WHY REGISTER AS AN NGO?
Registration of a charitable organization has several advantages. It adds to the general
credibility and reliability of the organization and aids in formalisin a corporate identity.
Complexity in Registration
Unfortunately, there is complexity and bureaucracy around this process and charitable
organizations often feel burdened and stifled by the various legislation and authorities
governing them.
- At the state level, it is the Charity Commissioner of the Registrar of Societies which
registers a charity
- At the federal level, it is the Income Tax Act which has the authority to register a
charity
- If the organization receives foreign contribution, the Home Ministry also begins to
exercise its jurisdiction.
Also, the various Trusts Act and the Societies Registration Act have, to an extent, become
dated. For example, the Societies Registration Act is even older than the Indian National
Congress and has been a product of the historic Revolt of 1857. Both the Acts are not
designed to cover the wide and varied activities of modern developmental organizations.