The Income Tax (I-T) Department is currently conducting raids at the offices of leading think tank, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), Oxfam India, and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), sources told The Quint.
The raids are connected with simultaneous searches in Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat, among other places, "over funding of more than 20 registered but non-recognised political parties," NDTV reported, quoting sources.
While CPR is a public policy think tank, Oxfam is a global organisation dedicated to fighting "poverty and injustice." The Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) promotes excellence in and funds "independent, public-spirited and socially impactful journalism." The Wire is among the publications that used to be funded by IPSMF.
Who Runs CPR?
The public policy think tank's governing board is currently chaired by Meenakshi Gopinath, a political scientist who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and was a principal at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi. The president and chief executive is Yamini Aiyar. It was previously headed by popular academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta.
Started in 1973, it refers to itself as an "independent institution" dedicated to conducting research that plays a key role in high quality scholarship, better policies and a more holistic public discourse about "issues that impact life in India."
CPR's Funding
According to CPR's website, it has been recognised as a not-for-profit society by the Government of India, and contributions to the think tank are tax-exempt.
It further stated that the organisation 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).
CPR receives grants from a variety of domestic and international sources, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, governments, and multilateral agencies, the website added.
I-T Raids Against RUPPs
Meanwhile, the I-T department on Wednesday, 7 September, also conducted raids in multiple states as part of a pan-India tax evasion probe against certain registered unrecognised political parties (RUPP) and their alleged dubious financial transactions, sources added, as reported by news agency PTI.
The raids have been launched by the department against certain RUPPs, their promoters, and linked entities to probe the source of their income and expenditure, the sources said.
This comes after a recent recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), which struck off at least 198 entities from its list of RUPP after they were found non-existent during physical verification.
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