Governments worldwide are suppressing local activism by imposing curbs on foreign funding to civil society. Research shows that civil society is often dependent on this international aid, and that in the most extreme cases, NGOs have been forced by this crackdown to abandon their work.
India is no stranger to cracking down on foreign funding to civil society. Now, the new government has trained its guns on environmental activists.
In late January, a Delhi court struck down an Indian government order that, last year, had blocked the flow of overseas funds to Greenpeace-India, saying there was no proof of “anti-national” activities. This judicial respite, however, is unlikely to stop the government from harassing other environmental NGOs, particularly those focused on predatory industry, mining, dam and nuclear projects.
