In apparent criticism of the Indian government’s crackdown on certain NGOs, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that civil society groups that strengthen communities need to be supported and not “stifled”.
The US has been critical of the Indian government’s action against NGOs particularly Greenpeace which was barred from receiving foreign funds and whose registration was cancelled in September last. Washington had expressed worries about the “potentially chilling effects of such actions”. Obama made a reference to the civil society groups in the course of an interview to PTI while answering a question on his goals for the India-US relationship in the last year of his presidency.