Daily Times

Social Welfare Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Blue Veins, a local NGO, established a help desk and helpline to facilitate NGOs to improve legal compliance and get registered with KP Charity Commission and obtain NOC from Home and Tribal Affairs. After the promulgation of the Act in 2019, every charity is bound to get itself registered with the registering authority and would not collect charitable funds or seek collection of the charitable funds unless it is registered under the law. The Charities Act imposes criminal proceedings against the non-compliance of registration with the charity commission.

Registration could be obtained by applying through an online portal so far only 224 NPOs in KP obtained registration under category A 67, B under category B 88 while under category C 69 NPOs obtained the registration.

The majority of NGOs failed to apply because they have poor documentation, little internet expertise, poor connections and majority community-based organization does not even have required equipment’s such a laptop or scanner available. To facilitate the NPOs training workshops are in progress to facilitate NPOs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve compliance with KP Charity Commission Act and Increase awareness and understanding of Procedures about obtaining provincial No Objection Certificate (NOCs).

Habib Khan Afridi Director Social Welfare Department said establishment of help desk, helpline and training workshops will increase knowledge and capacity of NPOs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on NGOs’ regulatory mechanisms and procedures especially at the grassroots level and to improve the existing compliance needs. Qamar Naseem program Coordinator Blue Veins and member of the KP government’s NGOs de-registration and reinstatement review board said healthy state and NGOs relationship is key to sustainable development.