Protests in Ladakh over talks with Delhi

India’s Home Ministry has introduced changes to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) which will impose higher penalties on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOS) for several offences related to the receipt and usage of foreign contributions.

NGOs that utilize other than the permitted 20% of the foreign contributions on administrative expenses will now face a penalty of Rs 1 lakh or 5% of the excess amount spent, whichever is more, according to a report by Indian newspaper Financial Express.

Rules regarding the registration under FCRA is where heavy revision has been made.

Reportedly, the new rules oblige organizations applying for foreign funding to clarify its exact purpose.

“Every application for registration shall mention the purpose or purposes for which registration is sought” and the states or Union Territories where the association proposes to undertake activities.

Under the religious purposes, activities range from construction to renovation, and maintenance of religious places, religious education, and promotion of devotional music, among others.

Since 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has tightened restrictions on non-profit groups, suspending many and banning others from receiving foreign funding, accusing them of funneling the funds toward “anti-national activities.”

In 2020, a major FCRA amendment banned the transfer of foreign funds between NGOs, cutting administrative expense limits from 50% to 20%.

Businesses were shut in India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh on Tuesday, at the calls of two main political groups representing the two regions that make up the Union Territory.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) called for the protests to express their disagreement with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. 

Business establishments and private institutions remained closed in most parts of the Union Territory. Thousands joined a rally demanding a “credible dialogue” with the Union government.

The groups have alleged that the government omitted agreed upon proposals regarding authority over the bureaucracy as well as constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.

The two groups accused the government of widening a “trust deficit” by failing to include key understandings reached during talks on 22 May in the official Minutes of Meeting (MoM).

What do we know about the Ladakh talks with Delhi?

The central government and the groups have held several rounds of talks since 2023. The talks were paused when four people were killed and over 80 injured in alleged police firing during protests in Leh last September over demands of statehood.

LAB and KDA have warned that if the “two essential” agreements are not reflected in the final minutes, they would return to their original demand of “full statehood and Sixth Schedule status for Ladakh.”

Inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution will safeguard tribal lands, local employment, and the fragile Himalayan ecology from outside conglomerates.

In 2019, the Indian government abolished Article 370 which resulted in the region’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir and its redesignation as a separate Union Territory.

The decision was initially welcomed by the Ladakhi residents but soon concerns grew over inadequate political representation.

Hello! This is Midhat from DW’s New Delhi Studio. I am here to bring you all that’s making headlines in Indiatoday.

India’s Himalayan region Ladakh saw protests over government policies. Both Leh and Kargil districts in Ladakh observed business shutdown to register their discontentment.

The Indian government has also revised foreign funding rules making them more strict for Non-governmental Organizations. 

The biggest change has been made in the religious category.

Meanwhile, Walmart’s e-commerce company Flipkart is looking to expand its “quick commerce” business in India.

Stay tuned as we bring you more on this and other developments from across the country.