Verona, Aug. 12 -- Senior analyst and advisor to India-Italy ties, Carlo Lombardi, has backed the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill, noting that it is in the country's interest to scrutinise overseas funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which can also be used as instruments of foreign policy.

Tracing the history of the bill, he noted that the legislation was first passed by the Indian parliament in 1976 under the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. "It was overhauled in 2010 by Manmohan Singh's government, and it was actually harsher in the day," Lombardi said.

In his conversation with ANI, he acknowledged the humanitarian role of NGOs and said, "My basic point is that NGO...