Kathmandu, June 16

Ministry of Home Affairs on June 14 issued a circular to all 77 district administration offices, directing them to seek the property details of office-bearers of I/NGOs operating in their concerned areas.

However, experts have claimed that government’s decision is arbitrary.

According to Om Prakash Aryal, an advocate, there is no law that compels I/NGO office bearers to make their property details public.

Advocate Aryal told The Himalayan Times that the government could not ask for property details without making necessary law.

Even in the case of government officials, there is no such law that compels them to make their property details public.

In the same way, human rights activist Subodh Pyakurel said that all I/NGOs were operating under the Organisation Registration Act. “It is the responsibility of Social Welfare Council to monitor and inspect the activities of I/NGOs, if required,” he added.

“The government should formulate a mechanism to monitor activities of I/NGOs, but it is not necessary to seek property details of staffers,” he said.

Stating that anomalies had arisen in the activities of NGOs and INGOs due to lack of oversight by the government, a meeting between Minister of Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa and Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Tham Maya Thapa had decided to tighten the noose on I/NGOs on June 8.

In response to the decision, as many as 12 NGOs and civil organisations, including NGO Federation of Nepal, have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the decision taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs to tighten the noose on the I/NGOs operating in Nepal.

According to MoHA though there are around 47,000 NGOs and 200 INGOs registered with the Social Welfare Council under the MoWCSS, many of them have not renewed their registration for years. The government has also decided not to renew the registration of I/NGOs involved in corruption, political activism and conversion.