Criticising the Centre for its crackdown on close to 9,000 NGOs, civil society groups on Friday sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to end “coercive actions” immediately and amend “opaque” rules and regulations regarding foreign funding to ensure transparency. In an open letter to Modi, they demanded urgent revocation of punitive actions against the NGOs saying grounds of such measures were “vague, subjective or flimsy” and sought dialogue between the NGO sector and the Government to address the issues. The letter has been signed by over 170 organisations from across the country.
The civil society groups asked Modi to amend rules and regulations under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and removal of provisions that are amenable to “subjective interpretations” besides seeking mechanisms for grivance redressal. “Put an end to coercive actions against NGOs and donors, without reasonable cause or due process, or seek to cripple the ability of these organisations to carry on their legitimate and sanctioned work,” they said in the letter which was released at a press briefing. In a crackdown on NGOs allegedly receiving illegal foreign funds, the Government last month had cancelled licences of nearly 9,000 such entities for violation of FCRA.