FCRA amendment panel seeks response within 15 days

Joint Parliamentary (JPC) Committee holds meeting in Shillong

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Shillong, Nov 2: The Joint Parliamentary ( JPC) Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 has asked the stakeholders to send response of the stakeholders to the queries of the panel within 15 days.

The panel held its first meeting outside Delhi in Shillong on Monday ( Nov 2).

Leaders of various Church denominations and others from the North East attended the meeting.

JPC Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal told reporters after the neeting that the original FCRA Act was enacted in 2010 and after discussion in Parliament, a JPC was formed.

“Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma specifically asked us to come to Meghalaya and listen to the problems of those groups having foreign contributions. We have taken note of each suggestion. They have given very nice suggestions and we have asked questions which they have to reply to within 15 days,” Jaiswal said.

He said after examining the replies, the committee will draft a final Bill that is good for everyone.

Nearly 40 organisations from Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam deposed before the committee on Monday, including the Archbishop of Guwahati. Jaiswal said about 84 organisations have shown interest nationally, of which 40 are from the North East, including NGOs and religious bodies.

He refused to divulge specific suggestions. “In the JPC, we are not allowed to give suggestions to the public. First we will place before Parliament which organisation gave what suggestion.”

The committee will next hold hearings in Kochi, Keralam and Chennai, Tamil Nadu to understand ground-level practical problems before finalising the Bill.

He defending the amendment and said the 2010 Act passed during the UPA regime gave vetting power to principal secretary or home secretary of states and even allowed takeover of temple, church or mosque, which was never objected to then.

“The present Bill clearly says temple, church or mosque should be maintained as it is, nobody can interfere,” he said.

He said only 6 percent of foreign contributions go to religious organisations while 94 per cent go to NGOs and others.

He said India receives Rs 22,000 crore as foreign contribution every year and added that the political parties are banned from taking foreign contributions.

Regarding the concerns of small organisations over registration, he said, “We are taking everyone’s suggestions to make a law beneficial for those who want to do good to society but a deterrent to those who want to harm national security.”

Cn the designated SBI account in Delhi, he said it is only for routing foreign funds to track source and sender, after which the money can be transferred to any bank account anywhere in India.

“This was the last meeting for the North East. We had given four weeks’ notice for anyone wanting to appear. We have called everyone who showed interest,” he added.

Later, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said he was happy that the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the FCRA Bill chose Shillong for its first meeting, after he had requested Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal to visit.

“During my time in Parliament in 2016, I had grown a very strong bond with him and with many of the MPs but somehow we really used to get along very well. So I was very happy when he was made the chairman of the JPC and he is definitely the right person because of his experience, his seniority and he is a person who understands the pulse of the nation as a whole,” Sangma said.

Presbyterian Church flags issues

Raising the proposed provision to surrender assets funded by foreign contribution, the Presbyterian Church of India on Monday told the Joint Parliamentary Committee that church lands in Meghalaya cannot be taken over without following Autonomous District Council laws.

Rev Socratis Diengngan, Chairman, FCRA Committee, PCI, said a three-member team of the church appeared before the JPC in Shillong and raised three key issues – delay in registration and renewal, difficulty in compliance, and asset surrender.

“From our side we suggested an easier process without difficulties. We spoke about delays in getting registration certificate and renewal under FCRA. Other stakeholders also raised the same problem,” Diengngan told reporters after the meeting.

Regarding assets, he said, “We get assets little or fully through donations collected through the organisation. We said we cannot hand over our assets. More so in Meghalaya which falls under the Autonomous District Council. The Government of India or the state cannot snatch our land without following the law and rules of the Autonomous District Council.”

Terming the 2026 Amendment Rules as more stringent than the Bill itself, Diengngan said implementation, if any, must be prospective and not retrospective.

“We have requested the JPC to reconsider the notified Rules and to repeal the Amendment Bill 2026 and reconsider the Amendment Rules 2026,” he said.

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