FCRA licence of think tank Centre for Policy Research suspended

NEW DELHI: The Centre has suspended the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the public policy think tank Centre for Policy Research (CPR), sources said on Wednesday.

It is learnt that the FCRA licence of the think tank was suspended last week following prima-facie inputs regarding the violation of such funding norms.

The Centre for Policy Research is a non-profit dedicated to conducting research that contributes to better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India.

It is learnt that the license was under scrutiny after Income Tax surveys on CPR and Oxfam India in September last year.

Oxfam's FCRA licence was revoked in January 2022, after which the NGO filed a revision petition with the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the CPR's license citing non-compliance of FCRA norms, said the sources.

As per a senior government official, review and renewal applications of several NGOs and organisations are still under process and several licences have been revoked or have lapsed in the past six months.

Earlier this year, more than 6,000 NGOs whose licenses were withdrawn had approached the Supreme Court seeking relief. However, the apex court turned down their pleas.

To receive foreign grants, NGOs must register with the MHA, which assigns a unique FCRA registration number, to be renewed every five years.

The MHA in September last year extended the validity of FCRA registration of all non-governmental organisations (NGO) till March 31, 2023.

FCRA registrations are renewed every five years and a large number of NGOs became eligible for renewal in October 2021. After the passage of new FCRA law in September 2020, the MHA has extended the deadline multiple times, the latest deadline being Match 31, 2023.