Chhattarpur: The Union Home Ministry has granted Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration to Baba Bageshwar Dham, a religious organisation led by Madhya Pradesh-based spiritual leader Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, who has advocated for the establishment of a ‘Hindu Rashtra’.
Ministry of Home Affairs has granted registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act to Madhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur-based Bageshwar Dham Jan Seva Samiti, a religious body led by spiritual guru Dhirendra Krishna Shastri.
— ANI (@ANI) April 16, 2026
Registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) is mandatory for any non-governmental organisation (NGO) or association seeking to receive foreign donations.
NGOs are permitted to receive foreign contributions for social, educational, religious, economic, and cultural programmes, and may be registered under one or more of these categories.
The Shri Bageshwar Jan Seva Samiti in Gadha, Chhattarpur, Madhya Pradesh, has been registered under the ‘Religious (Hindu)’ category, in addition to cultural, economic, educational, and social segments.
As of April 15, a total of 38 NGOs have been granted FCRA registration, of which six have listed ‘Religious (Hindu)’ among their intended programmes for receiving foreign funds. Besides Bageshwar Dham, those registered under this category include Ramakrishna Mission centres at Bolpur in West Bengal and Purnea in Bihar, Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, Shri Kshetra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, and Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
An FCRA registration remains valid for five years, after which an NGO must apply for renewal. Since 2015, the registrations of over 18,000 NGOs have been cancelled, and as of April 15, 14,538 FCRA-registered NGOs remain active across the country.
During the Budget session of Parliament, which concluded on April 2, the Central government proposed introducing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to amend the 2010 law.
