Niti Aayog & NGO-DARPAN – Do NGOs need to Register?

Niti
Aayog &
NGO-DARPAN – 

This article
is in response to a number of queries that we have recently received
from within the voluntary sector regarding Niti
Aayog and whether it is mandatory for
charitable organisations / NGOs to register themselves on the
NGO-Darpan platform.

What
is Niti Aayog?

Niti
Aayog came into existence on 1st
January 2015 when the Government of India under the leadership of
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi abolished the 65 years old Planning
Commission. It is “The National Institution for Transforming
India”, a premier policy ‘Think Tank’ of the Government of
India, providing both directional and policy inputs. At the core of
NITI Aayog’s
creation are two hubs – ‘Team India Hub’ and the ‘Knowledge
and Innovation Hub’. The Team India Hub leads the engagement of
states with the Central government, while the Knowledge and
Innovation Hub builds NITI’s think-tank capabilities.

 

What
is NGO-DARPAN?

NGO-Darpan
(NGO Mirror) is a platform that provides
space for interface between Voluntary Organisations / NGOs and key
Government Ministries / Departments / Government Bodies. It is a free
facility offered by NITI Aayog
in association with National Informatics Centre to bring about
greater partnership between government & voluntary sector and
foster better transparency, efficiency and accountability.

This portal
enables VOs / NGOs to enroll centrally and thus facilitates creation
of a repository of information about VOs / NGOs, Sector / State wise.
The Portal facilitates VOs / NGOs to obtain a system generated Unique
ID, as and when signed.

The
Unique ID is mandatory for NGOs wanting to apply for grants under
various schemes of Ministries/Departments/Governments Bodies.

As of the
moment 28,845 NGOs enrolled on this portal.

Web link:
http://niti.gov.in/content/ngo-darpan

Is
it Mandatory to Register on NGO-Darpan?

In a recent
hearing, the Supreme Court of India had asked the Central Government
to explore the possibility of a new law to regulate fund utilization
by NGOs who receive government grants. However, instead, the
government has framed guidelines requiring NGOs and other voluntary
organisations to register with Niti Aayog
in order to receive funding under various government schemes and
thus, Niti Aayog is
now appointed as the nodal agency for the purpose of registration and
accreditation of NGOs/voluntary organisations seeking funds from the
government.

NGO-Darpan
platform is an upgraded version of a similar initiative started by
the former Planning Commission in 2006. However, back then,
registering on the Planning Commission’s platform was not
mandatory, whereas now registering on NGO-Darpan has been made
mandatory for NGOs aspiring to secure funding support under various
Government Schemes.

NGO-Darpan
requires several disclosures including the Aadhaar
number and PAN of chief executives of NGOs.

Conclusion:
Every NGO need not register on NGO-Darpan.
However, registering on NGO-Darpan has been made mandatory for NGOs
aspiring to secure funding support under various Government Schemes.