Kudankulam protest: Govt to scrutinise 77 NGOs

Weeks after the central government cancelled the licenses of four NGOs for allegedly supporting Kudankulam protest, authorities have now put another 77 NGOs on its watchlist.

According to sources, the Home Ministry has zeroed in on some 77 NGOs whose activities will be carefully scrutinised.

Most of the NGOs listed are said to be those receiving funds from the US and European Union. As a result of the scrutiny, members of these organisations will reportedly find it difficult to get visas to India.

Minister of state in PMO V Narayanasamy had earlier said that foreign funds received for purposes such as health and education were diverted to fund the Kudankulam stir.

In a recent interview to Science magazine, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also blamed NGOs funded by US and Scandinavian countries for campaigning against the Kudankulam nuclear project.

Activists protesting against the nuclear power plant have however denied receiving any foreign funds.

"Between 14 August last year and 28 February, we have collected Rs 25,17,991 and spent Rs 17,64,238," Stanly, one of their 30-member finance committee of People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), told PTI.

"We have used only this money collected from locals, fishermen and beedi rolling women," Stanly said.

Meanwhile, the United States government today said it was supportive of India's investment in the civil nuclear power sector and does not favour its NGOs opposing anti-nuclear activities in the country.

"As you know, we are strongly supportive of India's investment in civil nuclear power," she said. "The NGOs that we fund in India are involved in the same kind of democratisation projects," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters.

The Rs.13, 000-crore Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) is located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. The Indo-Russian nuclear plant joint venture has run into trouble, with activists and locals staging protests citing safety concerns in the wake of the Fukushima disaster that took place in Japan on March 11, 2011.