Oxfam India’s FCRA license was suspended in January last year.
New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Oxfam India and its office-bearers for allegedly violating provisions of India’s foreign funding rules and is conducting searches at the NGO’s offices. Officials gave this information on Wednesday.
Oxfam India received around Rs 1.5 crore between 2013 and 2016 directly into its Foreign Contribution Utility account instead of a designated bank account, according to a complaint filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs with the agency. The Center for Policy Research (CPR) violated the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 rules in the financial year 2019-20.
The CBI said it acted on a complaint by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which had suspended Oxfam India’s FCRA license in January last year.
The complaint also mentions that Oxfam India was planning to bypass the FCRA by transferring funds to other associations or for-profit consulting firms. The CBI said it had seized several emails from the office of Oxfam India during a search operation last year.
Oxfam India is a part of the global federation of Oxfam, which works on issues such as poverty, inequality, gender justice and climate change. The NGO has denied any wrongdoing and said it is cooperating with the authorities.
“Oxfam India is cooperating with all government agencies since its FCRA registration is not due for renewal in December 2021. We have filed a petition in Delhi High Court against the decision of not renewing our FCRA registration. The High Court has asked the Central Government to respond to our petition.
The CBI case against Oxfam India comes at a time when several civil society organizations have faced government scrutiny and crackdown on their foreign funding and activities. The government has said it is taking action against those who misuse foreign funds or violate the law, while the opposition has accused the opposition of crackdown and curbing dissent.