US-based NGO, Compassion International, put on government watch list

NEW DELHI: Compassion International (CI), the US-based non-governmental organisation working in the field of child rights, was put on watch list by the Union Home Ministry recently.

After this, the donors can no longer send money directly to the NGOs in India. Prior clearance from the home ministry will be required, said officials.

The international NGO, according to MHA, was giving funds to non-registered NGOs in India.

MHA recently received reports that the money from Compassion International was being received by Chennai-based Caruna Bal Vikas (CVB), which in turn was distributing it to non- registered NGOs. CVB is said to be Indian affiliate of CI, according to officials.

In May, the MHA has put three USbased NGOs on the watch list. This includes an NGO patronised by global investor George Soros, Open Society Foundation, World Movement for Democracy and National Endowment for Democracy.

With this the total number NGOs being closely monitored by the government goes up to 19. Ten of these NGOs were put on the list by the NDA government and the rest have been under watch since the time of the previous UPA regime.

Ford Foundation had been on the watch list for some time but it was, as ET had reported first, taken off after it agreed to register under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and move from the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act ( FCRA). That put Ford Foundations under the ambit of the finance ministry and out of the home ministry’s remit.

The FCRA licence of another prominent organisation, Greenpeace, stands suspended. Open Society donates to NGOs working in the fields of media, rights and justice and education, its web site says.

World Movement for Democracy, according to its web site, works closely with civil society.