Income Tax exemption of activist Harsh Mander’s NGO cancelled
New Delhi: The Income Tax Department has cancelled the registration of the Aman Biradari NGO, founded by human rights activist Harsh Mander, under s. 12A of the Income Tax Act. This revocation means the organisation will no longer be exempt from paying income tax, Mander told Scroll on Wednesday.
Mander stated that the tax authorities had first issued a notice regarding the cancellation three months ago, to which the NGO responded about one-and-a-half months back. However, he added that the department’s order did not address any of the points raised by the organisation to explain its stance.
The department cited two primary reasons for the cancellation. First, it alleged that Aman Biradari failed to provide the permanent account numbers (PAN) of certain individuals who donated to its crowdfunding drive during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Mander, the funds collected through the drive were used to provide food for underprivileged people during the pandemic. He claimed that the NGO was not legally required to provide PAN details at that time.
The second reason cited was that creating communication material on interfaith harmony was not among the stated objectives of the NGO when seeking exemption under s. 12A. Mander, however, stated that interfaith harmony was clearly listed as one of the objectives of Aman Biradari.
Despite the order, Mander affirmed that the organisation would continue its activities. “We have worked with many violence-affected individuals, including survivors of the 2020 Delhi violence and the ethnic conflict in Manipur. We will not let this hinder our work,” he said.
Aman Biradari is described as a campaign for a secular, peaceful, just, and humane society. In March, the Union Home Ministry recommended a CBI investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the NGO. Earlier in February, the CBI filed an FIR against Mander and the Centre for Equity Studies, another trust linked to him, for alleged violations of FCRA norms.
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Consumer Affairs Minister slams air purifier firms for false claims ahead of pollution season
New Delhi, Oct 14: Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday criticised air purifier manufacturers for making false claims about their products, and called for increased consumer awareness ahead of winter when air pollution worsens in Delhi due to crop stubble burning in neighbouring states.
Addressing an event commemorating World Standards Day, Joshi expressed concern over misleading marketing tactics adopted by some air purifier companies.
"Discussion on air pollution has begun. Looking at Air Quality Index (AQI) on mobiles, people out of fear, go and buy air purifiers. Air purifiers make such false claims. ...We see air purifiers and so much is written but nothing is there in it. There is just a fan in it, yet claims are still made," the minister stated.
Joshi called for a collaborative approach involving the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the consumer affairs ministry and consumers to address the issue.
While praising the BIS for their "exceptionally wonderful job" in recent years, the minister emphasized that more needs to be done.
"I do not blame BIS for this. BIS in the last few years has done an exceptionally wonderful job. But both BIS and the consumer affairs ministry and consumers together need to create awareness. It is important, and I strongly feel (this way)," the minister said stressing the collective responsibility in combating misleading product claims.
He emphasized the government's commitment to ensuring every Indian has access to safe, reliable, and high-quality products and services.
These comments come as concerns grow about air quality in major Indian cities and expansion of the air purifier market.
Joshi also announced plans to make BIS standards mandatory for public procurement on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. "BIS standards are partially implemented on GeM. We'll try to make it mandatory."
The minister highlighted the government's focus on quality standards, noting that Cabinet proposals now include global standard notes.
"These days, the tradition has started in the Union Cabinet. Wherever a bill to be introduced in Parliament comes before the Cabinet, the global standard note comes with it. That has been made mandatory for the Cabinet," he said.
This note mentions which countries perform best in the particular field, rules and how India can achieve it. "So, we have to match every Cabinet note with the global standards. This helps our government to make decisions to set high standards whether it is quality infrastructure or urban metro trains."
Implementation of standards at national level has been given a top priority by the government and is actively bringing more products under mandatory quality controls, he said.
He said that over 22,300 standards are currently in force, with 94 per cent harmonized with international standards. The number of Quality Control Orders has risen from 14 (covering 106 products) in 2014 to 174 (covering 732 products) now.
Also, 94 per cent of Indian Standards are harmonised with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
Joshi stressed the interdependence of consumers and producers in fostering a quality ecosystem. He urged the BIS to take on more leadership roles in international standardization and fast-track the development of new standards.
World Standards Day, observed annually on October 14, aims to raise awareness about standards and their role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
