Bengaluru: In a major faux pas, the Union Home Ministry has barred Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru from collecting foreign funds for having failed to file returns for three years from 2011.
CFTRI is a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, New Delhi, established in 1950. Interestingly, foreign funds for this premier food and technology research institute are routed through the Department of Science and Technology. Since Friday morning, staff at CFTRI were busy searching for documents to check whether their institution had received foreign funds for which they had not filed returns.
"No foreign funds come to our institute directly, it is routed through the Central government. We are surprised why our institute had been included in the list of non-governmental organizations(NGOs) barred from collecting foreign funds", said an officer.The officer said, even if CFTRI takes up collaborative projects as part of bilateral agreements, the institute spends from its account and the collaborating partner utilises its funds.
The Union Home Ministry has faulted CFTRI for not filing returns for 2010, 2011 and 2012 for the foreign funds received. "As far as my knowledge goes, we have not received any foreign funds in these three years. We don’t know whether the government of India had included the institute’s name by mistake. A clear picture will emerge after the CFTRI director returns on Monday.”
Sources said the website of the ministry states that the notice has been sent to 190 Karnataka-based NGOs and institutions, including CFTRI by post and it was expected to reach on Monday. The CFTRI is registered under the Societies Act and works under CSIR.
"We can’t say anything at this juncture till we receive the notice. We are more bothered about the reputation of the 65-year-old institute in India and abroad. Our institute has strong guidelines and every paisa is accounted for. We rarely get research funds directly, they come through the Department of Science and Technology, Delhi".
