of the MHA carried out inspections or audits of at least 335 NGOs and associations registered or granted prior permission under FCRA between 2019 and 2022 to see if foreign funding rules were being followed by them.

The FCRA act – amended in September 2020 – barred public servants from receiving foreign funding and made Aadhaar mandatory for every office-bearer of the NGOs. The amended law also bars organisations from using more than 20% of foreign funds for administrative purposes. The limit was hitherto 50%.
Sources:hindustantimes

http://theendtimeradio.com

The Union Home Ministry has granted registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010 to the famous Banke Bihari temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan, enabling it to receive donations from foreign countries for “religious” activity. The temple’s priests, however, said they had never applied for the registration.

The temple committee is locked in a legal battle with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in the State over the control of the temple’s affairs and funds. The committee includes the State government’s nominees.

The Banke Bihari temple is presently owned and managed by a hereditary community of Sevayat Goswami priests, Saraswat Brahmins, and the descendants of Swami Haridas, who built the temple over 550 years ago.

Sources in the State government said the temple’s funds currently stand at about ₹480 crore, apart from gold and other valuables.

On Friday, the Ministry granted the FCRA registration to the ‘Thakur Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple’ at Vrindavan under the “Religious (Hindu)” category.

Registration under the FCRA, 2010 is mandatory for non-government organisations (NGOs) and associations to receive foreign funds.

Speaking to The Hindu, Ashok Goswami, one of the temple priests, said he had no idea about the application for the FCRA licence, and said that, for the past several years, the temple had been receiving donations from devotees living in foreign countries who visited the premises.

“Our temple is run through a committee which is formed by the Civil Judge, Junior Division. Apart from the Goswamis, like us, who own the temple property, we have many outsiders in the committee. I cannot comment on who applied for the FCRA licence. But none of the priests applied for it,” he said.

Mr. Goswami also said that the temple receives three types of funding — firstly, devotees contribute directly to the priests; secondly, donations arrive via cheques or other digital payments; and thirdly, contributions are made to donation boxes kept in the temple.

“This looks like a conspiracy to bring the temple under another controversy,” Mr. Goswami alleged.

Members of the Goswami community have petitioned the Allahabad High Court against the State government’s proposal to build around the temple a corridor akin to the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor to facilitate a smooth darshan for devotees, and better crowd management. The State has submitted in the court that a corridor was necessary after two devotees suffocated to death due to overcrowding inside the temple on the occasion of Janmashtami in 2022.

The court, in past hearings, had asked the State to not meddle with the affairs of the temple, including with its funds, but allowed it to proceed with the corridor project. The matter is sub judice.

Gopi Goswami, another priest, also alleged a conspiracy. “They never asked us whether we want an FCRA [registration] or not. One day, there will some random illegal deposit in this account and the government will hold us accountable for it. It is a trap to defame the temple. We will question the temple management committee formed by the Civil Judge to tell us why this was needed and why they applied for it without consulting us,” he said.

To receive FCRA registration, an NGO has to have a definite cultural, social, religious, economic, or educational programme, and it can be registered under one or multiple categories.

Since 2022, as many as 184 NGOs have received registration under the FCRA for undertaking religious activities as at least one of the programmes. Out of these, 84 NGOs or associations were registered for the ‘Religious (Hindu)‘ category, 54 for the Christian category, seven for the Muslim category, 16 for the Buddhist category, three for the Sikh category, and 20 under the ‘Others’ category.

Sources:thehindu

http://theendtimeradio.com