Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday criticised the US government’s proposal to provide funds to Indian organisations that promote religious harmony.
“First, it (the US Senate) should take care of what is happening in its own country,” Naidu said at the annual convocation of KIIT University here. The US State Department recently announced a grant of $493,827 for NGOs in India and Sri Lanka that seek to reduce religious discrimination.
“India is a great country… There may be some incidents… We have to work together to see that these tendencies are curbed… we cannot accept somebody else trying to teach us and preach to us,” Naidu added.
The government today said it has sought details about the US announcement to provide nearly USD 500,000 to NGOs to promote religious freedom in India, and asserted that any such activity in the country by anybody has to follow the rules of the land.
“We have seen reports on this issue. We have sought more details,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
He was responding to questions on the issue during a weekly media briefing.
“In any case, any such activity in India in this area by anybody has to follow the rules of the land,” Kumar said, adding he will be able to comment further after getting details on the issue.
The US today said it wants to “increase societal tolerance” and reduce “religiously- motivated violence” and discrimination in India with the nearly USD 500,000 grant to NGOs in the country.
The State Department had yesterday announced the grant for organisations which can come up with ideas and projects to promote religious freedom in India.
The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, in a notice, had said that it seeks to “reduce religiously-motivated violence and discrimination in India” through its USD 4,93,827 grant programme.
“The goal of the programme is to increase societal tolerance and improve civilian security to reduce religiously- motivated violence and discrimination, and the funds will support activities that work toward that end,” a State Department spokesperson told PTI in Washington.
