[Here are few earlier news stories on the "leaked" IB report: < http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Foreign-funded-NGOs-stalling-development-IB-report/articleshow/36411169.cms>, < http://thestatesman.net/news/59120-intelligence-bureau-report-on-ngos-activities-slammed.html#.U5nSUdt7JPV.facebook>, < http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/not-just-foreign-hand-critical-gujarat-ngos-on-ib-watchlist-too/>, < http://newzfirst.com/web/guest/full-story/-/asset_publisher/Qd8l/content/anti-nuclear-activist-rubbishes-ib-s-claims-on-foreign-connection?redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest%2Fhome >< http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/no-info-on-any-ib-report-on-ngos-home-minister_938888.html >.
Today (June 13) there is a press conference at 3 PM at the Constitution Club. Those present at this conference will include - Praful Bidwai, Senior Columnist - Achin Vanaik, Retired Professor of International Relations, Delhi University - M G Devasahayam, Retired IAS and Power Policy Expert Also available on skype to address any queries will be Admiral (rtd.) L. Ramdas and S P Udayakumar, leading activist from Koodankulam.] I/III. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/politics/ibs-ngo-scare-report-to-modi-plagiarises-from-old-modi-speech/ IB's NGO-scare report to Modi plagiarises from old Modi speech Written by Jay Mazoomdaar <http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/jay-mazoomdaar/> | New Delhi | June 13, 2014 9:10 am SUMMARY When asked of the IB had asked for permission to use the paragraph from the book she edited, Radha Rajan of Vigilonline said she stood vindicated. In its 21-page classified report, Impact of NGOs on Development, first reported by The Indian Express, that identifies certain foreign-funded NGOs as threat to India's national economic security and the Gujarat model of development, the Intelligence Bureau has cut and pasted from a published speech of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to describe the modus operandi of certain organizations. On September 9, 2006, then Gujarat chief minister Modi had lashed out in a speech at a "wealthy" and "influential" class of NGOs that "hire PR firms to continually build their image" with "money coming from abroad." The occasion was the release of the first edition of NGOs, Activists & Foreign Funds: Anti-Nation Industry edited by Radha Rajan and Krishen Kak -- a collection of articles on what they called the anti-Hindu agenda and corrupt practices of certain NGOs and activists -- at New Delhi. Modi's speech at that function was included in the second edition of the collection. The second paragraph on the fourth page (page number 417 in the book) of Modi's article, NGOs as Non-Accountable Businesses, reads as follows: "Another conspiracy -- a vicious cycle is set up. Funds are obtained from abroad; an NGO is set up; a few articles are commissioned; a PR firm is recruited and, slowly, with the help of the media, an image is created. And then awards are procured from foreign countries to enhance this image. Such a vicious cycle, a network of finance-activity-award is set up and, once they have secured an award, no one in Hindustan dares raise a finger, no matter how many the failings of the awardee." The second paragraph on the third page (Part A) of the IB report on NGOs reads: "A small group of activists and NGOs at times have succeeded in shaping policy debates in India. Apart from that, in some cases it is observed that in a cyclical process, an NGO is set up, funds are obtained from abroad, a few articles are commissioned, a PR firm is recruited and, slowly, with the help of the media an image is created. And then awards are procured from foreign countries to enhance the image, after which Government machinery finds it more difficult to act against the awardee." When asked of the IB had asked for permission to use the paragraph from the book she edited, Radha Rajan of Vigilonline said she stood vindicated. "No, the IB did not contact me. But probably they were present at the high-profile book release next to the BJP office on Delhi's Ashoka Road in 2006," she told The Indian Express. Contacted by The Indian Express, a senior IB official closely associated with the report declined to comment. *(Mazoomdaar is a former staffer of The Indian Express)* II/III. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/six-delhi-ngos-in-ib-watchlist-say-thank-you-for-noticing-us/99/ Six Delhi NGOs in IB watchlist say thank you for noticing us Written by Amitav Ranjan <http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/amitav-ranjan/> , Shalini Narayan <http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/shalini-narayan/> | New Delhi | June 13, 2014 4:41 am UMMARY The document claimed INSAF used foreign funds during 2009-12 to pay "at least 15 non-FCRA and 26 FCRA organisations. Six non-governmental organisations, which figure in an Intelligence Bureau report on NGOs stalling development projects, operate out of a single building in Katwaria Sarai in South Delhi. The IB report on the 'Impact of NGOs on Development' said inquiries into "pattern, design and funding of protests at nuclear plants and uranium mines" revealed a "superior network" of pan-India organisations closely linked to territorial outfits that were also indulging in agitation against GM foods and the POSCO steel plant in Orissa. "The manner of free-funding for these NGOs is observed from the fact that ASHA and its IFSF campaign are headquartered with four prominent anti-nuclear NGOs at a single address -- A-124/6, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi -- which is an unmarked, small, two-room flat," the