Cooperating with tax department, says CPR on survey at its premises

In a statement, Centre for Policy Research (CPR) said, “We had done nothing wrong and extended full cooperation to the department.”

Earlier on Wednesday, the premises of CPR near Malcha Marg in central Delhi were searched as part of a probe by the tax department related to alleged contravention of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).

In a statement, CPR said the Income Tax Department visited its office to undertake a survey on 7 and 8 September.

“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,” it further said.

“As one of 24 research institutes of the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research network, CPR has all requisite approvals and sanctions, and is authorised by the government as a recipient under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act,” the statement reads.

According to its website, CPR is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to research. It has been in existence since 1973 and lists several eminent personalities as former members of its governing board and faculty. Dr Manmohan Singh and Justice YV Chandrachud are listed as former governing board members.

About funding, the CPR website says that the think tank is recognised as a not-for-profit society by the government and contributions “are tax exempt”. It says CPR receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), and is a Department of Science and Technology (DST) recognised institution.

CPR says it is a member institution of the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a programme of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

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