The prominent public policy think tank centre for Policy Research (CPR) has been suspended by home ministry under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA), alleging “prime facie violations of provisions” of the law. Following this suspension, CPR is ineligible to receive or utilise the foreign funds.
It was set up 50 years ago and listed several agencies as its partners and donors, including Namati that counts Open Society Foundation, founded by billionaire George Soros, as one of its “supporters”. Soros had recently linked PM Narendra Modi to the Adani controversy, only to be slammed by BJP as well as external affairs minister S Jaishankar. CPR has been under the inspection of the income-tax department for alleged violations.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud who was in the CPR governing board, has been under the scrutiny of the income tax department for suspected violations.
In a statement posted on its website, the think tank said it had received notices from the tax department following the survey and had responded to them.
“CPR has and continues to cooperate fully with the authorities. We are in complete compliance with the law and are routinely scrutinised and audited by government authorities, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. We have annual statutory audits and all our annual audited balance sheets are in the public domain. There is no question of having undertaken any activity that is beyond our objects of association and compliance mandated by law,” it stated.