Stephen has led a debate in Parliament on the impact of India’s foreign contribution law on non-governmental organisations.
The Indian Government passed a law in 2020 on the exisiting Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). The Amendment Act restricted regulations on NGOs, and how they received aid from abroad. Since the changes came into effect, more than 14,000 NGOs have been barred from accessing foreign funding.
During the debate, Stephen highlighted the impact these changes have had on NGOs like Oxfam. Oxfam is one of the largest NGOs in India, reaching more than 1.5 million people. Last December, Oxfam lost its FCRA licence, causing a drastic cut in its funding. With 75% of its income coming from foreign aid, there is a great risk the charity will need to cut a large amount of its humanitarian work and staff.
Stephen emphasised that these restrictions on NGOs were mainly to control criticism toward Government policies. He mentioned that in 2016, a commission appointed by the UN Human Rights Council called for the repeal of the FCRA. Despite this, the Indian Government introduced further restrictions in 2020.
Speaking in the debate, Stephen said “The 2020 changes to the FCRA have effectively banned NGOs from research, advocacy and campaigning…It is claimed that all of that is to strengthen transparency and accountability, but it is fairly clear that the Government are targeting charities and non-profits that question their policies. Will the Minister urge the Indian authorities to review carefully the FCRA for compliance with international human rights standards and to suspend aspects of the law that restrict charities from providing urgently needed relief?”
You can read Stephen’s full speech, the Minister’s response, here.