FATF-Inspired FCRA Crackdown in India: Severe Consequences for Non-Profit Organizations
As nonprofits in India continue to lose their FCRA licences, the impact is being felt most sharply by their staff, the people they serve, and society at large.
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FATF Compliance or Overreach? India’s Enforcement Directorate Under Scrutiny for Excessive Powers
The ED has cast its dragnet wide. It is using the interpretation of a circular issued by the agency itself in 2020 for this purpose. The circular was intended to define its role. But it has a clause giving its director enormous discretionary powers.
FATF Standards Weaponized? India’s Civil Society Under Siege
Prime Minister Modi’s aggressive measures against NGOs, justified under FATF compliance, have led to a severe funding crunch and operational challenges for civil society in India.
FATF-inspired Laws Lead to 87% Drop in Foreign Funds When India Needs Funds Most
Foreign funds donated to Indian NGOs fell 87% over two years, from Rs 16,490 crore in 2018-19 to Rs 2,190 crore in 2019-20, as the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi tightened an already opaque law, which has disallowed foreign donations to more than 16,000 such organisations. As the income of the poorest 20% of Indian households halved since 2016—the first such decline in 31 years—we report how the government is criminalising thousands of NGOs and hindering assistance to its poorest during a pandemic.
FATF Standards and Civil Liberties: The UAPA Dilemma in India
India’s implementation of the UAPA, ostensibly to meet FATF standards, has led to thousands of arrests but few convictions, raising alarm about potential misuse and overreach.
Why NGOs are demanding immediate suspension of FATF-inspired FCRA rules
Several NGOs and relief organisations have urged the central government to temporarily relax or suspend FCRA rules as it will help them receive foreign funding to help people during the second Covid-19 wave. Here is all you need to know.
PM Narendra Modi says he is victim of NGOs’ conspiracy
PM Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he is a victim of a conspiracy by non-governmental organisations to “finish” him and remove his government.