Home Ministry Withdraws FCRA Registration of Centre for Policy Research

Background

The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is a leading public policy research institution in New Delhi. It was established in 1973 and has been involved in various projects related to governance, urbanisation, environment, international relations, and social policy.

Cancellation of FCRA Registration

The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registration of CPR on January 10, 2024. The FCRA registration enabled CPR to receive foreign donations for its activities. The Ministry had suspended the FCRA registration of CPR on February 27, 2023, for a period of 180 days, which was later extended.

Reasons for Cancellation

The Home Ministry has accused CPR of violating the provisions of the FCRA by:

• Publishing current affairs programmes on topics such as the Commission of Air Quality Management Act, 2021, and the policy challenges for the new government. The Ministry claimed that publishing current affairs programmes using foreign funding is prohibited under Section 3 of the FCRA .
• Diverting foreign funds to non-FCRA entities to fund protests and legal battles against development projects, such as coal mines and plants. The Ministry alleged that CPR funded paralegals for filing litigations against these projects, which hampered India’s economic interests .
• Depositing foreign funds received under FCRA in non-designated accounts, which is a violation of the FCRA .

Response of CPR

CPR has confirmed that it received the order for FCRA cancellation on January 10, 2024. It has not issued any official statement on the matter yet. However, some sources from CPR have said that they will challenge the order in court and that they have not violated any rules of the FCRA.