Oxfam, a British founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations, has said its work in the country will be imperilled by the Modi government’s refusal to renew a licence that permits it to receive funds from abroad.
Oxfam is on a list of thousands of NGOs, according to local media reports, whose licence has not been renewed. Without the licence, these organisations can only use donations and contributions from within India.
“Oxfam India will reach out to the Ministry of Home Affairs and urge them to lift the funding restrictions to ensure vulnerable communities keep receiving the support they need at this critical time of the pandemic,” said the Oxfam India chief executive, Amitabh Behar, in a statement.
A few days ago, it emerged that Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity, which works among people with leprosy, the dying, abandoned sick children, people with Aids and the destitute, has also been barred from receiving foreign funds. The home ministry said it had detected some “adverse inputs” in the audit of its accounts.
