4 NGOs behind N-plant stir got Rs 36 crore from abroad

The four non-governmental organisations (NGOs) being probed for links with the protests against the Kundankulam nuclear plant received no less than Rs 36.37 crore as foreign donations from 2006 to 2011 even as 16 other NGOs have come under the scanner of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, or FCRA.

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy is not on the list of NGOs being investigated for alleged FCRA violations but its coordinator SP Udayakumar is part of a resource network of one of the NGOs having received funds from Sweden.

Home ministry officials said the four NGOs which have been stopped from receiving foreign contributions are the Tuticorin Diocesan Association, Rural Uplift Center, Good Vision Charitable Trust and Trust for Rural Uplift and Education. The chief functionaries of these NGOs have been identified as Father Yvon Ambrose, Maria James, Manoj Thangaraj and J Napolean, respectively.

The CBI has been asked by the Centre to investigate the Tuticorin association and Rural Center whose bank accounts have been frozen after discrepancies came to light during a home ministry probe.

The ministry found that the Tuticorin association received R20.1 crore while the Rural Center received Rs 13.4 crore as foreign contributions from 2006-2011.

The ministry says that cases of the Good Vision trust and Trust for Rural Uplift and Education have been handed over to the Tamil Nadu director general of police for investigation.
 
The former received R1.24 crore and the latter R1.63 crore as foreign contributions in the same period. Bank accounts of both NGOs have been frozen and the Tamil Nadu DGP has been asked to submit the investigation report to the Centre.; Top government sources said that apart from the four NGOs which have been stopped from receiving foreign donations in future, show cause notices have been issued to three other NGOs by the home ministry.

They have been asked to provide details of foreign contributions received by them.; The ministry has sent notices to seven NGOs and a survey has been ordered in two cases. Of the seven NGOs, four without FCRA clearance have been sent questionnaires. One of the two FCRA-registered NGOs surveyed received Rs 30.1 lakh from Sweden but no action has been initiated against it.

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