Case Against Oxfam India By CBI For Alleged Foreign Funding Violations
NDTV
Oxfam India has denied any wrongdoing and said that it was cooperating with the authorities.
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 CBI, 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 FIR 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 MHA had accused Oxfam India of indulging in "anti-national" activities and lobbying with foreign governments and institutions to pressure the Indian government for FCRA renewal.
The CBI FIR 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 week.
