Overview
- The Joint Parliamentary Committee held stakeholder hearings in Shillong on Monday and heard about 20–22 religious and non-profit organisations present concerns about the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
- Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal told reporters that churches and other faith-based groups receive about 6 percent of roughly Rs 22,000 crore in annual foreign contributions, a figure the committee used in questioning participants.
- The Bill would create a government-appointed designated authority with power to provisionally take over, transfer or dispose of foreign contributions and assets of organisations that lose or surrender their FCRA certificate.
- The JPC asked some groups for written clarifications and gave them 15 days to respond, and it will continue regional consultations in Chennai and Kochi before compiling its report for Parliament.
- Christian organisations, civil society and Opposition parties warned the proposed asset-control powers could disrupt services provided by minority-run schools, hospitals and charities and may prompt legal challenges and administrative disputes.