The JPC on the FCRA Amendment Bill 2026 is set to consult 14 stakeholders, including legal, religious, and research representatives, to discuss the proposed legislation amid ongoing opposition debate regarding transparency and NGO oversight.
JPC Convening on FCRA Amendment Bill
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, is scheduled to meet at 2:30 pm at Parliament House Annexe (PHA) on Thursday to hear the views and suggestions of 14 stakeholders representing the legal, education, religious, social and policy research sectors on the proposed legislation.
According to the agenda, the committee would be chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sanjay Jaiswal and will hear representatives from the legal, education, religious, social and policy research sectors on various provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Stakeholders and Committee Composition
The stakeholders scheduled to appear before the committee include Dr Shardul S Shroff, Executive Chairman of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co; Meenakshi Ramesh, CEO of Pratham Education Foundation; and M R Madhavan, President of PRS Legislative Research. The committee will also hear Rev Sam Mishak, Senior Pastor of Apostles Methodist Church; Rev Dr Asir Ebenezer, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI); Rev Dr S Duraiswamy of the Evangelical Church of India; and Dr Anburajan, Trustee of Jesus Redeems.
Other stakeholders invited to present their views include Ananth Krishna S of Nation First Policy Research & Change Foundation (NFPRC Foundation), Noida; Anil Maheshwari of Rashtriya Sewa Bharati; Anil Gupta of Bhartiya Vitta Salhakar Samiti (BVSS), Delhi; and Sacchin Puri of Lawyers of Justice. Sanjay Singh Baghel and Bhupendra Singh Tomar of Shaanti Suraksha evam Sadbhav Trust, along with representatives of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Akhil Bhartiya Adhivakta Parishad (ABAP), are also scheduled to share their suggestions.
Legislative Background and Objectives
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to the Joint Committee for detailed examination during the recently concluded Monsoon Session. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had moved the motion in the Lok Sabha. The committee has been tasked with examining the provisions of the Bill and submitting its report to Parliament by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session 2026. The quorum for the committee's sittings has been fixed at one-third of its total membership.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act governs the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution received from a ‘foreign source’, as defined in the Act. Foreign contribution may take the form of an article, currency or a foreign security and also includes specified income arising from such contribution.
According to the release, administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Act does three things: it identifies who may accept foreign contributions and on what conditions; it specifies how that money must be received, accounted for, and reported; and it restricts a narrow, defined set of foreign-funded activities that could affect India's sovereignty, security or public order. The law has its origins in 1976 and has been strengthened through successive amendments. The law was replaced with a new law in 2010, which was later amended in 2016, 2018, 2020 and now 2026. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, while the revised FCRA Rules, 2026 were notified on June 22.
Opposition and Government Stance
Opposition parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC), have opposed the proposed amendments and alleged that the provisions could be used to target NGOs, minority institutions and organisations receiving foreign contributions. The government has maintained that the proposed amendments seek to strengthen oversight and ensure transparency in the use of foreign contributions while preventing their misuse or diversion in ways that could affect national interest.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign funds by individuals, associations and companies in India to ensure that foreign funding does not adversely affect internal security or national interests. The 2026 Bill proposes stricter reporting protocols for organisations receiving foreign grants to ensure end-use accountability. It also proposes digitised compliance workflows for NGOs, research bodies and universities and tighter oversight mechanisms to prevent misuse or diversion of foreign funds into non-designated activities. (ANI)
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