---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Teesta Setalvad <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2015 18:28:50 +0530
Dear All, We are re sending some Press Releases and Responses to the latest assault against us by a vindictive government and would be happy to clarify any specific queries that you may have. CJP, Sabrang Trust and Sabrang Communications have functioned with the utmost transparency, always, deeply respectful of the laws of the land. We are also cooperating completely with the multiple investigations launched against us while maintaining that the motives behind these are suspect. Please do revert with any queries that you may have Teesta Do have a look also at the articles below:- Published on *Economic and Political Weekly* (http://www.epw.in) Home <http://www.epw.in/> > Editorials <http://www.epw.in/editorials> > *Strategy to Quash Dissent* Vol - L No. 17, April 25, 2015 Is the Narendra Modi government cherry-picking which non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to target and destroy or at least paralyse? Or is it raising legitimate questions about the accountability of foreign-funded NGOs? If it is the latter, then the way it is going about it is decidedly odd. Few will question the need to set up structures of accountability and transparency in organisations handling large funds, including those that come from outside India. But the government appears less concerned about transparency and more about the issues these organisations have chosen to raise. It has focused on two categories of NGOs: those raising uncomfortable questions about the environmental fallout of some of India's energy choices, particularly nuclear and coal, and groups highlighting human rights concerns, especially around the Gujarat 2002 violence. If these NGOs happen to be partly funded from foreign sources, then inevitably the government spots a conspiracy threatening "national security." Within a month of the Modi government taking office, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report was leaked to the press. It identified 188 NGOs receiving foreign funds that were involved in agitations against nuclear plants and uranium mines, coal-based thermal plants, genetically modified crops, industrial projects such as POSCO and Vedanta in Odisha, the dams in Arunachal Pradesh and extractive industries. Oddly, the list included the Nobel Prize winning Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF), accusing it of "links with Maoists and their sympathisers." More predictable was Amnesty International, singled out for questioning India's human rights record. But most of the report's ire was reserved for Greenpeace India, an affiliate of Greenpeace International. Greenpeace has spearheaded the opposition to the $3.2 billion Mahan Coal Limited, a joint enterprise of Essar Energy and Hindalco, in Singrauli District, Madhya Pradesh. The project will destroy 1,000 sq km of sal forests and displace a large number of families. In January, Greenpeace activist Priya Pillai was offloaded from a flight to London where she was to testify before British parliamentarians on the Mahan project (Essar Energy is incorporated in the United Kingdom). Although Greenpeace has won a reprieve through the courts, the government has cancelled its Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) clearance that permits it to receive foreign funds. Apart from Greenpeace, the other organisation being specifically targeted is the Sabrang Trust headed by Teesta Setalvad, who is known for her unrelenting pursuit of the court cases of victims of the 2002 Gujarat violence. She has been charged with misusing funds; a warrant of arrest has been issued against her and her husband, Javed Anand. Although the Supreme Court has granted them anticipatory bail, they continue to face daily harassment. The latest is the Gujarat government's report by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to the centre asking for funding from the well-known international funder Ford Foundation to be stopped to groups like Sabrang. The report accuses Ford Foundation of funding the litigation in the 2002 riot case and states that these funds have been used for "highly questionable activities...all bordering on, if not outright, political." The strategy appears to be to squeeze sources of funds to groups like Sabrang while also embroiling them in court cases of various kinds. If the government was only concerned about the accountability of organisations that receive foreign funds, it could have adopted a different route. This issue has been raised earlier and in fact, in 2007 the previous government had prepared a National Policy on the Voluntary Sector. It envisaged a system of accreditation for all NGOs through a National Accreditation Council of India (NACI), comprising representatives of government and NGOs. The concept went through various levels of consultation but the NACI was never constituted. The Modi government has not yet made any mention of setting up something similar. The more important question is whether this government accepts that there is a legitimate space for NGOs in a democratic society, irrespective of how they are funded. It is here that we can legitimately question the government's agenda. While the previous government also displayed some amount of paranoia about NGOs working on tribal rights and environment, and saw them as obstructionist, they were not targeted in this way. In the last decade, through institutions like the National Advisory Council and the Planning Commission, several civil