In what could be considered an embarrassing development for the cooperative movement in India—and the country as a whole—the Union Home Ministry has cancelled the FCRA license of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) for alleged rule violations, according to an Economic Times report.
Notably, the Home Ministry raised no such objections during the last renewal in 2016. The International Cooperative Alliance has its regional office headquartered in Delhi, overseeing operations across the Asia-Pacific region.
Without a reversal of this decision, the Delhi office of ICA-AP will face significant operational challenges. Ironically, for the first time in ICA-AP’s history, its serving president, Dr. Chandra Pal Singh, is an Indian—a point of pride for India’s cooperative movement, which has always claimed a rich legacy.
Adding to the irony, a global conference of the ICA is scheduled for November, where the Ministry of Cooperation—headed by Amit Shah—has been playing a proactive role. The event is set to take place at Bharat Mandapam, and there is an ongoing effort to secure Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate it. Leading cooperative figures have already confirmed Shah’s attendance, with over 1,500 delegates from nearly 100 countries expected to participate.
Reports indicate that the FCRA licenses of several NGOs, including the CNI Synodical Board of Social Service, Voluntary Health Association of India, Indo-Global Social Service Society, and others, have also been revoked. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) cited alleged illegal activities such as forced conversions, anti-CAA funding, and other criminal offenses. However, ICA is known to focus solely on strengthening cooperative movements across Asia-Pacific and has no involvement in such activities.
Many cooperative leaders have expressed dismay at this development, accusing bureaucrats in the Ministry of painting all NGOs with the same brush, disregarding the purpose for which the Indian office of ICA was established—at the behest of prominent leaders of the time.
The ICA has held an FCRA license since 1985. If the decision is not reversed, there is concern that the office may be forced to relocate to China, Japan, or another country in the region, where they would likely be welcomed.