Bank accounts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity frozen

The Centre has frozen all bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed on Monday.

Expressing shock, Banerjee said that this move has left Missionaries of Charity's 22,000 patients and employees without food and medicines, reports Times of India.

"Shocked to hear that on Christmas, Union ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food & medicines," she tweeted.

However, the government did not freeze bank accounts operated by Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity, the Home Ministry said Monday evening, claiming that the Kolkata-based organisation had itself written to the State Bank of India asking for its accounts to be suspended.

The ministry said that on December 25 it refused to renew the organisation's FCRA, or Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, licence after being made aware of "adverse inputs".

"In consideration of these inputs on record, the renewal application of Missionaries of Charity was not approved. The FCRA registration of Missionaries of Charity was valid up to December 31, 2021," a statement from the ministry said.

"MHA did not freeze any accounts of Missionaries of Charity. State Bank of India has informed that Missionaries of Charity itself sent a request to SBI to freeze its accounts," the statement clarified.

Officials at the Missionaries of Charity have refused to comment.