society groups had avenues through which to offer their perspectives to policymakers. Today, all such mechanisms have been set aside. Thus, barring agitation, resistance and other forms of advocacy, there is no other way for people with a different perspective to be heard. The space for dissent and questioning, particularly in an atmosphere when all this is deemed "anti-national" and suspect, is rapidly shrinking. So while NGOs are not faultless and could do with greater accountability and transparency, there can be no justification for the kind of hounding that we are witnessing today. Whether these organisations survive this battering or not, the message that is being sent out to civil society is clear: this government will not tolerate NGOs that come in its way and will use multiple strategies, including shutting off sources of funding, to squash them. None of this bodes well for the health of a democracy. ------------------------------ *Source URL:* *http://www.epw.in/editorials/strategy-quash-dissent.html <http://www.epw.in/editorials/strategy-quash-dissent.html>* Attachments area Preview attachment epw.ico <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=cd33003e7e&view=att&th=14cf082c4c41900e&attid=0.1&disp=safe&realattid=4854c29a8dc51030_0.0.1&zw> <https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=cd33003e7e&view=att&th=14cf082c4c41900e&attid=0.1&disp=safe&realattid=4854c29a8dc51030_0.0.1&zw> http://www.thestatesman.com/news/world/us-seeks-clarification-from-india-on-ford-foundation-issue/59427.html US seeks 'clarification' from India on Ford Foundation issue *PTI* | *Washington, 25 April, 2015* The US has expressed concern over India's crackdown on funding to foreign NGOs operating in the country Ford Foundation and Greenpeace, and said it is seeking "clarification" in the matter. "We are aware that the (Indian) Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the registration of Greenpeace India and has placed the Ford Foundation on a prior permission watch list," State Department Deputy Acting Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters on Friday. "We remain concerned about the difficulties caused to civil society organisations by the manner in which the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act has been applied," she said in response to a question. "We are concerned that this recent ruling limits the necessary and critical debate within Indian society and we are seeking a clarification on this issue with the appropriate Indian authorities," Harf said. In a crackdown on foreign fundings to NGOs, the Union Home Ministry has put the Ford Foundation of the US on its "watch list" and ordered that all funds coming from the international organisation have to be routed only with its nod due to "national security concerns". The Home Ministry said it has decided to keep a watch on all activities funded by Ford Foundation because it wanted to ensure that funds coming from Ford Foundation are utilised for "bonafide welfare activities without compromising on concerns of national interest and security". The move came after Gujarat government asked the Home Ministry to take action against Ford Foundation as it alleged that the US-based organisation was "interfering in the internal affairs" of the country and also "abetting communal disharmony" through an NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad. Earlier this month, the Home Ministry had frozen seven bank accounts of Greenpeace India and barred it from receiving foreign funds for allegedly violating FCRA and "prejudicially" affecting the country's public and economic interests. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-concerned-by-govt-action-against-ford-foundation-greenpeace/article7141033.ece?homepage=true U.S. concerned by govt. action against Ford Foundation, Greenpeace Suhasini Haidar The U.S.' comment comes a few days after the government's moves against Ford Foundation, putting on a watchlist all activities of the agency. The government's decisions to put the U.S. aid agency Ford Foundation on a watchlist, and freezing accounts of environmental organisation Greenpeace have sparked off a diplomatic row, with the US state department expressing "concern" and seeking a "clarification" over the actions. "We remain concerned about the difficulties caused to civil society organizations by the manner in which the Foreign Contributions Regulations Act has been applied. We are concerned that this recent ruling limits a necessary and critical debate within Indian society, and we are seeking a clarification on this issue with the appropriate Indian authorities," spokesperson Marie Harf said in Washington in response to the MHA ruling. The Ministry of External Affairs made no comment, but sources say India is likely to take a stern view of what the government sees as "interference". Meanwhile the BJP's national spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao wrote in a tweet that the US's "concern raises more questions than the clarifications it seeks to answer." The U.S.' comment comes a few days after the government's moves against Ford Foundation, putting on a watchlist all activities of the agency and directing the Reserve bank to route all funds coming into India to be brought to the MHA, which will clear their disbursement, according to the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). The government has explained the action and that against Greenpeace as taken because their activities are prejudicial to "national interest". In addition, the MHA acted on a Gujarat government complaint