New Delhi – The Lok Sabha on Wednesday approved a motion to send the controversial Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for thorough scrutiny. The decision was made amidst significant protests and demands for the legislation's complete withdrawal from opposition parties.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai moved the motion to constitute the JPC. Opposition members, however, raised slogans and insisted on the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House during the discussion.
Composition and Timeline of the JPC
The newly formed Joint Parliamentary Committee will comprise 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. These members are to be nominated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan, respectively. The committee has been tasked with submitting its report to the Lok Sabha by the final day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.
Opposition's Concerns and Government's Stance
Congress MP KC Venugopal stated that the opposition had only recently been informed of the bill's referral to a joint committee. He alleged that the legislation unfairly targets minority communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). "We demand that the Bill be withdrawn," Venugopal asserted.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju countered these allegations, reminding the opposition that they had previously advocated for the bill to be examined by a House committee. Rijiju emphasized that the legislation is not designed to target any specific minority community and that any reservations could be addressed before the JPC. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and DMK MP TR Baalu also voiced strong opposition, demanding the bill's withdrawal and questioning the Home Minister's absence.
Key Provisions and Broader Criticism
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, seeks to impose tighter government oversight on NGOs and their foreign funding. It also proposes the establishment of a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets belonging to organizations that lose their FCRA licenses.
Critics argue that certain provisions could adversely affect legitimate foreign funding for Christian NGOs and various social welfare and educational institutions run by minority groups. The government, however, maintains that the proposed amendments are not religion-specific and are solely intended to regulate foreign contributions more effectively and transparently.
Prior to this development, Chief Ministers of Nagaland (Neiphiu Rio), Mizoram (Lalduhoma), and Meghalaya (Conrad K Sangma) had expressed concerns regarding the bill, calling for a detailed examination. The legislation has also drawn criticism from some US lawmakers concerning its potential impact on civil society groups, a stance that India has dismissed as interference in its internal legislative matters.