FCRA registration of Centre for Policy Research cancelled by MHA

The government has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of prominent public think-tank, Centre for Policy Research for alleged violation of laws, officials said on Wednesday. The move came nearly a year after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had suspended the NGO's registration under the FCRA.

The think-tank was under scrutiny after surveys carried out by the Income Tax department.

The MHA has cancelled the FCRA registration of the NGO for alleged violations of the provisions of the foreign funding law.The FCRA licence was suspended in February 2023 for 180 days and then the suspension was extended for another 180 days.

According to its website, the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) has been one of India's leading public policy think-tanks since 1973.

It says that it is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about issues that impact life in India.

The donors of the CPR included the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, World Bank, Ford Foundation, Brown University besides others, officials said.

The former members of the CPR governing body include former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former chief justice of India late Y V Chandrachud, veteran journalist late B G Verghese.

When the CPR challenged its suspension in the Delhi High Court, the MHA had argued that the CPR's foreign funding needed to be stopped as it was receiving its foreign contributions for "undesirable purposes" likely to affect the country's economic interest.

The MHA alleged that the CPR transferred foreign contributions to other entities and deposited the contributions in non-designated accounts in violation of FCRA.

When contacted, CPR president and Chief Executive Yamini Aiyar said the NGO will soon issue a statement.