Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched the new FCRA 2.0 portal and the e-OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) Card in Delhi. The government introduced both initiatives to make important services fully digital, improve transparency, reduce paperwork, and strengthen monitoring. The event took place in the presence of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, newly appointed Intelligence Bureau chief Mahesh Dixit, and other senior officials.

The FCRA 2.0 portal will make all major services under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) completely digital. Organisations will now be able to submit applications, renew registrations, file annual returns, and access other services through an end-to-end online system. The government expects the portal to speed up verification, improve compliance monitoring, and strengthen oversight of foreign funds received by organisations across the country.

Speaking at the launch, Shah said the new portal would make the process easier for organisations that receive foreign donations. He said, “It has been developed to simplify compliance under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) and to strengthen the monitoring and enforcement mechanism. All major processes related to applications, renewals, annual returns, and other services have now been made fully digital (end-to-end). At present, around 14,500 active FCRA organisations are working across the country. Every year, approximately 15,000 to 20,000 applications and about 17,000 annual returns are received. Given such a large volume, the need for a modern, technology-enabled, and secure system had been felt for a long time.”

The minister explained that the portal includes several new features to improve efficiency. These include process re-engineering, an integrated dashboard, Aadhaar-based authentication, e-Sign facility, and OCR-based document analysis. He also said, “The key provisions of the new FCRA amendment rules, 2026 have also been incorporated into it. The portal is integrated with major government databases and banks, including PAN, Aadhaar, OCI, NGO Darpan, and the ICAI’s UDIN system.”

Shah said the portal would benefit non-governmental organisations by reducing paperwork and saving time. He said, “This portal reduces paperwork, saves time, and provides a simple and more convenient experience”.

He also highlighted the advantages for the government. Shah said, “API-based integration with major databases enables faster and more accurate verification, improved compliance monitoring, and effective oversight of the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions - thereby strengthening both national security and good governance. The platform has also been designed to accommodate future features such as an AI-powered chatbot and mobile-based access.”

While speaking about the earlier FCRA system, Shah said, “Was entangled in files and procedures and was beyond proper oversight”, referring to the period before 2014. He said the government strengthened the system after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014. According to Shah, the upgraded portal will improve the ease of operations for organisations that work under FCRA. He also said the number of applications and the amount of foreign donations have increased over the years. He stressed the need to reduce paperwork and ensure real-time monitoring of foreign contributions to strengthen national security.

Shah also referred to the proposed new FCRA law, which the government is likely to introduce during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. He said, “Due to the FCRA law, monitoring on foreign contributions coming in with wrong intentions will increase”.

Along with the FCRA 2.0 portal, Shah launched the new e-OCI Card. The initiative aims to make OCI services fully digital for the global Indian diaspora. The government expects the new system to benefit more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders.

Speaking about the new service, Shah said, “The electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) card is a major citizen-centric initiative aimed at transforming OCI services for the global Indian diaspora through a fully digital system. Under this system, applicants can complete the entire OCI process online - from submitting the application and uploading supporting documents to downloading the digitally generated card after approval. Existing cardholders can also obtain their e-OCI card digitally in most cases without needing a fresh application or physical verification,” he added.

The new e-OCI system also removes the need to reissue the OCI booklet when a cardholder receives a new passport after turning 20 years old. However, cardholders must update their passport details online whenever they receive a new passport. Shah said, “Under the new arrangement, the requirement to re-issue the OCI booklet upon receiving a new passport after the age of 20 years has been eliminated. However, cardholders will need to update their passport-related details online whenever a new passport is issued,” he said.

Shah also explained how the government would benefit from the new digital OCI system. He said, “completely online processing, reduced paperwork and administrative costs, strengthened data management and centralised tracking”, besides integration with digital immigration systems for real-time verification at airports.

He added, “This results in better identity verification, enhanced security, and reduced risk of fraud,” he said.

The government expects both the FCRA 2.0 portal and the e-OCI Card to improve efficiency, simplify services, reduce paperwork, strengthen digital governance, and support better monitoring through technology.