NGO Darpan: how to get your NITI Aayog Darpan ID

NGO Darpan is an online portal run by NITI Aayog, the Government of India’s policy think tank, where non-profit organisations sign up to get a unique Darpan ID. Central ministries and departments require the ID from any NGO that applies to them for a grant, and banks must make sure their NGO customers are registered on it. The portal, at ngodarpan.gov.in, now also calls itself NPO Darpan.

Signing up is done online, using the organisation’s PAN and registration details. It takes some preparation: scanned founding documents, the PAN and Aadhaar of office-bearers, an affidavit and an independent witness.

This guide explains what Darpan is and isn’t, who needs an ID, what to have ready, how to sign up step by step, how to keep your details current, and how to fix the problems that most often hold people up. It is for founders and staff of trusts, societies and Section 8 companies.

What NGO Darpan is

NGO Darpan is run by NITI Aayog’s Voluntary Action Cell. It is a directory of voluntary organisations and NGOs, meant to make it easier for them to work with government ministries and departments, and its ID is what government grant schemes check. A new version of the portal has been launched, and its pages and login now use the name “NPO Darpan” (for non-profit organisation); the address is still ngodarpan.gov.in.

It is large. More than 5 lakh non-profits had signed up, according to NITI Aayog’s annual report for 2025-26, which adds that about 49 central ministries and departments have released grants to NGOs under central schemes.

Who needs a Darpan ID

NITI Aayog also says the ID is needed “for seeking exemptions under 80-G”, the old name for approval for donors’ deduction (now Section 354 of the Income-tax Act, 2025). We found no Darpan field or requirement in the Income Tax Department’s own application form, so treat that as NITI’s guidance rather than an income-tax rule. Either way, a new NGO is better off getting its ID early.

What a Darpan ID isn’t

A Darpan ID doesn’t create your NGO, give it tax exemption or certify its work:

• It isn’t a legal registration. Your organisation exists because it is registered as a trust, society or Section 8 company. Darpan records that registration; it doesn’t replace it.
• It isn’t a tax registration. Exemption and donors’ deduction come from the Income Tax Department (see income-tax registration for NGOs).
• It isn’t a mark of quality. The affidavit every NGO signs when it registers says that NITI Aayog relies on the affidavit, and that registration on the portal isn’t proof or verification of the organisation’s authenticity or legality.

So never describe a Darpan ID as government approval, and don’t treat another NGO’s ID as evidence that it is well run. Funders do their own checks.

What to have ready

The portal’s instructions ask for colour scans, in PDF, of the original documents:

• the registration certificate and the complete memorandum of association or trust deed, clearly showing the stamp or e-signature of the registering authority (Registrar of Societies, sub-registrar, Charity Commissioner or Registrar of Companies);
• the organisation’s bye-laws or rules;
• a certified list of the present governing body;
• the latest resolution, if there is one.

Documents in a language other than Hindi or English need a translation into Hindi or English, attested by the head of the organisation, merged with the original into a single PDF.

You’ll also need:

• the organisation’s PAN, which is checked online, and its name exactly as it appears on the PAN card;
• the PAN and Aadhaar numbers of the office-bearers (the chair or president, secretary, treasurer or equivalent posts), which are also checked online; at least one office-bearer must be listed;
• an email address and mobile number that belong to the organisation, not to a consultant or another organisation: the portal warns that using another organisation’s contact details leads to cancellation;
• an independent witness for the affidavit: someone who isn’t an office-bearer or related to one.

How to sign up, step by step

1. Open the sign-up form on ngodarpan.gov.in and enter the organisation’s name as per its PAN, an email address and a mobile number. Both become your login IDs.
2. Enter the registration details: the organisation’s PAN, its registration number, whether the registration has ever been renewed (and if so, the date of the latest renewal) and the date of registration.
3. Add the other details: the type of non-profit, the state and district of registration, the registering authority, the Act it is registered under and the number of members.
4. Confirm and verify. Tick the confirmation, enter the captcha and generate the one-time passwords (OTPs). Enter the OTPs sent to the mobile number and the email address, and submit.
5. Log in. The portal emails a system-generated password. Log in with it and set a new, secure password at once.
6. Complete the registration. Fill in the profile: the registered and correspondence addresses, the chief functionary’s details, the office-bearers and key functionaries with their PAN and Aadhaar, the areas and sectors you work in, and your achievements. Upload the documents. People whose Aadhaar numbers are given must agree to it; the portal asks you to confirm that you have their consent.
7. Sign the affidavit. The portal generates an affidavit in which the chief functionary declares that the details are true, that the office-bearers and key functionaries are real people and not benami (fronts for someone else), and that the organisation will follow the FCRA, the money-laundering rules and the Income-tax Act. Add the independent witness’s details, e-sign and make the final submission.

The portal warns that registration isn’t complete, and no Darpan ID is generated, until every step is done. If you give false or misleading information, NITI Aayog can suspend or cancel the ID without notice.

Keeping your details current

A Darpan profile is only useful if it matches your other documents. Update it when:

• office-bearers or key functionaries change, after a board election or a new appointment;
• your registered or correspondence address changes;
• your registration is renewed, where your state’s law requires renewal;
• you start working in new districts, states or sectors.

If you got a Darpan ID on the older version of the portal, log in with your PAN, Darpan ID, email or mobile number, and check that every section of the profile is complete. Look at it once a year in any case, and before you apply for a grant.

Common problems and how to fix them

Where Darpan fits in your first year

Get the Darpan ID once your organisation is registered and has its own PAN, ideally before you open the bank account, because the bank will look for it. You’ll need it before you apply for any central government grant or for FCRA registration, and CSR teams will expect it in your document pack. Our first-year checklist shows where it fits among the other registrations, and grants from foundations and government explains how government grants work.

The Academy’s Starting an NGO course covers Darpan alongside CSR-1 in its chapter on what to do after registration.