that accused the Ford Foundation of funding an NGOsassociated with activist Teesta Setalvad called Sabrang Communication and Publishing Pvt. Limited (SCPPL), that allegedly didn't have FCRA clearance. Civil society activists have criticised the government's actions, saying that the Sabrang NGO was being "targeted" for the legal work Ms. Setalvad has undertaken on behalf of victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. In a letter signed by more than 180 noted activists including Medha Patkar, Achin Vinaik and Aruna Roy to Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Greenpeace restrictions as well, they had called the government's actions "a blatant violation of fundamental constitutional rights to freedom of expression and association." The US had expressed similar, but more muted concern over the action against four environmental NGOs Avaaz, Bank Information Centre (BIC), Sierra Club and 350.org earlier this year as well. http://www.asianage.com/editorial/muzzling-dissent-117 Asianage Edit 25APR2015 Muzzling dissent The Centre's move to place the Ford Foundation, the well-known US funding agency which provides financial assistance to NGOs and other bodies worldwide, on the Union home ministry's watch list is regrettable. The Union government's action follows the Gujarat government's appeal to take steps against the Ford Foundation for supporting two NGOs run by Teesta Setalvad who has doggedly pursued cases pertaining to the dangerous Gujarat communal conflagration of 2002 when Narendra Modi was chief minister. The home ministry has cited "concerns for national interest and security". The Ford Foundation has been accused by the Gujarat government of interfering in the country's internal affairs and fanning communal disharmony. These suggest that the Centre is, in effect, accusing Ms Setalvad and her NGOs of being anti-national. This is an extremely serious charge. It can potentially open the way for prosecuting Ms Setalvad under harsh sections of the law. Civil society in India is not likely to be amused. Prior to the action against the Ford Foundation, this government had directed its ire against 16 other international bodies, including Greenpeace, that routinely offer financial assistance to voluntary agencies working in the field of development, the environment and human rights. The paradigm that the Modi regime has adopted has made it hostile to those who question its development model, which in the eyes of many promotes big business at the cost of the environment and livelihood concerns of the poor. This suggests intolerance to criticism and dissent. http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx - 25 Apr 2015 - Hindustan Times (Mumbai) *Take a close look at all of them* Ford Foundation is in the news, but there are also many religious outfits getting foreign funds The central government's decision to put the Ford Foundation on its watchlist is in tune with its policy of keeping some organisations under surveillance for their alleged role in harming India's interests. This is not a new approach. Back in the 1970s and the 1980s, there was the tendency to detect a 'foreign hand' and, by implication, foreign money in every opposition to the central government. When there were protests against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant in 2011, the UPA regime too complained of funding for protesters from foreign agencies. However, there is a difference this time around. While the previous government was preoccupied with things such as power and mining, the present one has, in addition to these, a socio-cultural policy as well. This duality comes out in stark relief when one looks at the treatment that two global organisations -- Greenpeace and the Ford Foundation -- have received. When the Centre chokes funding for Greenpeace, it is largely on account of its environmental policy of opposing mines and power plants. In the case of the Ford Foundation, the Centre acted on the Gujarat government's complaint that the organisation had been funding some individuals who had a dissenting view and course of action on the Gujarat riots of 2002. This is unfair and in the process many organisations such as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences will be affected. It is the same socio-cultural policy that works when the government looks the other way in the case of religious organisations getting foreign money. Some religious bodies are indeed doing charitable work but the same cannot be said about all of them. The Enforcement Directorate should have enough material on this to prove it. Going ahead, will the government now act against other such bodies? It should realise that such acts have consequences and their effects are felt internationally as well as within the country. It was on a Supreme Court order that mining in Niyamgiri could not be done because the judges had ruled that the consent of the locals was required. It is no one's case that foreign or Indian NGOs which are harmful to India's interests be allowed to continue. But in some cases, they supplement the efforts of the state whether in capacity building or institutional development. India today is far too powerful to be subverted by some amount of foreign funding. Therefore, it should be far more discerning about which organisations it puts under the scanner and for what activity. This would ensure that it does not earn the reputation of selectively targeting any organisation. http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31818&articlexml=Illiberal-Use-of-Indias-State-Power-25042015012017 