A friend sent me a mail giving details of funds received in 2006-07 from the Western world, primarily the Christian countries of USA, UK, Germany and Spain. That got me wondering! Why are these countries pouring thousands of crores into India? If it is because many Indians are poor, then are there no poor or afflicted people in their own countries?

Questions like these and media reports of conversions to Christianity in Orissa prompted me to do a google search on the subject.

Inward remittances by NGO’s are governed by the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 1976 or FCRA for short [for more visit http://www.mha.nic.in/fcra.htm]. I found the Ministry of Home Affairs Reports for the years 2003-04 to 2006-07.

The key points are:

* Between 1993-94 and 2006-07 a sum of Rs 64,670 cr. was the sum of Foreign Contributions received into India by organizations registered with the Home Ministry Govt of India and who filed their declarations. 

* Total funds received per annum have gone up from Rs 1865 to 12290 cr. (1993-94 to 2006-07) i.e. an increase of 650%! 

* The % of Associations submitting details of foreign contributions has fallen from 66% in 1997-98 to 56% in 2006-07. That means that the actual amount of foreign contributions received is much higher than the reported Rs 12,290 cr. in 2006-07.

* Foreign contributions have increased by over 100% since UPA came to power. 

* Top remitting countries are USA, Germany and UK. Amounts remitted between 2002-03 to 2006-07 are Rs 10,589 cr., Rs 5,233 cr. and Rs 4,612 cr. 

* Top Donor Agencies in these years are Western - read Christian - except for a contribution from Liaison Office Dalai Lama Japan in 2006-07. 

* Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra are top receivers of foreign contributions.

* Tamil Nadu receipts jumped from Rs 775 cr. in 2002-03 to Rs 2244 cr. in 2006-07, nearly a 200% increase! 

* Chennai, Ranchi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Uttara Kanada, Hyderabad are amongst the districts who received maximum foreign contributions. 

* Many districts of Tamil Nadu received over Rs 100 cr. each in 2006-07. 

* Key donors do not appear from the Muslim world. Means they are remitting in large sums through the Hawala route or not remitting in large numbers.  

Table 1: Trends of Foreign Contributions

 
1] Total funds received between 1993-94 have gone up from Rs 1865 to 12290 cr. i.e. an increase of 650%. 

2] The % of Associations submitting details of foreign contributions has fallen from 66% in 1997-98 to 56% in 2006-07. That means that the actual amount of foreign contributions received is much higher than the reported Rs 12,290 cr. It would be interesting to know what action Home and Finance Ministries takes against organizations that do not submit details of contributions received.  

3] Is it a matter of coincidence or irony that foreign contributions have increased by over 100% after the UPA government has come to power in 2004? Note that Tsunami hit Tamil Nadu in December 2004.

    
Table 3: Top Donor Agencies (Rs. in crores)

In 2006-07, of the top fifteen donors the only one with an Indian sounding name was M/s Om Foundation Inc. USA Rs 97 cr. Except for the Dalai Lama, the others appear to be Christian organizations. The same is the case with top donors in 2005-06.

 
Table 4: State Wise receipts of Foreign Contributions 2002 to 2007 (Rs. in cr.)*

*Taken from various annual reports published by the Ministry of Home Govt of India. The purpose of highlighting various numbers in bold for different years are to bring to your attention the increase in foreign contributions received by individual states.

Table 5: Top Recipient Districts of Foreign Contributions 2002 to 2007 (Rs. in cr.)*

Table 2: Top Remitting Countries Rs cr.