Govt cancels Greenpeace India’s FCRA licence

In yet another crackdown on NGOs, the government today cancelled the registration of Greenpeace India under the Foreign Contribution Regulations Act (FCRA) for its activities which allegedly hampered the country’s economic growth.
Greenpeace India’s registration has been cancelled under Section 13 of the FCRA, a senior Home Ministry official said tonight. The decision will mean that the NGO will not be able to receive funds from abroad, which are as much as 30 per cent of its overall cost of operations.
The Home Ministry is likely to inform the Delhi High Court about its decision tomorrow when a case related to curbs on Greenpeace India comes up. Greenpeace India has about 340 people working with it. Greenpeace India termed the government action as an attempt to “silence campaigns” and said it will not be deterred.
Vinuta Gopal, interim co-Executive Director of Greenpeace India, said Greenpeace India would continue its campaign undeterred and is in fact launching a “new creative campaign” to highlight crackdown on civil liberties. “The cancelling of our FCRA registration is the government’s latest move in a relentless onslaught against the community’s right to dissent. It is yet another attempt to silence campaigns, Gopal said.