Exclusive: Bloomberg charity scrutinized by India for anti-tobacco funding, lobbying - documentsNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been investigating how Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, funds local non-profit groups for anti-tobacco lobbying, government documents show, making it the latest foreign non-government organization to come under scrutiny. Prime Minister Narendra Modi s government has since 2014 tightened surveillance of non-profit groups, saying they were acting against India s national interests. Thousands of foreign-funded charities  licenses have been canceled for misreporting donations. Critics, however, say the government has used the foreign funding law as a tool to silence non-profit groups which have raised concerns about the social costs of India s rapid economic development.  The intelligence wing of India s home ministry last year drafted a note on Bloomberg Philanthropies, raising concerns that the foundation was running a campaign to  target  Indian tobacco businesses and  aggressively  lobby against the sector. Though the three-page note, reviewed by Reuters, said the Bloomberg initiative s  claimed intention to free India of tobacco cannot be faulted  given the known risks from tobacco, it highlighted the sector s importance, noting it brings in nearly $5 billion in annual revenue for governments, and provides a livelihood for millions of people.  Foreign interests making foreign contributions ... for purposes of lobbying against an established economic activity raises multiple concerns,  the note said, including, it said, an  adverse economic impact  on 35 million people. The June 3, 2016 note, marked  SECRET  and circulated to top government officials, including in Modi s office, has not previously been reported. The probe continued until at least April this year, another government document showed. Rebecca Carriero, a spokeswoman for Michael Bloomberg and New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, declined to comment as they were unaware of any investigation. A home ministry spokesman said  queries which relate to security agencies cannot be answered.  Modi s office did not respond to an email seeking comment. The ministry s note was one of the factors behind the rejection of a foreign funding license renewal of at least one Bloomberg-funded India charity last October, said a senior government official aware of the investigation. Michael Bloomberg, one of the world s richest people and a former New York City Mayor, has committed nearly $1 billion to support global tobacco control efforts. One of his focus countries is India, where tobacco kills 900,000 people a year. Other than funding Indian NGOs, Bloomberg s charity has in the past worked on improving road safety and supported federal tobacco-control efforts. In 2015, Modi called Michael Bloomberg a  friend , and the two agreed on working together on India s ambitious plan to build so-called smart cities. The home ministry note said the Bloomberg charity successfully lobbied for the introduction of bigger health warnings on cigarette packs,  contrary  to the recommendations of a parliamentary panel. While the panel called for the size of warnings to be more than doubled to 50 percent of a pack s surface area, the health ministry sought a higher figure of 85 percent. Despite protests from India s $10 billion cigarette industry, the Supreme Court last year ordered manufacturers to follow the more stringent health ministry rules. That, the note said, was the first of the three-phase Bloomberg campaign targeting India s tobacco industry. It did not explain how exactly the Bloomberg charity lobbied. While the note mirrored some of India s tobacco lobby s positions - such as how anti-smoking policies could adversely impact farmers - the government official said the investigation was not done at the behest of the industry.  Anti-tobacco lobby wants to kill revenue generating activities,  the official said. A health ministry official, however, said:  We don t see tobacco as an economic activity.  He added that the health ministry was unaware of the home ministry s note on Bloomberg Philanthropies. India has stepped up scrutiny of NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). In 2015, the home ministry put the Ford Foundation on a watch list and suspended Greenpeace India s FCRA license, drawing criticism from the United States. Earlier this year, the government banned foreign funding for the Public Health Foundation of India, a group backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying it used foreign donations to  lobby  for tobacco-control policy issues,  which is prohibited under FCRA.      In the Bloomberg case, the home ministry note included a chart showing how funds flowed from Bloomberg Philanthropies to its partner, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which was then funding five local FCRA-registered NGOs. These NGOs, the note said, were being used by the Bloomberg charity for  anti-tobacco lobbying activities.  