<p>Government has suspended the licence of a prominent think-tank Centre for Policy Research to collect foreign funds accusing it of violating laws, officials said on Thursday.</p>.<p>The action came as CPR and Oxfam India came under the scanner of the Income Tax Department in September last year. </p>.<p>While Oxfam India's FCRA licence was revoked in January 2022, the action against CPR has come now. Oxfam India has filed a review petition with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).</p>.<p>In a statement, the CPR said, "there is no question of having undertaken any activity that is beyond our objects of association and compliance mandated by law. In light of the current MHA order, we will explore all avenues of recourse available to us. Our work and institutional purpose is to advance our constitutional goals and protect constitutional guarantees. We are absolutely confident that the matter will be resolved speedily, in fairness and in the spirit of our constitutional values.”</p>.<p>The donors of CPR, a non-profit organisation recognised by the Department of Science and Technology, include Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania, the World Resources Institute and the Duke University. It also receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR).</p>.<p>The think-tank has been asked to give clarification and documents regarding FCRA funds received by it, officials said. The FCRA licence of CPR was last renewed in 2016 and was due for renewal in 2021. </p>.<p>With the suspension of its licence, given under the FCRA, CPR will not be able to receive any funds from abroad.</p>.<p>According to CPR's website, it has been one of India's leading public policy think-tanks since 1973.</p>.<p>CPR is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India, it claimed.</p>.<p>It brings together India's best thinkers and policy practitioners who are at the forefront of both research and engagement in the policy space, drawing from various disciplines and professional backgrounds, the website said.</p>.<p>CPR conducts advanced and in-depth research on a wide range of policy-relevant issues, with a focus on India's 21st-century challenges, it said.</p>.<p>Through its research and policymaking engagements, CPR works closely with policymakers in its aim to place India firmly on the path of building a twenty-first century policy ecosystem, the nonprofit's website said.</p>.<p>(With PTI inputs)</p>
<p>Government has suspended the licence of a prominent think-tank Centre for Policy Research to collect foreign funds accusing it of violating laws, officials said on Thursday.</p>.<p>The action came as CPR and Oxfam India came under the scanner of the Income Tax Department in September last year. </p>.<p>While Oxfam India's FCRA licence was revoked in January 2022, the action against CPR has come now. Oxfam India has filed a review petition with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).</p>.<p>In a statement, the CPR said, "there is no question of having undertaken any activity that is beyond our objects of association and compliance mandated by law. In light of the current MHA order, we will explore all avenues of recourse available to us. Our work and institutional purpose is to advance our constitutional goals and protect constitutional guarantees. We are absolutely confident that the matter will be resolved speedily, in fairness and in the spirit of our constitutional values.”</p>.<p>The donors of CPR, a non-profit organisation recognised by the Department of Science and Technology, include Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania, the World Resources Institute and the Duke University. It also receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR).</p>.<p>The think-tank has been asked to give clarification and documents regarding FCRA funds received by it, officials said. The FCRA licence of CPR was last renewed in 2016 and was due for renewal in 2021. </p>.<p>With the suspension of its licence, given under the FCRA, CPR will not be able to receive any funds from abroad.</p>.<p>According to CPR's website, it has been one of India's leading public policy think-tanks since 1973.</p>.<p>CPR is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India, it claimed.</p>.<p>It brings together India's best thinkers and policy practitioners who are at the forefront of both research and engagement in the policy space, drawing from various disciplines and professional backgrounds, the website said.</p>.<p>CPR conducts advanced and in-depth research on a wide range of policy-relevant issues, with a focus on India's 21st-century challenges, it said.</p>.<p>Through its research and policymaking engagements, CPR works closely with policymakers in its aim to place India firmly on the path of building a twenty-first century policy ecosystem, the nonprofit's website said.</p>.<p>(With PTI inputs)</p>