Author: J Gopikrishnan
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: March 10, 2012
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/home/online-channel/360-todays-newspaper/48615-foreign-funds-help-ngos-fuel-unrest-in-india.html

In the midst of the raging controversy over alleged financial support by foreign-funded NGOs to the anti-nuclear protests in Kudankulam, a recent Home Ministry report shows that such voluntary organisations are gaining massive funding from abroad for their activities in tribal-dominated States and North East.

According to the Home Ministry’s annual report of foreign contributions, approved by Union Home Secretary RK Singh on January 2012, as many as 2,325 NGOs are registered in the sensitive tribal-dominated States like Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. These NGOs received around Rs600 crore during 2009-2010.

In North Eastern States, 816 NGOs have secured permission to accept foreign funds and they received Rs251 crore during the same period. It is interesting to note that vast majority of these NGOs are engaged in running indirect evangelic activities.

Among these States, the highest money flowed into Odisha, which was ravaged by communal clashes over religious conversion of ethnic tribals in 2008. Rs215 crore has been pumped into Odisha through 1,240 NGOs registered in the State. In addition, much more money is understood to have been pumped into Odisha from similar NGOs registered in other States and metro cities.

In the report, the Government admits that thorough checking of the accounts had been conducted only in the case of 12 NGOs nationwide.

The concern that the NGOs may have been engaged in money laundering and terror financing does not look far-fetched. While tribal-dominated States are in the grip of Maoist violence, the North East is a veritable play ground for the anti-India insurgent groups.

As many as 465 NGOs active in the Naxal-hit Jharkhand received around Rs160 crore during 2009-10. Similarly, NGOs operating in Chhattisgarh received Rs65 crore while those in the adjoining Madhya Pradesh received Rs143 crore from abroad.

Among the North Eastern States, the highest foreign fund — Rs94 crore — came to Assam where as many as 253 organisations have permission to receive funds from abroad. The Centre has given permission to 500 NGOs to receive foreign funds for their activities — in Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur and Mizoram. These NGOs got around Rs140 crores in 2009-10 period.