Shah Rukh Khan’s NGO Meer Foundation granted license for foreign funding
Meer Foundation, which was founded in 2013 and is registered as a not-for-profit under the Companies Act , primarily works for women acid attack victims
The Union home ministry has granted a licence under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) to actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Non-government Organisation (NGO) Meer Foundation to allow it to receive funding from donors abroad, people aware of the matter said on Thursday.
Meer Foundation, which was founded in 2013, primarily works for women acid attack victims. It is registered as a not-for-profit under the Companies Act and a charitable institution under the Income Tax Act.
People cited above said the licence to Meer Foundation was granted some months ago without specifying the exact date. As many as 175 organisations have been granted FCRA licence this year. The organisations include Olympic medalist and Rajya Sabha member MC Mary Kom’s NGO Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation.
The government has cancelled licences of NGOs including the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF), Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) and Centre for Policy Research (CPR) over alleged violations of the law.
The Union home ministry’s FCRA unit has conducted inspections or audits of at least 335 NGOs and associations between 2019 and 2022 to check if funding rules were being followed.
In September 2020, the FCRA Act was amended to bar public servants from receiving foreign funding. Aadhaar was made mandatory for every office-bearer of NGOs. The amended law barred organisations from using over 20% of foreign funds for administrative purposes. The limit was earlier 50%.
