The Indian government has canceled the license of a large think tank, Central for Policy Research (CPR), to receive foreign funding for violating rules.
The Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license of the Central for Policy Research (CPR) has been canceled for allegedly violating the provisions of foreign funding, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.
People familiar with the matter gave this information.
Let us tell you that the license of CPR was suspended only a year ago. CPR’s FCRA license was suspended for 180 days in February last year.
But later its suspension was extended again for 180 days. But now it has been cancelled.
Sources said that the decision to cancel the FCRA license of CPR was taken last week and the organization has also been informed in this regard.
Delhi-based CPR is a well-known policy think tank. It was established in 1973. It is known for its in-depth research on policy issues keeping in mind the challenges of India’s 21st century.
Let us tell you that before this, CPR has also come on the radar of Income Tax. The Income Tax Department had conducted a ‘survey’ campaign in September 2022 at two places including the Center for Policy Research (CPR) regarding foreign funding. CPR had moved the Delhi High Court against the suspension of its license.
In response, the government told the court that ‘foreign funding of CPR needed to be stopped as it was receiving foreign assistance for “wrong purposes”.
This was likely to affect the economic interests of the country. It alleged that CPR also diverted its foreign donations to other organizations and deposited the money received from abroad in ‘unknown’ accounts in violation of the FCRA.
Apart from CPR, Oxfam India and Bengaluru-based media foundation – Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) have also come under scrutiny over their foreign funding.
Oxfam India’s foreign funding is also blocked in India. The Ministry of External Affairs had refused to renew its FCRA license in December 2021. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also investigating Oxfam India.