New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that the UK had raised with India the issue of the refusal of FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulations Act) licence given to Oxfam India, asserting that the NGO did not fulfill the eligibility criteria specified in the law.
Union Minister Nityananda Rai also told Lok Sabha that Oxfam India has filed an application for revision of refusal order issued under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.
Press reports earlier had mentioned that the matter of denial of FCRA registration renewal for certain British NGO's like Oxfam had figured in discussions with British officials wherein the UK side had requested MHA to reconsider its decision to deny renewal of registration.
"The government of United Kingdom (UK) raised the issue of the status of the Oxfam India under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 during the bilateral dialogue held on February 10, 2022. The status of the Oxfam India was shared with the UK side during the dialogue," the union minister of state for home said in his written reply.
He said the renewal application of Oxfam India was refused as it did not fulfill the eligibility criteria specified in the FCRA, 2010 and rules made thereunder.
The registration, renewal and cancellation of registration are done based on the criteria specified in the FCRA, 2010 and Rules made thereunder, he said.
According to Oxfam India website, it is "a movement of people working to end discrimination and create a free and just society".
The NGO says it "works to ensure that Adivasis, Dalits, Muslims, and women and girls have safe-violence free lives with freedom to speak their mind, equal opportunities to realise their rights, and a discrimination-free future".
(Based on PTI feed)