The FCRA license of at least one of them - the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Bengaluru - was not renewed in October, in part due to the home ministry s note, the government official said. The IPH said it was told by the home ministry that its license was not being renewed on the basis of a  field agency report , but no details were given. It was unaware of the investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies. In April, the home ministry wrote to the federal health ministry, citing an  inquiry into foreign funding  for lobbying to change laws in India. The letter, seen by Reuters, mentioned the Bloomberg initiative and directed the health ministry to report on anti-tobacco lobbying by foreign donors in other countries where tobacco is widely used. The health ministry has not yet sent that report, another government official said. The health ministry did not respond to questions. For a graphic on Bloomberg's efforts to reduce tobacco use globally click tmsnrt.rs/2iD1QcX worldnews
exclusive bloomberg charity scrutinized india funding lobbying documentsnew delhi reuters india investigating bloomberg philanthropist founded billionaire michael bloomberg funds local groups lobbying government documents show making latest foreign organization come scrutiny prime minister narendra modi government since tightened surveillance groups saying acting india national interests thousands charities licenses canceled misreporting donations critics however say government used foreign funding law tool silence groups raised concerns social costs india rapid economic development the intelligence wing india home ministry last year drafted note bloomberg philanthropist raising concerns foundation running campaign target indian tobacco businesses aggressively lobby sector though note reviewed reuters said bloomberg initiative claimed intention free india tobacco vaulted given known risks tobacco highlighted sector importance noting brings nearly billion annual revenue governments provides livelihood millions people foreign interests making foreign contributions purposes lobbying established economic activity raises multiple concerns note said including said adverse economic impact million people the june note marked secret circulated top government officials including modi office previously reported the probe continued least april year another government document showed rebecca carrier spokeswoman michael bloomberg new bloomberg philanthropist declined comment unaware investigation a home ministry spokesman said queries relate security agencies answered modi office respond email seeking comment the ministry note one factors behind rejection foreign funding license renewal least one india charity last october said senior government official aware investigation michael bloomberg one world richest people former new york city mayor committed nearly billion support global tobacco control efforts one focus countries india tobacco kills people year other funding indian nos bloomberg charity past worked improving road safety supported federal efforts in modi called michael bloomberg friend two agreed working together india ambitious plan build smart cities the home ministry note said bloomberg charity successfully lobbied introduction bigger health warnings cigarette packs contrary recommendations parliamentary panel while panel called size warnings doubled percent pack surface area health ministry sought higher figure percent despite protests india billion cigarette industry supreme court last year ordered manufacturers follow stringent health ministry rules that note said first bloomberg campaign targeting india tobacco industry it explain exactly bloomberg charity lobbied while note mirrored india tobacco lobby positions policies could adversely impact farmers government official said investigation done behest industry lobby wants kill revenue generating activities official said a health ministry official however said we see tobacco economic activity he added health ministry unaware home ministry note bloomberg philanthropist india stepped scrutiny nos registered foreign contribution regulation act fra in home ministry put ford foundation watch list suspended greenpeace india fra license drawing criticism united states earlier year government banned foreign funding public health foundation india group backed bill linda gates foundation saying used foreign donations lobby policy issues prohibited fra in bloomberg case home ministry note included chart showing funds flowed bloomberg philanthropist partner campaign kids funding five local nos these nos note said used bloomberg charity lobbying activities the fra license least one institute public health ip bengaluru renewed october part due home ministry note government official said the ip said told home ministry license renewed basis field agency report details given it unaware investigation bloomberg philanthropist in april home ministry wrote federal health ministry citing inquiry foreign funding lobbying change laws india the letter seen reuters mentioned bloomberg initiative directed health ministry report lobbying foreign donors countries tobacco widely used the health ministry yet sent report another government official said the health ministry respond questions for graphic bloomberg efforts reduce tobacco use globally click worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: Exclusive: Bloomberg charity