The Centre for Policy Research (CPR), diverted foreign donations to fund “protests and legal battles against developmental projects” and misutilised foreign contributions to “affect India’s economic interests”, a source in the government said on Wednesday. The government accused the think tank of violating the foreign fund norms as it engaged in the production of current affairs programmes, including ‘Overview on the Commission for Air Quality Management Act 2021, policy challenges for the new government’.
The government said publishing current affairs programmes using foreign funds is prohibited under Section 3 of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The said section prohibits acceptance of foreign funds by political parties, public servants, judges, journalists, and the publisher of a registered newspaper or a company engaged in the production or broadcast of audio news or audio visual news or current affairs programmes through any electronic mode.
The CPR said in a statement that the Ministry’s decision was incomprehensible and disproportionate, and some of the reasons provided challenged the very basis of the functioning of a research institution. “This includes the publication on our website of policy reports emanating from our research being equated with current affairs programming,” the CPR said.
As reported first by The Hindu on Wednesday, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on January 10 cancelled CPR’s FCRA registration, making the organisation ineligible to receive foreign donations. The CPR is a leading public policy research institution in New Delhi.
Citing the details of the order, the source said that the CPR’s FCRA registration certificate was cancelled due to several violations of the FCRA, 2010.
“CPR is registered under the Act for carrying out educational activities. However, CPR used foreign funding for litigation activities. Some of the beneficiaries of CPR are also involved in protests against development projects, including coal mines,” the source said.
The source alleged that the CPR diverted foreign donations to a non-FCRA entity to fund protests and legal battles against development projects. “Foreign funding was used to fund paralegals for filing litigations. Funds found to be used for litigation matters include cases against coal mines/plants,” the source added.
The CPR firmly reiterated that it’s in complete compliance with the law, and has been cooperating fully and exhaustively at every step of the process. “We remain steadfast in our belief that this matter will be resolved in line with constitutional values and guarantees,” the research institution said.
“During the tenure of our suspension, we sought and obtained interim redress from the honourable Delhi High Court and will continue to seek recourse in all avenues possible,” the CPR said.
This cancellation comes after a decision to suspend the FCRA status in February 2023. These actions followed an Income Tax “survey” that took place in September 2022. The actions have had a debilitating impact on the institution’s ability to function by choking all sources of funding. “This has undermined the institution’s ability to pursue its well established objective of producing high quality, globally recognised research on policy matters, which it has been recognised for over its 50 years’ existence,” CPR said.
The Congress party said it was sad as well as amusing that a think tank of scholars should scare the Narendra Modi government, which often boasts about leading the nation to a global super power status.
“The Narendra Modi government feared CPR for its uprightness and has resorted to a vindictive act of snuffing its funding by terminating its Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence,” All India Professionals Congress chairman Praveen Chakravarty said in a statement.
“It is an extraordinarily petty act of cowardice by an insecure, thick-skinned government that ironically craves for international acknowledgment and respect. Glitzy shows of G-20, ubiquitous posters of the Prime Minister and hugging world leaders are not what will propel India to the global stage. Instead, respect for institutions, fostering freedom of expression and a scientific temper of tolerance are what will earn reverence and goodwill for our nation,” Mr. Chakravarty added.
Such action (as seen against the CPR), he said, will “deal a death blow” to India’s rich tradition of scholarship and rigorous thought by sending a signal to all other scholars and their institutions. “It is a matter of shame for us that the mighty government of India should be so timid to feel bullied by a group of scholars and their research,” Mr. Chakravarty said.
