The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) of India has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the NGO Environics Trust (ET) on charges of violating the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010. The accusations involve alleged use of funds intended for disaster relief, in the aftermath of Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan in Odisha, to incite protests against the JSW Steel project in the region.
According to the Indian CBI, the organization “has funded the agitators and involved in the various activities creating law and order issue in the country.” The activities in question contradict both the objectives of the trust and the provisions of the FCRA Act 2010.
The CBI further claims that ET is associated with Adivasi activist Deme Oram who was arrested in Odisha for alleged “rioting” and “unlawful assembly.” The Adivasi people are a collection of indigenous tribal groups in India.
JSW Steel, a subsidiary of JSW Utkal Steel, aims to construct a 13.2 million tonne per annum greenfield Integrated Steel Plant (ISP), a project which has seen continuous local protest. Despite receiving the necessary environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment & Forest and Climate Change in April 2022, numerous NGOs, including ET, have protested the construction of the plant, citing community and environmental concerns. More information about the clearance can be found here.
The FCRA was also invoked in 2022 when the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) accused Amnesty International of money laundering to bypass FCRA regulations.
For further information, please refer to this news piece.