TLTP
\nNEW DELHI
\nA new law passed by the Indian parliament recently imposed restrictions that will force thousands of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to shut down, dealing a major blow to the country\u2019s civil society, activists say.
\nThe Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) 2020, which regulates the use of foreign funds by individuals and organizations, is \u201cfor national and internal security\u201d and to \u201censure that foreign funds do not dominate the political and social discourse in India,\u201d Nityanand Rai, junior home minister, told the upper house as it passed the regulation.
\nBut Indian NGOs fear that the law will mean they are no longer able to operate. \u201cThousands of small NGOs, which enable good work and are dependent on legal funds obtained internationally, will shut down \u2014 also endangering the livelihoods of those dependent on them for a vocation,\u201d Poonam Muttreja, director of the Delhi-based Population Foundation of India told the foreign media.
\nAs the new law does not allow NGOs to share funds with any partner, individual or organization, small groups \u2014 particularly those active at the grassroots level \u2014 may end up being unable to receive the donations on which they depend for survival, Muttreja warned.
\n\u201cDonors can\u2019t give small grants to local NGOs, so they give large grants to an intermediary organization with the desire to work with grassroot-level NGOs, (of which there are many) in India,\u201d Muttrejia said.
\nOn Thursday, Voluntary Action Network India (VANI) \u2014 an umbrella organization for Indian NGOs \u2014 held a press conference during which members questioned the timing of the new legislation, since many small NGOs have been heavily involved in providing relief to millions of people across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
\n\u201cThis is the worst possible time to hamper civil society,\u201d the director of Ashoka University\u2019s Center for Social Impact and Philanthropy, Ingrid Srinath, said during the conference. \u201cJust when this country needs its entire civil society to work together with the private sector and the government to address the multiple problems that confront us \u2014 not only the health ones but the larger issues of where the economy is going and the many polarizations taking place on the ground.\u201d
\nSrinath also pointed out that no wider consultation with NGOs had taken place before the law was passed.
\nAccording to Delhi-based civil society activist Richa Singh, the law is an attempt by the government to silence dissent in the country.
\n\u201cThe larger purpose is to further silence those civil societies that are critical of (the government). It is a political message to fall in line,\u201d she told foreign media. \u201cWhile foreign money in the form of investment is being welcomed and labor laws are weakened for it, aid money is selectively targeted.\u201d
\nAmitabh Behar, the chief executive of Oxfam India, called it a \u201cdevastating blow\u201d and also criticized the government\u2019s double standards over the acceptance of foreign funds.
\n\u201cRed carpet welcome for foreign investments for businesses but stifling and squeezing the nonprofit sector by creating new hurdles for foreign aid which could help lift people out of poverty, ill health and illiteracy,\u201d he said in a Twitter post on Sunday, when the FCRA bill was introduced to the lower house.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP NEW DELHI A new law passed by the Indian parliament recently imposed restrictions that will force thousands of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to shut down, dealing a major blow to the country\u2019s civil society, activists say. The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) 2020, which regulates the use of foreign funds by individuals and organizations, is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n