New Delhi: Centre for Policy Research (CPR) and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) – two entities that were the subject of ‘surveys’ by the income tax (IT) department on September 7 – said they have not violated any laws and are fully cooperating with the authorities.
CPR is a policy think tank while the IPSMF funds independent media organisations. Their offices, along with the non-governmental organisation Oxfam India, were all surveyed by the IT department from September 7 onwards.
In a statement, CPR’s president and chief executive Yamini Aiyar said that CPR has all the requisite approvals and sanctions, and is authorised by the government as a recipient under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
She said that CPR is a non-profit, non-partisan independent institution that is “dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high-quality scholarship, better policies and a more robust public discourse”.
“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of compliance and are confident that we have done nothing wrong. We are committed to working with the authorities to address any questions they might have.
We remain committed to our mission to provide rigorous research to policy making in India,” the statement said.
A Statement pic.twitter.com/vjH5r5INSQ
— Yamini Aiyar (@AiyarYamini) September 9, 2022
In a statement, IPSMF chairman T.N. Ninan said that the IT officials’ “survey” at the foundation’s Bengaluru office continued till 4:30 on Friday. The officials went through the papers and records of the Foundation and asked questions, he said.
“The Foundation’s staff were cooperative and answered all questions put to them on a wide range of matters. The officials took statements from three senior staff members. All laptops and mobile phones were taken for cloning data in them and returned last night,” the statement adds.
IPSMF believes that its affairs are “entirely in order”, Ninan said, while rejecting media reports linking the IT survey to foreign funding and the funding of political parties. “We wish to make it clear that the Foundation has received no foreign funds at any stage, and has funded only media entities,” the statement said, reaffirming its belief in its “mission of supporting independent and public-spirited media” and continuing its work.
IPSMF has granted funds to The Wire in the past.
The media collective Digipub, of which The Wire is a part, condemned the IT surveys and said, “Without any clarity on allegations or evidence, Income Tax teams are being used to intimidate and harass organisations involved in public service journalism. This is a brazen waste of human resources and of the efforts of government officials who have joined the service to add value to India’s administrative mechanism.”