The foreign hand

The foreign hand

Context:

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 has been passed in both the houses of the Parliament.
The Bill amends the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010.
FCRA regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution by individuals, associations and companies.

New regulations:

New regulations put onerous conditions on civil society organisations, and educational and research institutions that have partnerships, including those of financial nature, with foreign entities.

Criticisms:

Amendments to the FCRA were drafted without consultation with stakeholders (lack of systems approach).
The bill passed with limited discussion in Parliament, further clip the wings of India’s battered civil society.
In Parliament, the BJP alleged that foreign money was being used for religious conversions.
In 2017, the government barred an American Christian charity, Compassion International, accusing it of supporting conversions.
Some of the restrictions not only show up India to be overregulated but could also impact NGOs.
As a growing economy, India has been proactive in seeking global capital and technology. The aversion appears to be towards select categories of global ideas and ideals — environmentalism, human rights and civil liberties.
The International Commission of Jurists has said the new law was incompatible with international obligations and India’s own constitutional provisions on rights.

Way forward:

The pandemic has underscored the importance of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the whole earth is one family) as a framework for India’s global engagement.
Thousands of NGOs serve extremely disadvantaged sections, at times filling in for the state, at others, supplementing it.
The question of foreign funding must be delinked from the debate on religious propagation and conversions as there are adequate laws against conversion by inducement.
For a global community to function, there is a need for a seamless sharing of ideas and resources across national boundaries.
It should not be discouraged unless there is reason to believe the funds are being used to aid illegal activities.