NITI Aayog seeks help yet again from civil society organisations

Advocacy and Government: Government think tank NITI Aayog has written to 1.1 lakh civil society organisations (CSOs) seeking their support to fight the second wave of COIVD-19. It has also asked them to help address the issue of ‘vaccine euphoria’ among people who have been vaccinated.

NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant had appealed to the social sector in April 2020 as well, during the first wave of the pandemic. He had sought their help to provide essential services to vulnerable populations.

This year Kant has asked all CSOs to supplement the government’s efforts by providing shelter to the homeless, migrant workers, and urban poor families. “Pandemic fatigue has resulted in weaker adherence to these norms over the last few weeks. Additionally, vaccine euphoria is also setting in due to which people who have been vaccinated no longer feel the need to adopt COVID-safe behaviours. Combating fatigue and sustaining behaviour change is therefore critical at this time,” he added. Kant also sought help in dispelling myths and misconceptions about the COVID-19 vaccine.

In a separate letter sent to all the states on April 22nd, Kant had asked them to mobilise all the CSOs at the field level, and ensure that their district level nodal officers maintained a list of all credible nonprofits—their areas of functioning (health, education, women, elderly, and child care, among others) and contact details—in order to make the outreach smoother.

Kant heads one of the Empowered Groups of Officers, constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs, for planning and implementation of an effective COVID-19 response. The group is tasked with coordinating with the private sector, nonprofits, and international organisations for response-related activities.

Read this article on the role of civil society in times of crisis.

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.

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.