In May of this year, Narendra Modi’s government passed a new amendment to India’s “Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA),” blocking foreign-funded NGOs from distributing “news content” to their audiences.
Any organization with an FCRA registration found doing so will have it suspended; and any foreign-funded NGO already distributing news content and applying for an FCRA will be denied. Why does that matter? Without an FCRA registration in India, an NGO cannot receive funding from abroad.
The amendment left many NGOs across the country scrambling. What constitutes news content? Does it include policy briefs? Newsletters? Advocacy papers? Program data?
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About the author
Antonio Zappulla
Antonio Zappulla is the CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the corporate foundation of the global news and information services company. Through news, media development, free legal assistance, and convening initiatives, the foundation harnesses journalism and the law to advance media freedom, raise awareness of human rights issues, and foster more inclusive economies.
