Repression via FCRA

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration is legitimate and valid following its recent renewal by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India, and an order by the
Madras High Court granting a stay on renewed attempts by the MHA to cancel it. Nonetheless, we are joining concerned members of civil society to express solidarity with the 25 organisations that have had their FCRA registration cancelled by the MHA.

As we have witnessed recently, the FCRA has been turned into an instrument of repression, one that the government has used to cut off vital funding to groups that may hold positions contrary to the government’s own. By extension, its granting and cancelling has become grist for the media mill, leaving many organisations including Greenpeace, battling false perceptions and responding to allegations of being “anti-national” and “anti-development” instead of being able to focus on constructive campaigns for clean air, safe food and a healthy environment.