New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has refused to give approval to Institute for Policy research Studies (IPRS), an NGO, to receive funds from US-based Ford Foundation under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
"Yes," Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran today told Lok Sabha in reply to a question whether the Ministry has refused to give permission to the NGO for a project under which research assistant is provided to MPs for legislative activities.
"There is no specific adverse input against Institute for Policy Research Studies.
"However, the Government is of the opinion that making the Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly direct recipients of foreign contribution would result in making Indian Parliamentary Institutions vulnerable to foreign agencies, which has the potential to compromise the integrity of Parliament and legislative institutions, thereby providing prejudicial to public interest and national security," he said.
Besides this, the government has frozen accounts of 32 NGOs and banned 72 other voluntary organisations from receiving foreign contributions for alleged irregularities.
The Centre has also canceled registration of 4,349 NGOs.
As many as Rs 10,352.07 crore was received by various NGOs as foreign contribution during 2009-10.
PTI
