Registration of NGO in India:

Trust

One of the ways in which an NGO can be registered is Trust or more commonly called Charitable trust. Trust is a legal entity created by the “trustor” or “settlor” who transfers the assets to the second party or “trustee” for the benefit of the third party or “beneficiary”. Trusts are formed to help and support the deprived sections of the society. Any group of individuals can register a trust and in India as such there are no specific laws to govern the public trust, however, some states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have their own Public Trust Act.

Societies

A society is an entity that can be created by a group of individuals united in their cause for promoting science, arts, literature, social welfare and useful information. In addition, societies work for creating military orphan funds, maintaining public museum and libraries

Societies are governed by the Societies Registration Act, 1860. They must be registered with the respective state Registrar of Societies to be eligible for tax exemption.

Section 8 Companies

A Section 8 company is similar to a trust and society. The objectives of a Section 8 Companies are to promote arts, science, commerce, sports, social welfare, religion, charity and environmental protection. They are registered under the Companies Act, 2013 for charitable purpose. They have better credibility among government bodies, donors and other stakeholders.

In India, anybody is free to do social activities without forming an association or organization. But when an individual wants to create a group that involves volunteers, activities, and resources, it becomes important to have proper management in place. To run such companies, trusts and Societies in the correct manner, a certain set of rules need to be followed.