NEW DELHI, Jan 17: The Centre for Policy Research (CPR), a preeminent institute for public policy research in New Delhi, has had its registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) revoked by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) due to purported violations of specific foreign financing guidelines. Yamini Aiyar, President of CPR, stated, “The FCRA has been cancelled via order received on January 10 and the institution will weigh its options to seek justice.” One of the reasons for the termination, according to the MHA, was reports on “current affairs programmes” that were released by CPR. The FCRA registration of CPR was suspended for 180 days, and then the suspension was extended for an additional 180 days. The MHA took action about a year later. In February of last year, the MHA suspended CPR’s FCRA licence. Since its founding in 1973, the CPR has been a preeminent policy think tank, focusing on the problems facing India in the twenty-first century while doing sophisticated and in-depth research on a broad range of policy-relevant topics. The Income Tax administration carried out a “survey” operation against CPR and two other charities earlier in September 2022 as part of an investigation into their foreign funding. The organisations were Oxfam India and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), situated in Bengaluru. Due to MHA’s refusal to renew its FCRA licence in December 2021, Oxfam India’s foreign funding is likewise barred in India. In parallel, Oxfam India is being looked at by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Subsequently, the CPR challenged the suspension of its licence in the Delhi High Court.The MHA then argued that CPR should no longer receive foreign funds because of worries that the organisation would receive donations from outside for unfavourable uses that may harm the nation’s economic interests. The MHA had further charged that the CPR had violated the FCRA by moving foreign contributions to other organisations and depositing them in non-designated accounts.
