India’s public policy think tank, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), on Friday, October 4, issued an official statement against negative commentary in the media reports.
In the statement, the think tank wrote, “We are deeply anguished by the commentary in the media casting aspersions on CPR's integrity, objectivity and its commitment to engage with ideas that matter to the nation. This reportage betrays ignorance of CPR's provenance, its passion for evidence-based policy research, its rich traditions of accommodating multiple perspectives, promoting debates to inform policy thinking and shaping public discourse.”
It might be recalled that the premium think tank hit the headlines earlier this year in January, after the Centre cancelled its license to obtain international funding, about a year after it suspended the top think tank's permit for allegedly violating norms for foreign grants.
“CPR has always strived to strengthen India and its institutional processes. We also take our obligation to promote public interest very seriously. We have already appealed against the allegations in the courts. We reaffirm our complete faith in the country's judicial processes,” the statement further added.
In 2023, the BJP government had suspended CPR's licence in February 2023 for suspected violation of India's foreign contribution regulation act (FCRA) by using the funds for "undesirable purposes", according to a Delhi High Court order.
