Voicing concern over India’s recent action against Ford Foundation and Greenpeace, the United States has said it is seeking clarification from New Delhi on a matter which it believes “limits a necessary and critical debate within Indian society”. “We are aware that the Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the registration of Greenpeace India and has placed the Ford Foundation on a prior permission watch list,” State Department Acting Spokesperson Marie Harf said while responding to a question at her daily media briefing.
“We remain concerned about the difficulties caused to civil society organisations by the manner in which the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act has been applied,” Harf said, adding: “We are concerned that this recent ruling limits a necessary and critical debate within Indian society, and we are seeking a clarification on this issue with the appropriate Indian authorities.”
The Union Home Ministry had on Thursday directed the Reserve Bank of India to place the Ford Foundation of its watch list, stipulating that the Ministry’s prior clearance will be needed for any person or association to receive funds from the foundation. The Ministry, which administers the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act on disbursement of funds to NGOs, justified the directive to ensure that the contributions are “utilised for bonafide welfare activities without compromising on concerns of national interest and security”.
As for Greenpeace India, the Government had separately notified earlier this month that it had “temporarily” suspended the group’s registration under the foreign contributions law for “under-reporting” such funding and conducting transaction of such funds without informing the authorities as required by the law.