report stated. "These four NGOs are Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament & Peace (CNDP), Popular Education & Action Centre (PEACE) and Jan Sangharsh Samanvaya Samiti, the latter being the focal point for anti-Fatehabad nuclear power plant," it added. Its section on anti-nuclear activism said CNDP, INSAF and PEACE were at the forefront of protests against building of nuclear energy plants in India and accused them of coordinating radiation leak studies and instigating protests to stall construction work at nuclear sites. ASHA (Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture) and IFSF (India For Safe Food) have been identified in the IB report as among the four NGOs -- the other two being Navdanya and Gene Campaign -- which have been leading anti-GM food activism in India. "The above NGOs were active facilitators of news articles, liaison with other activists and social media activism which contributed to the four-year old moratorium on Bt Brinjal and the ban regimes recommended by parliamentary standing committee (August 2012), Technical Expert Committee appointed by the Supreme Court in October 2012," the IB said. INSAF, involved in the anti-Jaitapur nuclear plant activism, was accused of organising and paying for anti-POSCO events "with active participation of most NGOs headquartered with it at Katwaria Sarai". The IB cautioned that INSAF was now opposing the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, asking activists to warn farmers that they would become landless owing to government acquisition of land for the project. The document claimed INSAF used foreign funds during 2009-12 to pay "at least 15 non-FCRA and 26 FCRA organisations", including an individual to protest against the extra-judicial executions in Manipur. Its FCRA registration was frozen in 2013 as transfers by an FCRA NGO to non-FCRA NGOs violated Section 7 of FCRA 2010. When The Indian Express visited the Katwaria Sarai building on Thursday, it found that two of the three floors there are occupied by the four NGOs mentioned in the report -- INSAF, CNDP, PEACE and Jan Sangharsh Samanvaya Samiti. Anil Chaudhary, convenor of PEACE, said there was nothing wrong if they were all operating out of the same address since "we are all like-minded organisations and there is no harm in allowing cost-cuts for infrastructure, especially when we are fighting for a common cause". He said a monthly rental of Rs 15,000 was being paid for each floor. Chaudhary, who is also a member of INSAF, said the CNDP was not a registered NGO but "a campaign by individuals with no foreign funding, no membership record... the primary focus of the campaign is nuclear disarmament and its financial repercussions". "CNDP was formed in 2000 after Pokhran and became part of PEACE which was formed in 1995. My only question is how has a document of national security been leaked? And if there is a ban on NGOs going against government policy, why aren't such rules specified in the FCRA?" "PEACE and INSAF are registered under FCRA. The IB report has not been formulated overnight. It has involved years of investigation. IB personnel have visited us every time there has been a campaign or an awareness programme. During President Clinton's visit to India in 2000, the IB personnel visited our office to inquire what we were up to," he said. PEACE has 16 members and five trainers who deal with various issues relating to displacement, water, NREGA. They also train field workers of smaller NGOs. Nuclear disarmament, Chaudhary said, is only one of the many issues they raise. The INSAF, he said, is an umbrella body comprising 750 organisations, including PEACE. "INSAF cannot have individuals as its members. Only organisations can be part of it. Elections are held to top posts every two years. INSAF and PEACE each receive funding of Rs one crore a year, the main foreign contributor being Germany. All this has been submitted in our annual report to the FCRA. Why are they creating a problem now," Chaudhary said. Last year, the registration of INSAF was suspended for 180 days in "public interest" and its bank accounts frozen. This order was challenged in the Delhi High Court and the suspension order was subsequently withdrawn. "We learnt of the IB report only through the newspaper, we never received any official correspondence from the department. We entertain the personnel the same way we entertain any and every visitor who comes here. We are very clear on what we are fighting for. The IB may say what they want. But as a small organisation, we can't be behind a mass movement. Our only way to spread awareness is through small competitions in schools and workshops. If there are rules, we are following them. In fact, we are glad the IB has named us. At least now our voices will be heard," Chaudhary said. III. http://www.thecitizen.in/ib-fires-first-bullet-against-protest-submits-report-to-pmo-linking-anti-nuclearposco-vedanta-protests-to-foreign-conspiracy/ IB Fires First Bullet Against Protest, Submits Report To PMO Linking Anti-Nuclear,Posco, Vedanta Protests To Foreign Conspiracy *THE CITIZEN BUREAU* Thu June 12, 2014 *NEW DELHI: *The Intelligence Bureau, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has prepared a detailed dossier under the title "concerted efforts by select foreign funded NGOs to "take down" Indian development projects" for the top echelons of the central government. In an increasingly global world, the report is an interesting outdated attempt to ring alarm bells about foreign funding and foreign efforts to "take down" development projects in the country despite the large scale local protest and involvement against the POSCO project and nuclear plants like Kudankulam because