The income tax department conducted raids at Delhi-based independent think tank, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), on Sunday reportedly in connection with funding of registered but unrecognised political parties. There is no response yet from the authorities at the institute.
According to sources, the raids are in connection with the funding of more than 20 registered but unrecognised political parties. Simultaneous raids were reportedly taking place in Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The institute’s website states that the CPR is recognised as a not-for-profit by the central government and contributions made to it are tax exempt. The website states, “CPR receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), and is a Department of Science and Technology (DST) recognised institution. CPR is a member institution of the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a programme of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).”
It adds: “CPR receives grants from a variety of domestic and international sources, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, governments, and multilateral agencies.”
The website also has a record of annual reports, grants and foreign contributions.
The CPR was once headed by prominent BJP critic and academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who made headlines after resigning from the post of vice-chancellor of Ashoka University. The governing board of the CPR is now chaired by political scientist Meenakshi Gopinath, who was previously a faculty member of Jawaharlal Nehru University and the principal of Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi.
Yamini Aiyar is the president and chief executive while other board members include former foreign secretary Shyam Saran and IIM professor Rama Bijapurkar.
The latest data from 2021 shows that India has 2,858 parties registered with the Election Commission of India, of which 2,796 are unrecognised.
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Source: News18