May 4, 2021

Indigenous communities in Assam protest construction of power plant

Environment: Indigenous communities and Adivasi farmers of Mikir Bamuni Grant village in Nagaon, Assam have been protesting against the forceful takeover of their land for the setting up of a 15 MW solar power plant by Azure Power Forty Private Limited.

An All-India-Fact-Finding Committee (FFC) was constituted by the Delhi Solidarity Group to address the grievances of the local people. Members such as Prafulla Samantara, Leo Saldanha, Bhargavi Rao, and Amit Kumar visited Mikir Bamuni to meet with the local communities, district police, and revenue officials.

Based on the evidence gathered during this visit the committee has released a report titled ‘The Anatomy of a Solar Land Grab’.

The report establishes that the construction of the solar plant is on fertile agricultural land and that it blocks an active elephant corridor in an ecologically sensitive region. It also states that there was use of police power to coerce local people into submission. The members of the FFC group, during the launch of the report, also highlighted how the Government of Assam and police officials worked in the interests of Azure Power at the cost of human rights, livelihoods, and fundamental rights of the villagers.

The report demands that the Assam government step in and immediately pause the construction of the plant, take necessary steps to restore the land, and hand it back to the tillers of the lands. Additionally, there is a need to initiate an enquiry into the human rights violations, fraud, and illegalities carried out by the state officials in the unlawful transfer of the land.

Read this article to understand why we need an integrated approach towards lives and livelihoods.


May 20, 2021

Home Ministry extends validity period of FCRA registration certificates

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.


May 20, 2021

Corporate spending on oxygen support and medical equipment now counts as CSR

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.