(1) Save as otherwise provided in this Act, no person having a definite cultural, economic, educational, religious or social programme shall accept foreign contribution unless such person obtains a certificate of registration from the Central Government:
Provided that any association registered with the Central Government under section 6 or granted prior permission under that section of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 (49 of 1976), as it stood immediately before the commencement of this Act, shall be deemed to have been registered or granted prior permission, as the case may be, under this Act and such registration shall be valid for a period of five years from the date on which this section comes into force.
(2) Every person referred to in sub-section (1) may, if it is not registered with the Central Government under that sub-section, accept any foreign contribution only after obtaining the prior permission of the Central Government and such prior permission shall be valid for the specific purpose for which it is obtained and from the specific source:
[Provided that the Central Government, on the basis of any information or report, and after holding a summary inquiry, has reason to believe that a person who has been granted prior permission has contravened any of the provisions of this Act, it may, pending any further inquiry, direct that such person shall not utilise the unutilised foreign contribution or receive the remaining portion of foreign contribution which has not been received or, as the case may be, any additional foreign contribution, without prior approval of the Central Government:
Provided further that if the person referred to in sub-section (1) or in this sub-section has been found guilty] of violation of any of the provisions of this Act or the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 (49 of 1976), the unutilised or unreceived amount of foreign contribution shall not be utilised or received, as the case may be, without the prior approval of the Central Government.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify
(i) the person or class of persons who shall obtain its prior permission before accepting the foreign contribution; or
(ii) the area or areas in which the foreign contribution shall be accepted and utilised with the prior permission of the Central Government; or
(iii) the purpose or purposes for which the foreign contribution shall be utilised with the prior permission of the Central Government; or/
(iv) the source or sources from which the foreign contribution shall be accepted with the prior permission of the Central Government.