Srinand Jha
The Observer
June 17, 1999
Title: Christian NGOs hog foreign contributions: Report Author: Srinand Jha Publication: The Observer Date: June 17, 1999 It might not be entirely accurate to categorise organisations as being 'Hindu' or 'Christian,' but it would also not be too far away from the truth to assert that voluntary organisations in India, having inclination towards promoting Christianity, have willy nilly been amongst the biggest beneficiaries of contributions from foreign countries over the years. At the same time, the so-called 'Hindu' organisations have also been hugely benefiting by way of foreign donations, as is revealed in the latest annual report on the receipt of foreign contributions by voluntary organisations. For instance, the report brings out the fact that for the fifth year running, the Maharishi Ved Vigyan Vishwa Vidyapeetham of Andhra Pradesh, has once again topped the list as the recipient of the highest amount of foreign funds, totalling Rs 5,64,693,000 during 1997-98. At the same time, no less than 12 such Christian organisations have found a place in the list of top 25 recipient organisations during the same period while donations, in majority of cases, have expectedly come from Christian missionary organisations having headquarters in Europe or elsewhere. The missionary organisations included in the top 25 recipients list for 1997-98, incidentally, includes five Delhi-based organisations, three from Karnataka and one each from Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Kerala. Delhi based organisations are: The Foster Parents Plan International (Rs 44,34,21000), the SOS Children's Villages of India (Rs 20,29,90000), the Churches Auxiliary for Social Action (Rs 20,09,79000), the Holistic Child Development of India (Rs 12,71,47000) and the Indian Society of Churches of Jesus Christ (Rs 12,61,46000). Besides, the list includes the names of three Karnataka-based organisations: The CSI Council for Child Care (Rs 24,69,16000), the Christian Children Fund (Rs 24,22,34000) and the India Campus Crusade for Christ (Rs 12,34,14000). The other such organisations included in the list are: the Tamil Nadu-based World Vision of India (Rs 35,15,39000), the Missionaries of Charity of West Bengal (Rs 17,28,45000), the Watch Tower Bible Tract Society of India of Maharashtra (Rs 14,60,90000) and the Kerala-based Gospel for Asia (Rs 14,44,26000). The report, meanwhile, brings out the names of the following missionary organisations among the 25 major foreign donors during the year. The Christian Children Fund of USA (Rs 64,78,30000), the Evangelische Zentraistelle (EZE) of Germany (Rs 59,02,56000), the World Visions International of USA (Rs 37,54,90000), the Inter Church Co-ord Committee of Netherlands (Rs 23,01,75000), the Opera Don Bosco of Italy (Rs 19,90,77000), the Christian Aid of UK (Rs 19,47,42000), the Bread for the World of Germany (Rs 16,03,93000) and the Mission Prokure of Germany (Rs 15,32,71000). Incidentally, as officials of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) point out, it would be incorrect to term any organisation as being specifically a religious or a missionary organisation as a majority of organisations have been known to indicate more than one form of activity while registering their names. Besides, even if the case were to be that the Christian organisations were the ones benefiting the most by way of foreign contributions, the argument can evidently be seen to be working both ways. It can be stated, for example, that the Christian organisations were receiving a lion's share of the foreign contributions because these are the organisations that are mostly engaged in social work and welfare activities. It can, at the same time, also be alleged that foreign funds were being utilised by Christian organisations to take forward the aim of the evangelising India. During 1997-98, incidentally, foreign contributions totalling Rs 2864.51 crore was received by the 12,198 registered organisations. The Union territory of Delhi reported the highest receipt of foreign contribution (Rs 418.52 crore) followed by Tamil Nadu (Rs 416.64 crore), Andhra Pradesh (Rs 398.08 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 323.52 crore), Karnataka (Rs 315.88 crore) and Kerala (RS 255.38 crore). The four states of South India were reported to have the highest number of associations (5732) and these associations were also reported to have received the highest amount of foreign contribution (Rs 1396.65 crore) followed by the Northern zone (Rs 607.01 crore reported by 1539 associations), Western zone (Rs 431.78 crore reported by 1786 associations), Eastern Zone (Rs 228.53 crore reported by 1630 associations) and Central Zone (Rs 200.54 crore reported by 1511 associations). The list of donor countries, meanwhile, is headed by the USA (Rs 731.07 crore) followed by Germany (Rs 577.08 crore), UK (Rs 376.47 crore), Italy (Rs 198.47 crore) and Netherlands (Rs 169.66 crore). The highest amount of foreign contribution, meanwhile, has been received for activities connected with Health and Family Welfare (Rs 306.43 crore) followed by construction/extension of schools/colleges (Rs 290.01 crore) and Rural Development (Rs 279.91 crore). During the year, incidentally, a total of 35 associations received foreign contribution in the excess of Rs 10 crore while 69 associations received between Rs 5 crore and Rs 10 crore and 536 associations received between Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crore.
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