Govt for transparency in utilisation of funds by NGOs

New Delhi: Pitching for greater accountability and transparency in utilisation of funds by NGOs, the government on Tuesday said it supports punishing those found guilty of such misconduct. Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawar Chand Gehlot told Lok Sabha that 26 cases of alleged misuse of funds by NGOs have come to light. [caption id=“attachment_1650535” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PTI[/caption] Responding to a supplementary, he said a probe is on against Dr Zakir Hussain Memorial Trust and if need be an FIR would be lodged. Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid is associated with the trust. The complaint against the trust relates to non submission of documents in respect of utilisation of grants in aid released during 2010-11, the Minister said. Replying to another supplementary, he said at times while the Centre finds faults with an NGO, the state government gives a contrary report leading to delays in finalising charges. Gehlot said there is a provision of annual and six-monthly appraisal by central government on the functioning of NGOs. He also said government seeks to have a better say on issues like misutilisation of funds and is examining possible “flaws” in the present system to curb such practices. The Minister said in the event of “proven misappropriation” of funds by an NGO, the Ministry initiates action to blacklist that organisation. PTI