New Delhi: The recent hue and cry raised about the “foreign hand” in
the Anna Hazare-led ‘mass’ movement seems to have got answers in reply
to a query filed by BeyondHeadlines under the Right to Information
Kabir had revealed that it had received funding from various sources, including the controversial Michigan (United States)-based Ford Foundation. Social activists Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and Manish Sisodia
addressing the media. (Photo Source: Jagran.com)
It may be recalled that the Congress party has questioned US unusual
and unexpected stand on the ongoing anti-graft movement in India. Also
the Ford Foundation allegedly has links with the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA).
In reply to an RTI query that questioned the funding and expenditure
of Kabir, the organisation has disclosed that they have received funds
from the Ford Foundation (Rs 86,61,742), PRIA (Rs 2,37,035), Manjunath
Shanmugam Trust (Rs 3,70,000), Dutch Embassy (Rs 19,61,968),
Association for India’s Development (Rs 15,00,000), India’s friends
Association (Rs 7,86,500), United Nationals Development Programme
(Rs12,52,742) while Rs 11,35,857 were collected from individual
donations between 2007 to 2010.
Interestingly, a major part of the funding to an organisation that is
prominent in the “War against corruption” has come from abroad and
mainly from the United States. Apar from the UNDP, Ford Foundation and
the India Friends Association are US-based organisations, while PRIA
and Association for India’s Development are headquartered in Asia.
The funding of the anti-graft movement has gained prominence after the
exhorbitant amounts being spent on campaigning for the movement in the
form of bulk SMSs, t-shirts, caps, flags and the other means adopted
by the civil society activists, demanding their own version of the
Lokpal Bill.
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