of environmental hazards, safety fears, and land acquisition. The IB report targets anti nuclear, 'anti coal', and 'anti-genetically modified organisms' activism, and goes on to bring in human rights violations as well by maintaining that the Dutch government funded NGOs have shifted their attention from Jammu and Kashmir to the Northeast where "violence against women and prevention of extractive industries" is the new agenda. The US,,Germany,UK are the other countries named in the report. The UPA government had reportedly started the dossier with foreign funding becoming a major issue under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well,given his interest and commitment to setting up nuclear plants and nuclear parks across India. However, the IB report now names all the various organisations that were involved in specific protests, including those without foreign funding, as well as specific activists many of whom have been working on the ground for decades now on anti-nuclear and pro-people issues. The report names foreign donors based in "US,UK, Germany and Netherlands" as being behind Indian NGOs raising "people centric issues to create an environment which lends itself to stalling development projects." The IB thus admits in the opening lines of the report itself that the issues being taken up are central to the people of India, and yet goes on to look upon the protests as part of a sinister design despite the fact that just as multinationals have adopted a global role in nation's economies that governments endorse, environmental and anti-nuclear movements have acquired global momentum. The IB report, copies of which are with The Citizen and Times Now that has also run the story, seeks to make linkages and thereby read like a document of foreign aided subversion whereas most of the issues it has raised are part of the global environmental agenda that groups and people have and are agitating against. Donors like Greenpeace and CORDAID are identified as leaders that involve Indian NGOs with all serving as "tools for the strategic foreign policy interests of Western governments." It goes on to say that these two organisations "focus their efforts entirely on such activities while others such as Action Aid, Amnesty International etc dedicate a small portion of their annual donations to such projects under varied veils such as 'democratic and accountable government', 'economic fairness' etc. The report refers specifically to "anti nuclear activism" where it says that the agitation that "stalled" the Russian assistant Koodankulam Nuclear plants in Tamil Nadu were spearheaded by "Ohio State University funded S.P.Udayakumar and a host of western-funded NGOs." It speaks of a map of India with nuclear and mining locations in India, and the contact details of 50 Indian anti-nuclear activists that the IB insists in a strange interpretation, revealed "an intricate network aimed to "take down" India's nuclear program through NGO activism." In this connect, the report later names prominent activists including India's former Naval chief Admiral Ramadoss, Praful Bidwai, Achin Vanaik and others who are all part of the recognised and well established Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace that has been working, sometimes with activists across countries who all believe in an anti-nuclear world. The IB document has also flagged in some detail "anti-coal activism" which it says is being "spearheaded by US based 'green'organisations and Greenpeace which have formed a coal network to take down India's 455 proposed CFPPs (520GW) amongst 999 globally. NTPC is ranked as the first offender with 47 projects." Here too Greenpeace is identified as having initiated protests in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat through "front" organisations. The report further flags anti-genetically modified organism activism led by "five Indian activists and six NGOs including Greenpeace." This includes the protests against POSCO and Vedanta, which the report says is "well documented" although it does not mention the eminent persons and the political leaders who also participated in these protests, but lists instead the UK/European NGOs like Amnesty, Action Aid and Survival International. The Narmada Bachao Andolan and its movement is also listed specifically in the report. IB has also identified a modus operandi based on its perception that "a small group of activists and NGOs have at times succeeded in shaping policy debates in India." It says that "first a NGO is set up, then funds are obtained from abroad, a few articles are commissioned, a PR firm is recruited and slowly with the help of the media an image is created. And then awards are procured from foreign countries to enhance the image, after which government machinery finds it that more difficult (sic) to act against the awardee." Interestingly the IB report that establishes the existence of a "map" then later goes on to say that the "50 activists" were all scrutinised and it was found that 28 of them were anti-nuclear campaigners, and 22 were social activists, journalists or academics and "all were focused on most of the 21 sites marked on Sonntags map" which by the way are all in the public domain. The IB also spoke of foreign travel by "at least 11 activists" as if this is now only a preserve for government officials, corporates and politicians. Interestingly almost all known organisations working on the above agenda's for years in India have been named in the report leading to expectations of a major crackdown by the central government on the groups as well as individuals associated with these major protests across the country. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
