Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday reached out to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi seeking his cooperation for smooth proceedings during the remaining period of the Monsoon Session.
The two leaders spoke about the pending legislative agenda, including the proposed amendment to the FCRA and the possible re-introduction of a constitutional amendment Bill linked to the Delimitation Bill.
While there is no clarity yet on whether the Delimitation Bill will be brought in this session itself before it concludes on August 13, sources said Shah will speak in Parliament when the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 is introduced in the House for discussion and passage.
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The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 aims to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 to better regulate how individuals and organizations receive and use foreign donations, enhancing transparency and financial management.
NGOs express concerns that the FCRA Amendment Bill may impose excessive controls over their operations and funding, particularly harming those run by minority communities and affecting their ability to receive foreign contributions.
The Bill establishes a 'designated authority' to manage foreign-funded assets if an organization's registration ceases, providing guidelines for temporary and permanent control of these assets.
Critics argue that the FCRA Amendment Bill poses a threat to minority communities by potentially restricting their access to foreign funding and increasing government control over organizations they rely on for social services.
Yes, NGOs are concerned that the asset-vesting rules in the Bill could retroactively apply to organizations whose FCRA registrations have lapsed, affecting their previously built assets and operations.
Since the Monsoon session began on July 20, the Lok Sabha has not been able to complete its Question Hour. Five bills have been passed without discussion amid din.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which governs how individuals, associations and organisations receive and use foreign donations.
Through the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, the government seeks a greater control over foreign-funded assets if organisations that receive funds from overseas sources lose their registration, according to an earlier report in Mint.
The proposed amendment bill proposes the creation of a “designated authority” that will take charge of foreign contributions and assets created out of such funds in cases where an organisation’s registration is cancelled, surrendered, not renewed, or the entity ceases to exist.
The assets will be initially placed under the authority’s control and may be permanently transferred if the organisation fails to regain registration within a specified period, it noted.
The authority will also have the power to manage these assets and, if required, oversee the activities of such entities in the public interest. It will be responsible for safeguarding and maintaining assets created out of foreign contributions.
As many as 16,000 associations are registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) framework, receiving nearly ₹22,000 crore in foreign contributions annually.
The new amendments aim to address operational and legal gaps in the existing law, particularly in the management of foreign contributions and assets, noting that the absence of a comprehensive framework has led to administrative uncertainty and scope for misuse.
Describing the proposed law as ‘completely unconstitutional,’ AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal claimed that the Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment (FCRA) Bill would harm NGOs and community organisations, particularly those run by minority communities.
He said Congress will not allow the bill to be passed under any circumstances. He said the bill is the latest example of such efforts.
Venugopal also described the bill as a "threat" hanging over minority communities, saying it is a deliberate attempt to intimidate and control organisations, including Christian institutions in Kerala. He also said the bill contains provisions that would tighten control over voluntary organisations and institutions engaged in social services.
Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien has called the Bill ‘draconian’ and sought an All-Party Meeting to discuss it.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, O'Brien said the proposed legislation could result in "excessive executive control" over NGOs and other organisations working in areas such as education and healthcare.
"The FCRA Bill risks weakening and destroying institutions that have served India's poorest and marginalised communities for decades in the education and health sector," he wrote.
The Mizoram Pradesh Congress Committee held a protest in Aizawl on July 21 against the proposed legislation. Party leaders said the changes could affect churches, NGOs and welfare institutions that depend on foreign contributions.
Mizoram Congress senior vice-president Lalnunmawia Chuaungo said the amendments could make it more difficult for organisations to obtain FCRA certification and seek legal remedies when applications are rejected.
The Catholic Church in Kerala has also raised concerns over the proposed amendments. Kerala Catholic Bishops' Council spokesperson Fr Thomas Tharayil said earlier the concerns raised by the Church when the legislation was first proposed remained unchanged.
"The Bill that is now proposed to be introduced is the same one that was to be brought on April 1. There has been no change in its contents and the concerns we had raised then still remain," he said.
At least three provisions in the prposed legislation have become controversial. One is, Section 14B which introduces the concept of “cessation” of an FCRA certificate. This provision says a certificate is deemed to have ceased if an organisation does not apply for renewal, its renewal is refused or it expires without being renewed.
Another provision, Section 16A proposes that once a certificate has ceased, foreign contributions received by the organisation and assets created from them will vest in a Designated Authority.
The section also says that the authority can manage the assets and, if the organisation subsequently secures a fresh or renewed registration within the prescribed period, return them. If that does not happen, the assets permanently vest with the authority, which may transfer them to government departments or agencies or dispose in accordance with the law.
The third controversial provision, Section 16B applies the new framework to assets already vested under the earlier law before the amendment comes into force.
Those who oppose the amendments claim that these could also affect organisations whose FCRA registrations had lapsed years ago.
So, the critics say, even organisations that had stopped receiving foreign donations and were functioning entirely on domestic funds could be brought within the new vesting framework because their certificates had ‘ceased’, potentially bringing assets such as schools, hospitals and community centres built with foreign contributions under the control of the Designated Authority.
US Congressman Riley Moore, a Republican from West Virginia, took to social media on Wednesday to slam the proposed FCRA amendments, calling it a “clear attack against Christians.”
In his post on X, Moore said, "Christians have been in India since St. Thomas the Apostle traveled to the Malabar Coast just decades after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Riley claimed this is an attack on Christians, and if it proceeds in this manner, it can be a major point of concern when it comes to the bilateral relationship of the US with India.
He wrote, “But despite this long Christian history, India’s Parliament is considering amending Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment (FCRA) rules to permit government takeovers of churches and religious charities.”
The government said the legislation that seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 intends to regulate the receipt and use of foreign donations by NGOs, charitable trusts and other organisations in India.
The government argues that the changes are necessary to address evolving financial risks, improve transparency and ensure that foreign funding is utilised only for lawful purposes
The bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March (previous session), with the government making it clear that individuals engaging in forced religious conversion through foreign funding will not be spared.
Introducing the Bill, the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, had said that the legislation aims to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of funds received from abroad.
Union minister Kiren Rijiju had earlier asserted that the FCRA amendment Bill only seeks to stop the use of foreign funding against national security and interests and not to target any religious organisation.
Rijiju slammed the Congress and Left parties, accusing them of "spreading falsehood" on the proposed amendment to the FCRA. Their claims about the Bill are "completely false, fabricated and misleading", the BJP leader added.
As things stand, the government has reportedly signalled that the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 would not have any penalising retrospective provision. Civil society and religious groups have expressed concern that asset-vesting rules in the Bill could be used to penalise past investments.
The government did not get any commitment from the Opposition which reiterated its demand that Shah make a statement in the House on the police action on protesting students and youths in Delhi on July 20, and that Parliament discuss the alleged theft of donation money at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
(With agency inputs)