scrutinized by India for anti-tobacco funding, lobbying - documentsNEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has been investigating how Bloomberg Philanthropies, founded by billionaire Michael Bloomberg, funds local non-profit groups for anti-tobacco lobbying, government documents show, making it the latest foreign non-government organization to come under scrutiny. Prime Minister Narendra Modi s government has since 2014 tightened surveillance of non-profit groups, saying they were acting against India s national interests. Thousands of foreign-funded charities  licenses have been canceled for misreporting donations. Critics, however, say the government has used the foreign funding law as a tool to silence non-profit groups which have raised concerns about the social costs of India s rapid economic development.  The intelligence wing of India s home ministry last year drafted a note on Bloomberg Philanthropies, raising concerns that the foundation was running a campaign to  target  Indian tobacco businesses and  aggressively  lobby against the sector. Though the three-page note, reviewed by Reuters, said the Bloomberg initiative s  claimed intention to free India of tobacco cannot be faulted  given the known risks from tobacco, it highlighted the sector s importance, noting it brings in nearly $5 billion in annual revenue for governments, and provides a livelihood for millions of people.  Foreign interests making foreign contributions ... for purposes of lobbying against an established economic activity raises multiple concerns,  the note said, including, it said, an  adverse economic impact  on 35 million people. The June 3, 2016 note, marked  SECRET  and circulated to top government officials, including in Modi s office, has not previously been reported. The probe continued until at least April this year, another government document showed. Rebecca Carriero, a spokeswoman for Michael Bloomberg and New York-based Bloomberg Philanthropies, declined to comment as they were unaware of any investigation. A home ministry spokesman said  queries which relate to security agencies cannot be answered.  Modi s office did not respond to an email seeking comment. The ministry s note was one of the factors behind the rejection of a foreign funding license renewal of at least one Bloomberg-funded India charity last October, said a senior government official aware of the investigation. Michael Bloomberg, one of the world s richest people and a former New York City Mayor, has committed nearly $1 billion to support global tobacco control efforts. One of his focus countries is India, where tobacco kills 900,000 people a year. Other than funding Indian NGOs, Bloomberg s charity has in the past worked on improving road safety and supported federal tobacco-control efforts. In 2015, Modi called Michael Bloomberg a  friend , and the two agreed on working together on India s ambitious plan to build so-called smart cities. The home ministry note said the Bloomberg charity successfully lobbied for the introduction of bigger health warnings on cigarette packs,  contrary  to the recommendations of a parliamentary panel. While the panel called for the size of warnings to be more than doubled to 50 percent of a pack s surface area, the health ministry sought a higher figure of 85 percent. Despite protests from India s $10 billion cigarette industry, the Supreme Court last year ordered manufacturers to follow the more stringent health ministry rules. That, the note said, was the first of the three-phase Bloomberg campaign targeting India s tobacco industry. It did not explain how exactly the Bloomberg charity lobbied. While the note mirrored some of India s tobacco lobby s positions - such as how anti-smoking policies could adversely impact farmers - the government official said the investigation was not done at the behest of the industry.  Anti-tobacco lobby wants to kill revenue generating activities,  the official said. A health ministry official, however, said:  We don t see tobacco as an economic activity.  He added that the health ministry was unaware of the home ministry s note on Bloomberg Philanthropies. India has stepped up scrutiny of NGOs registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). In 2015, the home ministry put the Ford Foundation on a watch list and suspended Greenpeace India s FCRA license, drawing criticism from the United States. Earlier this year, the government banned foreign funding for the Public Health Foundation of India, a group backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying it used foreign donations to  lobby  for tobacco-control policy issues,  which is prohibited under FCRA.      In the Bloomberg case, the home ministry note included a chart showing how funds flowed from Bloomberg Philanthropies to its partner, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which was then funding five local FCRA-registered NGOs. These NGOs, the note said, were being used by the Bloomberg charity for  anti-tobacco lobbying activities.  The FCRA license of at least one of them - the Institute of Public Health (IPH) Bengaluru - was not renewed in October, in part due to the home ministry s note, the government official said. The IPH said it was told by the home ministry that its license was not being renewed on the basis of a  field agency report , but no details were given. It was unaware of the investigation on Bloomberg Philanthropies. In April, the home ministry wrote to the federal health ministry, citing an  inquiry into foreign funding  for lobbying to change laws in India. The letter, seen by Reuters, mentioned the Bloomberg initiative and directed the health ministry to report on anti-tobacco lobbying by foreign donors in other countries where tobacco is widely used. The health ministry has not yet sent that report, another government official said. The health ministry did not respond to questions. For a graphic on Bloomberg's efforts to reduce tobacco use globally click tmsnrt.rs/2iD1QcX worldnews
