MHA cancels FCRA registration of CPR for charging violation of norms

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of New Delhi's leading public policy research institute, Centre for Policy Research (CPR) for allegedly violating certain foreign funding norms.

"The FCRA has been cancelled via order received on January 10" and the institution will weigh its options to seek justice," Yamini Aiyar, President, CPR said while speaking to ANI.

The MHA cited reports published by CPR on "current affairs programmes" as one of the reasons for the cancellation.

The MHA's action comes almost a year after CPR's FCRA registration was suspended for 180 days and then the suspension was extended for another 180 days. The MHA suspended the FCRA licence of CPR in February last year.

The CPR has been a leading policy think-tank since 1973, which conducts advanced and in-depth research on a wide range of policy-relevant issues, with a focus on India's 21st-century challenges.

Earlier in September 2022, the Income Tax department conducted a 'survey' operation against CPR, and two other organisations-- Oxfam India and a Bengaluru-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) -- as part of a probe to look into their foreign funding.

Oxfam India's foreign funding is also blocked in India as MHA, in December 2021, refused to renew its FCRA licence. Parallelly, the Central Bureau of Investigation is also investigating Oxfam India.

The CPR then filed a challenge in the Delhi High Court against the suspension of its license too.

The MHA then contended that CPR's foreign funding should be ceased due to concerns about receiving foreign contributions for undesirable purposes that could impact the country's economic interests.

The MHA had further accused the CPR of transferring foreign contributions to other entities and depositing them in non-designated accounts, violating the FCRA.