Government clarifies to UK on Oxfam registration renewal under FCRA, mum on review

NEW DELHI: The UK home office last week raised with the Indian authorities the matter of

Oxfam India

recently being denied renewal of its registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010. However, the Indian side - as part of the Indo-UK home affairs dialogue which was held virtually - responded by merely explaining the procedure and systems for licence renewal under FCRA, with no indication if the decision on

Oxfam

India would be reviewed.

"Yes, the issue was brought up by the UK team during the meeting. The Indian side apprised the UK officials about the FCRA law and procedures for renewal of licence," a

home ministry

official told TOI on Monday.

The home ministry had late last year rejected the applications of Oxfam India and

Oxfam India Trust

for renewal of FCRA licence. Though the grounds were not made public, it is believed that the denial had to do with "adverse inputs" flagged by the intelligence agencies against Oxfam and its activities that the home ministry saw out of line with the FCRA provisions.

While the MHA had reconsidered rejection of FCRA renewal to organisations like the Missionaries of Charity and renewed its licence, Oxfam India and Oxfam India Trust remain in the list of organisations that are no longer registered under the FCRA and thus are ineligible to receive any foreign funding.