Home Ministry recommends CBI probe against Oxfam India

In further trouble for Oxfam India, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday recommended a CBI probe into the non-governmental organisation (NGO) for alleged violation of the laws related to receiving foreign funds.

The MHA action comes almost 14 months after it decided not to renew its licence to collect foreign funds under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act 2010.

Officials said the MHA found out that the NGO continued to transfer foreign contributions to various entities even after registering under the FCRA, which prohibits such transfers.

An investigation by the Income Tax Department had claimed that investigators had found emails that showed that Oxfam India was planning to circumvent provisions of the FCRA by routing funds to other similar organisations or through the for-profit consultancy route, they said.

It also claimed that Oxfam India was "exposed" as a "probable instrument of foreign policy of foreign organisations or entities, which have funded the organisation liberally over the years”, they said.

Oxfam India is also claimed to have routed funds to the Centre for Policy Research (CPR) through its associates and employees in the form of commission. Officials said these findings have prompted the MHA to recommend a CBI probe.

When its FCRA licence was not renewed, Oxfam India had said that the decision would have an impact on its ongoing humanitarian and social work in 16 states across the country, especially Covid-19 related programmes.