Sonam Kapoor's brother-in-law under lens over $750K USAID funding to NGO

The USAID grant, awarded in 2020, was given to the Good Business Lab, co-founded by Ahuja, the brother of Kapoor's husband, Anand Ahuja

Amid growing scrutiny over the funding of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a Republican representative has raised concerns about a $750,000 grant provided by the agency to an NGO linked to Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor's brother-in-law, Anant Ahuja, for a project aimed at reducing loneliness among migrant workers in India.

 

The issue was brought to attention during a USAID funding hearing by the US House Oversight Committee on Wednesday. A viral video posted by Representative Nancy Mace has sparked controversy over the grant, which amounts to approximately Rs 6.56 crore. The video, captioned "USAID is too busy playing global good Samaritan to advance American interests," questions whether such foreign aid aligns with US priorities.

 

The grant, awarded in 2020, was given to the Good Business Lab (GBL), co-founded by Ahuja, the brother of Kapoor’s husband, Anand Ahuja. According to a social media post, Ahuja serves as CEO and Co-Founder of GBL, a not-for-profit labour innovation lab focused on aligning worker well-being with business interests through research-based programs.

 

The funding was intended to support migrant garment workers in India, particularly addressing the social isolation and mental health challenges faced by young female workers. USAID’s official page notes that the grant funded a randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 1,000 female junior factory workers across six factories. The programme paired these workers with senior colleagues to provide mentorship and emotional support, aiming to assist India’s vast rural-to-urban migrant workforce — estimated at 120 million — cope with the social and psychological challenges of migration.

 

According to USAID, if successful, the model could be expanded to benefit the 150,000 workers at Shahi Exports, India’s largest exporter of ready-made garments, and potentially influence broader industry mental health initiatives. Shahi Exports is owned by Harish Ahuja, the father-in-law of Sonam Kapoor.

 

The funding is now under intense scrutiny amid political tensions over USAID's spending. Reports suggest that officials from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attempted to halt the agency’s fund transfers, raising concerns about political interference. There have also been allegations that funds appropriated by Congress were being withheld to serve political agendas.

 

What is the USAID issue?

 

USAID has become the focal point of a political debate after the Trump administration suggested it might be shut down as an independent agency and absorbed into the State Department. Critics, including Trump and Musk, have accused the agency of wasteful spending. The White House has criticised USAID’s expenditure, citing examples such as $70,000 for a DEI musical in Ireland, $7,000 for a transgender opera in Colombia, and $32,000 for a transgender comic book in Peru.