CORE statement on Intelligence Bureau's (IB) classified report "Impact of NGOs on Development"

Imphal: 16th June 2014

The Centre for Organisation Research and Education (CORE) expresses its outrage regarding the recent news of an Intelligence Bureau's (IB) classified report "Impact of NGOs on Development" apparently leaked to select national news papers by dragging CORE's name into an unknown entity by the name 'Manipur Coalition on Extractives' while fallaciously alleging the organisation as routing funds through NGOs Chindu and Swadhikar for activism against oil drilling in Manipur and contributing to the negative impact on India's GDP growth assessed to be 2 - 3 % p.a.

The Times of India report by one Bharti Jain titled "Dutch-funded NGO trying to stall oil drilling in northeast: IB report" of 14 June 2014 was also reported again in at least two local English language print media of Manipur on 15 June 2014. We dismiss this reported classified document mentioned in the media, and its alleged contents as a leveling of charges without any evidence to support its claims and an obvious attempt to muzzle the fundamental freedoms of speech and association, the right to information that are guaranteed by the Indian Constitution.

We are acutely aware that the leaking of such a classified document is designed to whip up public sentiment and its fictitious allegations made against the organisation may be amounting to outright libel, slander and defamation.

CORE received a small amount last year from Rural Women Upliftment Society (RWUS) as a local resource centre under its time-bound project funded by CORDAID, that ended this June, for community based advocacy on conservation of environment and documentation of natural resources including the setting up of two model green villages in Manipur where many stake holders including village authority, church leaders, students leaders, national security forces stationed locally such as the Assam Rifles, etc., jointly participated to promote environmental awareness and promote green villages for the welfare of communities, their natural environment and ecological sustainability. CORE has no formal or official links with Chindu, Swadikar or CORDAID, as alleged in the media reports, in the past or presently.

About CORE:

CORE an indigenous peoples' organization, founded in 1987 as a non-profit registered NGO (Government of Manipur Societies Registration Act, 1860 bearing the Registration No. 98 of 24th March, 1987), focusing its activities on the civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights of indigenous peoples of the North East region of India. CORE's mission is "to work towards recognition and respect for the right to a self determined future, in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples of India, with respect for our ancient inheritance, building on our faith in humanity's role of trusteeship of resources, in peace with all other peoples."

CORE is in Special Consultative Relations with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations for the past 9 years (the first NGO to get this status from the North East region of India, there only two NGOs to date with such a status in our region). CORE's application and status in the UN is examined regularly by the Committee on NGOs of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) of the UN General Assembly, of which the Government of India is a member. By this status, CORE has access to all meetings and documents of the ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies including the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and the erstwhile Commission on Human Rights (CHR), now the Human Rights Council.

The organisation is certified by the Department of Social Welfare, Government of Manipur as an NGO working in the social welfare sector after fulfilment of prescribed terms and conditions since July 1998. It was registered under the Section 6(1) of the Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Act of 1976 since 1997. And the organisation is also exempted from paying income tax under the laws of India. It received the prestigious UNAIDS Civil Society Award in 2006 in recognition of outstanding commitment and support to the national fight against HIV and AIDS. In 2004, it was also the recipient of the prestigious Silver Banner award of Tuscany in Italy for our work in recognition of work in championing the rights of children and women, particularly those that are facing the devastation of armed conflict and war. We work as a human rights defender organisation and all our activities are human rights based, committed to the principles and purposes contained in the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (1993).

In the last about 26 years we have had partners like the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Norwegian Church Aid, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, FERN, UN Voluntary Fund, May 18 Memorial Foundation, OAK Foundation, La Luz Foundation, Bothends, The Hans Foundation, International Rivers Network, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, etc. Both national and international organisations have been working together with CORE since its inception.

As a registered non-profit Non-government organisation, we have been regularly submitting our annual reports and audited annual financial reports to the Income Tax Department of India, Registrar of Societies, Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, and Intelligence Bureau as required for the past many years. And, we submit quadrennial reports to the UN as mandatory for all the ECOSOC status NGOs. All our activities and other representation to both national and international are in place with all concerned authorities and most are available in the public domain.

Position of CORE on reported IB classified report:

As stated clearly in our mandate, we are for promotion of sustainable and humane development, recognition of all indigenous peoples as a major stakeholders and their meaningful inclusion in development processes that concerns them. Promoting sustainable and wise use of our natural national heritage and empowering the marginalized communities are clearly contributing substantively towards sustainable national growth.

Having nothing to say further after gathering all sorts of freely and publicly available tidbits of information on NGOs and funders in India, the IB made a wild claim that Indian GDP had been negatively impacted to the tune of a guesstimated 2 - 3% by some NGOs' development, awareness and advocacy activities! So this report seems to be an "economically" or ideologically slanted allegation for never in India's history before has this agency made an economic report, usually the domain of experts in this field.

The questions remain, just how and why this civilian agency, without any statutory status or accountability to Parliament, came to make a complex econometric outcome conclusion from such summary information it claims to have gathered for this 'classified' report, "Impact of NGOs on Development", and whose purposes and interests it (the conclusion) may serve by presenting a highly conjectural and biased view.

Projecting an indigenous peoples' human rights defender organisation who works for the welfare of the people of India and the nation itself as an entity working against national interests or national security by imputing false allegations is labelling the organisation as disreputable and disruptive.

We demand an immediate clarification from the Intelligence Bureau or we shall be constrained to seek legal opinion. We also seek the cooperation of the media, national and local, to extend to us the right to reply to such allegations making their appearance on their newsprint, and to prominently reflect our position on their news platforms – print and electronic.

(Dr Laifungbam Debabrata Roy)
President, Elders' Council

(Dr. Immnanuel Zarzosang Varte)
Executive Director

CORE Centre for Organisation Research & Education
Indigenous Peoples' Centre for Policy and Human Rights in India's Eastern Himalayan Territories
NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations
Loisanglen:
Post Box No. 99
1st Floor, Ibotombi Building, Babupara
Imphal 795001, MANIPUR
Tel/Fax: +91 385 244 13 19
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.coremanipur.org