Joint Parliamentary Committee reviews FCRA Amendment Bill

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is currently examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in New Delhi. Chaired by BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, the committee has been tasked with reviewing the bill's provisions and submitting a report to Parliament by the end of the first week of the 2026 Winter Session.

During recent deliberations, Jaiswal noted that several major provisions in the proposed legislation are similar to those enacted under the UPA government in 2010. Specifically, he pointed out that while the 2010 Act empowered home secretaries or state principal secretaries to confiscate the assets of NGOs found in violation of the law, the new bill proposes transferring this authority to a designated authority.

The committee has held consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including religious organizations such as the Syro Malabar Church, Ramakrishna Math, and ISKCON, as well as the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, the All India Christian Council, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. The bill aims to increase transparency and accountability regarding the use of foreign contributions.