Oxfam India FCRA licence had been suspended in January final 12 months.

New Delhi:

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case in opposition to Oxfam India and its office-bearers for allegedly violating the provisions of India’s international funding guidelines.

According to the grievance filed with the company by the Home Ministry, Oxfam India obtained round Rs 1.5 crore straight into its Foreign Contribution Utilisation account as a substitute of the designated checking account between 2013 and 2016. The grievance additionally alleged that Oxfam India routed Rs 12.71 lakh to the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) within the monetary 12 months 2019-20 in violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 guidelines.

The CBI stated that it acted on a grievance from the Home Ministry, which had suspended Oxfam India’s FCRA licence in January final 12 months.

The grievance additionally talked about that Oxfam India was planning to bypass the FCRA by transferring funds to different associations or for-profit consultancy companies. The CBI stated that it had seized a number of emails from Oxfam India’s workplace throughout a search operation final 12 months.

Oxfam India is part of the worldwide confederation of Oxfam, which works on points similar to poverty, inequality, gender justice and local weather change. The non-governmental organisation has denied any wrongdoing and stated 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 stated in a press release earlier this month.

The CBI case in opposition to Oxfam India comes at a time when a number of civil society organisations have confronted scrutiny and motion from the federal government over their international funding and actions. The authorities has stated that it’s appearing in opposition to those that misuse international funds or violate the regulation, whereas the opposition has alleged harassment and curbs on dissent.