India has cracked down on the Ford Foundation, saying the US charity can no longer give money to local organisations without government permission, the latest move against a foreign NGO, an official said Friday.
A home ministry order says the foundation has been placed on a “watch list” to ensure funds are used for “bonafide welfare activities without compromising on concerns of national interest and security”.
The move follows a complaint from the government of the western state of Gujarat over the foundation’s grants to a NGO run by a long-time critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Home ministry spokesman KS Dhatwalia said the foundation had been involved in funding charities which are not registered to receive foreign funds.
“All funds have to be vetted by the ministry,” Dhatwalia told AFP.
Modi’s nationalist government views aid organisations with foreign backing with suspicion and the prime minister has criticised what he calls “five-star activists”. A government intelligence report last year reportedly claimed that local activists were working with foreign powers to undermine India’s economic growth.
The government this month suspended Greenpeace India’s foreign funding licence after accusing the watchdog of hurting the country’s economic interests. Greenpeace accuses the government of trying to shut it down over its campaigns against mining and nuclear projects.
