Even as Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma and Christian organisations have raised concerns over the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which is slated to be taken up during the Monsoon Session of Parliament, government officials said the amendments are aimed at strengthening oversight of foreign funding and are not intended to target any religious community.
Event Context
The bill, introduced in Parliament in March, proposes a significant overhaul of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) framework. It empowers the government to appoint a “designated authority” to take over, manage or sell assets created from foreign funds by NGOs whose FCRA registration has been cancelled, suspended or not renewed. It also expands the scope of action against those associated with such organisations, including directors and trustees.
Team Analysis
The concerns come weeks after the home ministry amended the FCRA rules to permit a wider range of faith-based activities while explicitly excluding proselytisation from categories eligible for registration under the law. The amended rules also require organisations to select from a predefined list of purposes and areas of operation, and provide that associations with foreign nationals –other than persons of Indian origin– as key functionaries will “ordinarily not be considered” for registration or prior permission to receive foreign contributions.
A second government official said the FCRA rules are legally binding and have been amended periodically to strengthen accountability over the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions.
“Depending on the requirements and keeping in view national security concerns at a particular time, the government is empowered to amend the FCRA Rules,” the official said.
The FCRA, 2010 regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions and foreign hospitality to ensure that such inflows do not adversely affect national interest, public order or national security. The law came into force on May 1, 2011 and has since been amended in 2016, 2018 and 2020.
As on date, there are 14,448 active FCRA registered organisations while licenses of 22,498 organisations have been cancelled.
Match Outlook
“For now, the FCRA Bill, 2026, will be taken up for consideration in the House in its current form. There is no plan to make any further changes. It provides a comprehensive statutory framework for vesting, supervision, management and disposal of foreign contribution and assets through a designated authority, provides clear timelines and rationalises penalties. The law would not be used against a particular religious community, but against violators who misuse foreign funding for illegal purposes,” a government official said on condition of anonymity.
After meeting Union home minister Amit Shah last week, a five-member delegation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) said he had assured them that the proposed amendments would not be applied retrospectively. The Ministry of Home Affairs, however, has not officially commented on the issue.
In a memorandum submitted to Shah on July 10, the CBCI urged the government to withdraw both the proposed amendments and the recently notified FCRA rules, saying some provisions “could affect charitable institutions that have served poor and vulnerable communities for decades”. It also sought safeguards to ensure that existing rights, legally acquired assets and ongoing charitable activities are protected, and called for independent judicial oversight in FCRA-related cases.