Your task is to classify the provided input as real or fake news. Label 0 is meant for fake news, Label 1 is for real news. TEXT: exclusive bloomberg charity scrutinized india funding lobbying documentsnew delhi reuters india investigating bloomberg philanthropist founded billionaire michael bloomberg funds local groups lobbying government documents show making latest foreign organization come scrutiny prime minister narendra modi government since tightened surveillance groups saying acting india national interests thousands charities licenses canceled misreporting donations critics however say government used foreign funding law tool silence groups raised concerns social costs india rapid economic development the intelligence wing india home ministry last year drafted note bloomberg philanthropist raising concerns foundation running campaign target indian tobacco businesses aggressively lobby sector though note reviewed reuters said bloomberg initiative claimed intention free india tobacco vaulted given known risks tobacco highlighted sector importance noting brings nearly billion annual revenue governments provides livelihood millions people foreign interests making foreign contributions purposes lobbying established economic activity raises multiple concerns note said including said adverse economic impact million people the june note marked secret circulated top government officials including modi office previously reported the probe continued least april year another government document showed rebecca carrier spokeswoman michael bloomberg new bloomberg philanthropist declined comment unaware investigation a home ministry spokesman said queries relate security agencies answered modi office respond email seeking comment the ministry note one factors behind rejection foreign funding license renewal least one india charity last october said senior government official aware investigation michael bloomberg one world richest people former new york city mayor committed nearly billion support global tobacco control efforts one focus countries india tobacco kills people year other funding indian nos bloomberg charity past worked improving road safety supported federal efforts in modi called michael bloomberg friend two agreed working together india ambitious plan build smart cities the home ministry note said bloomberg charity successfully lobbied introduction bigger health warnings cigarette packs contrary recommendations parliamentary panel while panel called size warnings doubled percent pack surface area health ministry sought higher figure percent despite protests india billion cigarette industry supreme court last year ordered manufacturers follow stringent health ministry rules that note said first bloomberg campaign targeting india tobacco industry it explain exactly bloomberg charity lobbied while note mirrored india tobacco lobby positions policies could adversely impact farmers government official said investigation done behest industry lobby wants kill revenue generating activities official said a health ministry official however said we see tobacco economic activity he added health ministry unaware home ministry note bloomberg philanthropist india stepped scrutiny nos registered foreign contribution regulation act fra in home ministry put ford foundation watch list suspended greenpeace india fra license drawing criticism united states earlier year government banned foreign funding public health foundation india group backed bill linda gates foundation saying used foreign donations lobby policy issues prohibited fra in bloomberg case home ministry note included chart showing funds flowed bloomberg philanthropist partner campaign kids funding five local nos these nos note said used bloomberg charity lobbying activities the fra license least one institute public health ip bengaluru renewed october part due home ministry note government official said the ip said told home ministry license renewed basis field agency report details given it unaware investigation bloomberg philanthropist in april home ministry wrote federal health ministry citing inquiry foreign funding lobbying change laws india the letter seen reuters mentioned bloomberg initiative directed health ministry report lobbying foreign donors countries tobacco widely used the health ministry yet sent report another government official said the health ministry respond questions for graphic bloomberg efforts reduce tobacco use globally click worldnews