NYT: Charity Closes India Operations Amid Crackdown

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected as a Hindu nationalist, has worked to rigorously enforce a law that regulates use of foreign aid in the country. The government has canceled the registration of more than 11,000 NGOs since Modi took office in 2014. One prominent charity, Compassion International, is locked in a legal battle with the state. Compassion International is a Colorado-based Christian charity that serves more than 145,000 children across India – with 15,000 no longer receiving services. Modi’s government has targeted religious charities, which account for half of the 12 top international donors to India, report Ellen Barry and Suhasini Raj. The reporters add: “The shutdown of the charity, Compassion International, on suspicion of engaging in religious conversion, comes as India, a rising economic power with a swelling spirit of nationalism, curtails the flow of foreign money to activities it deems ‘detrimental to the national interest.’” Compassion International hopes to win the right to continue operating, but until then, some education opportunities and other community programs are left in limbo. – YaleGlobal