The New York-based Ford Foundation says it is cooperating with a Home ministry investigation into its grants. (Agence France-Presse photo)
New Delhi:
The government has cracked down on the Ford Foundation, saying the US charity can no longer give money to local organisations without government permission.
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 Gujarat government over the foundation's grants to the NGO run by Teesta Setelvad, a long-time critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gujarat has accused Ford Foundation of "interfering in the internal affairs" of India and "abetting communal disharmony" through funding Ms Setelvad's Sabrang. She is also being investigated over allegations that she embezzled donations meant for victims of the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
Home Ministry spokesman KS Dhatwalia said Ford Foundation had been involved in funding charities which are not registered to receive foreign funds.
The New York-based Ford Foundation said it was cooperating with a home ministry investigation into its grants but was confident it had complied with Indian laws."If the government suggests methods by which we can strengthen and improve our grant-making processes, we will take appropriate steps to incorporate them," it said in a statement.
Human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves said the move against the foundation "strikes me as nothing more than a witchhunt".
"Those who are doing work in the nation's interests (through environmental and human rights work), they are being treated as people who cheat India," he told NDTV.
The move against Ford Foundation comes after the government suspended Greenpeace India's foreign funding licence this month, accusing the environmental organization 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.
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 Gujarat government over the foundation's grants to the NGO run by Teesta Setelvad, a long-time critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gujarat has accused Ford Foundation of "interfering in the internal affairs" of India and "abetting communal disharmony" through funding Ms Setelvad's Sabrang. She is also being investigated over allegations that she embezzled donations meant for victims of the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat.
Home Ministry spokesman KS Dhatwalia said Ford Foundation had been involved in funding charities which are not registered to receive foreign funds.
The New York-based Ford Foundation said it was cooperating with a home ministry investigation into its grants but was confident it had complied with Indian laws."If the government suggests methods by which we can strengthen and improve our grant-making processes, we will take appropriate steps to incorporate them," it said in a statement.
Human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves said the move against the foundation "strikes me as nothing more than a witchhunt".
"Those who are doing work in the nation's interests (through environmental and human rights work), they are being treated as people who cheat India," he told NDTV.
The move against Ford Foundation comes after the government suspended Greenpeace India's foreign funding licence this month, accusing the environmental organization 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.
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
