NEW DELHI: Two weeks after cracking the whip on as many NGOs -- Greenpeace and ClimateWorks -- Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday reviewed the functioning of Foreigners Division, which monitors the flow of foreign funds to Indian NGOs.
He has asked the officials to sensitise all the NGOs receiving foreign funds about the rules covered under the Foreigners’ Contribution and Registration Act (FCRA).
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is already monitoring the funds flow after the Intelligence Bureau (IB) warned it about suspicious activities of some NGOs in May. The agency had pointed out that some NGOs were operating in mysterious sectors such as participatory democracy, advocacy, action research, innovative communication and inclusiveness to stall development projects across the country. It said foreign funding was used to influence public opinion, create hype over labour and human rights issues and promote alienation in Jammu and Kashmir and North East.
According to sources, the Centre has already issued look out circulars on certain officials of CORDAID, a Dutch NGO, which the IB said was working against energy projects in North East.
Express had earlier reported that CORDAID was funding other NGOs and organising training for volunteers abroad to circumvent the law. According to the IB, the Dutch NGO plans to sabotage oil drilling projects in Manipur, big dams in Arunachal Pradesh and uranium mining in Meghalaya.