Verona, Aug. 12 -- Highlighting that foreign funding regulations in India are not a new phenomenon, Senior Analyst and Advisor, India-Italy relations, Carlo Lombardi, has pointed out that the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was first introduced under the government headed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1976 and later the law was made harsher during the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.

Speaking with ANI, Lombardi emphasised that while Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) contribute positively to humanitarian causes, they also can frequently function as instruments of a foreign policy, making government oversight of international funding essential.

"Let's not forget that the first FCRA was passed by the Indian Par...