The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday issued a clarification over freezing accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and said it did not pass orders to freeze any accounts of MoC. According to an official release by the ministry, the State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts.
The MHA said that the renewal application under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) for the renewal of FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity (MoC) was refused on December 25, 2021, for not meeting the eligibility conditions under FCRA 2010 and Foreign Contribution Regulation Rules (FCRR) 2011.
The ministry also has said that no request/revision application has been received from Missionaries of Charity for review of this refusal of renewal. “Missionaries of Charity was registered under FCRA vide Registration No 147120001 and its registration was valid up to October 31, 2021. The validity was subsequently extended up to December 31, 2021, along with other FCRA Associations whose renewal applications were pending renewal,” the ministry said.
However, while considering the Missionaries of Charity’s renewal application, some adverse inputs were noticed, the ministry said. “In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of MoC was not approved. The FCRA registration of MoC was valid up to December 31, 2021. The MHA did not freeze any accounts of MoC. State Bank of India has informed that MoC itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts,” Home Ministry said.
Meanwhile, Missionaries of Charity has claimed that by freezing the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity Sisters and Brothers congregations, the government agencies have given a “cruel” Christmas gift to the poorest of the poor.
“We condemn the government action against the MC and are appalled by the timing and lack of empathy to consider the humanitarian disaster this decision will cause,” the MoC said in its statement.
The freezing of account has become a political issue now and the first reaction has come from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “Shocked to hear that on Christmas, Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food & medicines. While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised,” Banerjee, who is also TMC supremo, tweeted.
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