April 16, 2021

Government launches Tribal Health Collaborative; to start operations in 50 districts

Health: The Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Harsh Vardhan, and Arjun Munda, the Minister of Tribal Affairs, have launched Anamaya, the Tribal Health Collaborative (THC), which aims to converge the efforts of various government agencies and organisations to enhance the health and nutrition status of the tribal communities of India.

The collaborative is a multi-stakeholder initiative supported by the Piramal Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), with consulting firm, Bridgespan Group working with them on design and strategy.

Speaking on the occasion, Arjun Munda stated, “We are addressing issues related to tribal health on a mission mode and I welcome all the non-government organisations who have come together and shown their interest for this unique initiative.”

This collaborative will bring together governments, philanthropists, national and international foundations, nonprofits, and community-based organisations, to end all preventable deaths among the tribal communities of India.

THC will begin its operations with 50 tribal, aspirational districts that have more than 20 percent scheduled tribe populations, across six high-tribal population states. Over a 10-year period, its work will be extended to 177 tribal districts.

Read this article to know if India’s healthcare goals are inclusive of tribal communities.


May 20, 2021

Home Ministry extends validity period of FCRA registration certificates

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.


May 20, 2021

Corporate spending on oxygen support and medical equipment now counts as CSR

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.