Apr 25 2015 : The Economic Times (Mumbai) *Illiberal Use of India's State Power* It is a shame that the government is clamping down ever more on civil society movements. After tightening the screws on Greenpeace, the government has now trained its guns on the Ford Foundation, whose support for two non-government organisations run by activist Teesta Setalvad seems to be the proximate cause of the government's ire. This NGO is trying to prosecute the organisers of the 2002 anti-Muslim pogrom in Gujarat, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister of the state, and get justice for the victims of the violence.Among other charges, the Ford Foundation is now accused of "abetting communal disharmony" in India. This is absurd. What is the Ford Foundation's history and legacy here? Our first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, invited this organisation to India in 1952, the first time it set up an establishment outside the US. Over the years, the Foun dation has served the cause of improving the quality of human life, reducing dis ease, hunger, war and the welfare of wom en and children. Its activities, and funding have helped develop researchers win more than 40 Nobel Prizes, in fields ranging from the sciences, literature, economics and peace. Several Indians, including that argumentative Indian called Amartya Sen (economics laureate, 1998), were helped by the Foundation's research grants. One man whose work was funded by the Ford Foundation, and helped lift hundreds of millions of Indians out of abject poverty , was Norman Borlaug, the farm scientist who heralded the Green Revolution and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his efforts. Hobbling such globally respected funders of good work is what insecure autocracies indulge in. India does not deserve to be included in that league. The government should rethink its move. http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/25/india-fordfoundation-watchlist-idINKBN0NF1WK20150425 India puts U.S. charity Ford Foundation on security watchlist By Joseph D'Urso Business | Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:32am IST LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India has put the U.S.-based Ford Foundation, one of the world's largest charitable funds, onto a security watchlist as it probes its funding of a local organisation run by a prominent activist and critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The home affairs ministry said it would "keep watch on all the activities" funded by the Ford Foundation and instructed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to check with the government before passing any money from the New York-based group to local organisations. All funds distributed by the foundation should be "utilized for bonafide welfare activities without compromising on concerns for national interest and security", the ministry said in a letter to the RBI published online. The Ford Foundation, which has worked in India since 1952, said the Indian government was "reviewing information related to their ongoing investigation of Sabrang Communications and Publishing" and highlighted its work in India. "We are confident in our work and compliance with the law and look forward to the outcome of this inquiry," the foundation said in a statement on Friday. "We have been and continue to be deeply respectful of the laws of the land ... If the Government suggests methods by which we can strengthen and improve our grant-making processes, we will take appropriate steps to incorporate them." No one from the Indian government was immediately available to comment further. Sabrang, which is run by activist Teesta Setalvad with a mission to strengthen conflict resolution and peace building in Gujarat and Maharashtra, was given $250,000 by the Ford Foundation in 2009, the foundation's website said. Last week Sabrang was accused by a state minister from Gujarat of misusing funds to create "communal disharmony", local media reported. Setalvad and her husband are fighting accusations covered in the India media of embezzling funds meant for a museum to honour victims of the 2002 riots in Gujarat which led to the deaths of almost 1,000 people, mostly Muslims. Setalvad is a long-time critic of Modi who was chief minister of Gujarat during the riots. Human rights groups and political rivals have long alleged that Modi, a Hindu, allowed or even actively encouraged the 2002 violence but he has always vehemently denied the charge, and a Supreme Court inquiry found no evidence to prosecute him. The Ford Foundation had almost $12 billion in assets at the end of 2013, and provides grants to groups in the United States, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, focusing on education, democracy promotion and poverty reduction. This is not the first time the Indian government has blocked foreign money to a local non-government organisation this year with funding to the local branch of Greenpeace blocked. The move came after several months of Greenpeace activists accusing Modi's government of watering down environmental rules after it let industries operate closer to protected green zones. (Reporting By Joseph D'Urso, Editing by Belinda Goldsmith) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3053751/India-restricts-US-charity-Ford-Foundations-funding.html India restricts US charity Ford Foundation's funding By Afp <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Afp> Published: 19:16 GMT, 24 April 2015 | Updated: 19:16 GMT, 24 April 2015 India has cracked down on the Ford Foundation, saying