Income Tax raids underway at think tank, Centre for Policy Research in Delhi

The Income Tax Department is undertaking searches at the Delhi-based independent think tank Centre for Policy Research, as reported by news agency ANI. The premises of the think tank located near Malcha Marg in central Delhi are being covered, they said.

The exact reason for conducting the survey, where only business premises are covered by the taxman, was not known.

Income Tax sources said that the search is being carried out based on "credible information" about tax evasion.

The sources said the search "is not linked to" the income tax searches underway across some states as part of the probe into alleged tax evasion and financial impropriety by unrecognised political parties over donations received without statutory compliances.

According to its website,The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) has been one of India’s leading public policy think tanks since 1973. CPR is a non-profit, non-partisan, independent institution dedicated to conducting research that contributes to high quality scholarship, better policies, and a more robust public discourse about the issues that impact life in India.

"CPR brings together India’s best thinkers and policy practitioners who are at the forefront of both research and engagement in the policy space, drawing from various disciplines and professional backgrounds. CPR conducts advanced and in-depth research on a wide range of policy-relevant issues, with a focus on India’s 21st-century challenges. Through its research and policymaking engagements, CPR works closely with policymakers in its aim to place India firmly on the path of building a twenty-first century policy ecosystem," the deatils in CPR's website says.

About funding, the CPR website says that the think tank is recognised as a not-for-profit society by the government and contributions "are tax exempt". It says CPR receives grants from the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR), and is a Department of Science and Technology (DST) recognised institution.

CPR says it is a member institution of the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), a programme of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

The website states the think tank receives grants from a variety of domestic and international sources, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, governments, and multilateral agencies.