Babus and netas travelling abroad may not enjoy unbridled “foreign hospitality” unless on private sojourns.
Panel’s bid to limit unbridled foreign hospitality on official trips not music to ears of babus and netas
NEW DELHI: Babus and netas travelling abroad may not enjoy unbridled “foreign hospitality” unless on private sojourns.
An official visit could be subject to strict norms and regulations as suggested a high-level parliamentary committee on home affairs.
The committee’s recommendation was in response to a review of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Bill, 2006 which is pending before parliament. “The restriction on acceptance of foreign hospitality as enshrined in Clause 6 of the Bill should appropriately apply to a person when travelling to a foreign country in one’s official capacity,” the panel has suggested.
Interestingly, the committee initially mulled over the possibility of introducing a self-regulatory mechanism by which availing foreign hospitality was to be left to the “judgment” of an individual. But it stopped short of recommending such a provision.
The Bill that aims at regulating the use of foreign contributions to avoid diversion of such aid for anti-national acts had also sought to bring under scanner the diversion of foreign aid by a registered NGO to smaller outfits particularly at the rural levels. This was being done in the face of reports of misuse of funds. But the parliamentary panel felt the other way round.
The total prohibition of transfer of foreign contribution to any other person was made in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976, in 1984. Although the home ministry recently took action against a large number of non-governmental organisations for transferring funds to smaller organisations, the committee felt that continuation of such restriction in the new law would hurt the interests of the smaller groups working in remotest parts of the country.
“They would not get funds, unless registered or have obtained prior permission and they will become victims of red-tape,” the committee felt. It recommended necessary amendments should be made in the proposed Bill by which an organisation intending to transfer funds to smaller ones should obtain a prior permission from the Centre.
Recently, the government prohibited 45 associations from receiving foreign contributions due to this reason. In a similar manner, 26 other organisations were prohibited under prior permission category while 17 cases with serious charges were referred for CBI probe.
In another significant move, the committee observed that the existing definition of ‘foreign source’ was vague and needed clarity. Accordingly, it recommended that Indian companies with foreign holding exceeding 50% should be excluded from the purview of the definition of ‘foreign sources’.
a_anil@dnaindia.net
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}