Amit Shah Rolls Out FCRA 2.0 Portal For Foreign Funds, Digital OCI Card

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday launched the upgraded Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) 2.0 Portal and the fully digital Electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) Card system, describing the initiatives as major steps toward improving citizen services while strengthening transparency and oversight. The launch forms part of the government’s broader push to modernise governance through technology.

Addressing officials at the launch event, Shah said the revamped FCRA 2.0 Portal will digitise the entire foreign contribution management process, including registration, renewals, compliance filings, and annual returns. The platform has been integrated with databases such as Aadhaar, PAN, OCI, and NGO Darpan to enable quicker verification, real-time monitoring, and improved regulatory compliance. He said the technology-driven system would make procedures easier for legitimate organisations while strengthening surveillance against misuse of foreign funds.

According to government officials, nearly 14,500 active FCRA-registered organisations currently operate across India, with thousands of applications and compliance filings processed each year. Shah said the previous system relied heavily on manual paperwork and lengthy procedures, whereas the new portal is designed to enhance efficiency, reduce delays, improve transparency, and support national security by enabling more effective monitoring of foreign contributions.

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The Home Minister also introduced the Electronic Overseas Citizen of India (e-OCI) Card, which will digitise the entire OCI application and management process for the Indian diaspora. Applicants will now be able to complete every stage online—from submitting applications and uploading supporting documents to downloading their approved OCI card electronically—eliminating the need for physical documentation in most cases.

A significant feature of the new e-OCI system is the removal of the requirement for OCI cardholders above the age of 20 to obtain a new OCI booklet whenever a fresh passport is issued. Instead, passport details can now be updated digitally through the online platform, reducing paperwork and making the process more convenient for millions of overseas Indians.

Officials said the digital OCI ecosystem is expected to benefit more than 50 lakh OCI cardholders worldwide by enabling faster verification, smoother immigration processing, and reduced risks associated with lost or damaged physical documents. Shah said both the FCRA 2.0 Portal and the e-OCI Card reflect the government’s commitment to using technology to improve public service delivery while reinforcing transparency, efficiency, and security.

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