Oxfam India FCRA licence had been 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 the provisions of India’s foreign funding rules.
According to the complaint filed with the agency by the Home Ministry, Oxfam India received around Rs 1.5 crore directly into its Foreign Contribution Utilisation account instead of the designated bank account between 2013 and 2016. The complaint also alleged that Oxfam India routed Rs 12.71 lakh to the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) in the financial year 2019-20 in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 rules.
The CBI said that it acted on a complaint from the Home Ministry, which had suspended Oxfam India’s FCRA licence in January last year.
The complaint also mentioned that Oxfam India was planning to bypass the FCRA by transferring funds to other associations or for-profit consultancy firms. The CBI said that it had seized several emails from Oxfam India’s office during a search operation last year.
Oxfam India is a part of the global confederation of Oxfam, which works on issues such as poverty, inequality, gender justice and climate change. The non-governmental organisation has denied any wrongdoing and said that it was cooperating with the authorities.
“Oxfam India has been cooperating with all government agencies since its FCRA registration wasn’t renewed in December 2021. We have filed a plea in the Delhi High Court against the decision to not renew our FCRA registration. The High Court has asked the Union government to respond to our plea,” it said in a statement earlier this month.
The CBI case against Oxfam India comes at a time when several civil society organisations have faced scrutiny and action from the government over their foreign funding and activities. The government has said that it is acting against those who misuse foreign funds or violate the law, while the opposition has alleged harassment and curbs on dissent.