New Delhi: Income Tax officers carried out raids Wednesday on the premises of the Delhi-based public policy think tank Centre For Policy Research (CPR).
The raids were in connection with simultaneous searches in Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat, among other places, “over the funding of more than 20 registered but non-recognised political parties”, an NDTV report said.
The CPR website said it was a “non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high-quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India”. The think tank was established in 1973.
Once headed by BJP-critic and academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta, the CPR is now chaired by political scientist Meenakshi Gopinath and has Yamini Aiyar as president and chief executive.
Some of its board members are former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, management consultant Rama Bijapurkar, former Tata Communications chairman Subodh Bhargava, historian Chandrasekhar Dasgupta and Rakesh Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises.
The policy group’s website says its “vision and mission” is to ask relevant questions and build evidence on key policy challenges in India.
“CPR brings together India’s best thinkers and policy practitioners to conduct robust research that generates new ideas, bridges the gap between ideas and policy design, and leads to strong, inclusive and thorough policy implementation,” the site says.
The body also aims to shape ideas, build public consensus and provide expert input to policy.
On funding, CPR says it receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), and is a Department of Science and Technology (DST) recognised institution.
It also receives grants from “a variety of domestic and international sources, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, governments, and multilateral agencies”. The site also provides a full accounting of annual finances and grants.
The income tax department on Wednesday raided multiple states as part of a tax evasion probe against registered unrecognised political parties (RUPP) and their alleged dubious funding.
The searches were conducted in Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana and some other states.
A coordinated action has been launched by the tax department against the RUPPs, their linked entities, operators and others, sources said.
The surprise action was taken by the department on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC) which recently struck off 87 entities from its RUPP list after they were found non-existent during physical verification.
The poll panel had announced it would take action against more than 2,100 registered, unrecognised political parties for flouting rules and election laws, including those related to the filing of monetary contributions, failing to update their address and names of office bearers.
It said some of these parties were indulging in “serious” financial impropriety.
With inputs from PTI
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