the US charity can no longer give money to local organisations without government permission, an official said Friday drawing expressions of concern from Washington. A home ministry order says the foundation has been placed on a "watch list" to ensure funds are used for "bona fide welfare activities without compromising on concerns of national interest and security". The move follows a complaint from the government of the western state of Gujarat over the foundation's grants to a non-governmental organization run by a long-time critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Home ministry spokesman K.S Dhatwalia said the foundation had been involved in funding charities which are not registered to receive foreign funds. "All funds have to be vetted by the ministry", Dhatwalia told AFP. Modi's nationalist government views foreign-backed aid organisations with suspicion and the prime minister has criticised what he calls "five-star activists". A government intelligence report last year reportedly claimed that local activists were working with foreign powers to undermine India's economic growth. The government this month suspended Greenpeace India's foreign funding licence after accusing the watchdog of hurting the country's economic interests. Greenpeace accuses the government of trying to shut it down over its campaigns against mining and nuclear projects. Washington said it was seeking "clarification" on the actions against the two organizations. "We are concerned that this recent ruling limits a necessary and critical debate within Indian society and we are seeking a clarification on this issue with the appropriate Indian authorities", State Department acting spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. The Gujarat government has accused the foundation of "interfering in the internal affairs" of the country and also "abetting communal disharmony" through funding of the rights organisation called Sabrang. The foundation, created in 1936 by Edsel and Henry Ford, has made several grants to Sabrang, run by Teesta Setalvad who has criticised Modi over religious riots in Gujarat in 2002 when he was chief minister. Modi has long denied any wrongdoing over the riots which left more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, dead. Gujarat has targeted activist Setalvad for investigation including over allegations that she embezzled donations meant for riot victims. The New York-based Ford Foundation said it was cooperating with a home ministry investigation into its grants but was confident it had complied with Indian laws. "If the government suggests methods by which we can strengthen and improve our grant-making processes, we will take appropriate steps to incorporate them," it said in a statement. Human rights lawyer Colin Gonsalves described the move against the foundation as "a witch hunt". "Those who are doing work in the nation's interests (through environmental and human rights work), they are being treated as people who cheat India," he told the NDTV network. http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=314404 Yet to be conveyed home ministry's decision: Ford Foundation *New Delhi, April 24 (IANS):* The Ford Foundation, one of the most powerful international funding organisations, on Friday said it was yet to receive any information on the issue of the home ministry putting it on a watch list. On Thursday, the home ministry ordered to place the Ford Foundation on a watch list in "national interest and security" of the country. The foundation in a communication to the IANS said: "We have not been contacted by MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) regarding any information related to the latest news reports." "The Ford Foundation has officially learnt that the Ministry of Home Affairs is reviewing information related to their ongoing investigation of Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt. Ltd.," it said. Over many decades, the foundation has built strong relationships with people, institutions and the government of India, and has contributed to the remarkable growth and development of the nation. The US-based organisation also said that it would continue to abide by the law of the land and would cooperate with the government in its investigation. "We have been and continue to be deeply respectful of the laws of the land and, therefore, of the process now underway." "As the current inquiry progresses we will continue to respond fully to official queries directed to us," it told IANS through an email communication on the issue. "We are confident in our work and compliance with the law and look forward to the outcome of this inquiry. If the government suggests methods by which we can strengthen and improve our grant-making processes, we will take appropriate steps to incorporate them," it added. The government took action against it in the wake of intelligence reports that such organisations were creating hurdles to the country's development. The action was taken under Section 46 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) after the Gujarat government asked the home ministry to take action against Ford Foundation, alleging that it was interfering in the internal affairs of the country.It was also abetting communal disharmony through two NGOs run by social activist Teesta Setalvad, it said. -- Teesta Setalvad 'Nirant', Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai - 400 049 http://teestasetalvad.blogspot.com/ www.cjponline.org www.gujarat-riots.com www.sabrang.com -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
