Govt ‘traces’ Ford’s illegal donations

New Delhi, May 3

US-based Ford Foundation has funded a political party and profit making organisations “illegally” which has resulted in the foreign outfit coming under the Home Ministry scanner and put on the “watch list”.

A senior Home Ministry official said an investigation has found that funds sanctioned by the Ford Foundation to an NGO have reached a political party which automatically makes the donor liable to face action. But the Ford Foundation has rejected the charge.

The probe has found that Ford Foundation has funded several organisations which do not fall in the category of NGOs and are eligible for receiving foreign funds as they make profits, the official said.

The international donor strongly refuted the charge of funding political parties but accepted that it worked with various entities including those which work for profits.

“We wish to affirm that the foundation does not fund political parties,” Ford Foundation spokesperson Joshua Cinelli said. — PTI