2 hrs ago
Congress Seeks More Time for FCRA Bill Review
A new bill would change rules for organisations that receive money from other countries.
Congress MP K C Venugopal says the committee studying the bill is moving too quickly.
He wants the committee to hear from affected organisations and other stakeholders.
He has asked the Lok Sabha Speaker to give the committee more time.
Congress says the bill could affect healthcare, education, livelihoods, minorities, and civil society groups.
The bill includes proposals to restrict foreign contributions to any person.
It also proposes moving an organisation’s funds and property to a government-appointed authority if its registration is cancelled or not renewed.
The government may discuss the bill during Parliament’s winter session if the committee report is submitted in time.
Congress MP K C Venugopal has sought an extension for the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026.
Venugopal alleged that the committee was not conducting meaningful discussions or consulting stakeholders adequately.
The bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, and referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee after opposition from all Opposition parties.
Congress objects to proposals extending foreign-contribution restrictions to “any person” and transferring cancelled organisations’ funds and assets to a government-designated authority.
The government hopes to bring the bill before Parliament during the winter session if the committee submits its report on time.
- Who
- Congress MP K C Venugopal, the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress, and the Union government.
- What
- Venugopal has requested more time for the Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
- Where
- The bill is being examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee of Parliament after its introduction in the Lok Sabha.
- When
- The bill was introduced on March 25, 2026; Venugopal wrote to the Speaker on Thursday, with the government targeting the winter session for discussion.
- Why
- Venugopal says the committee must consult stakeholders and conduct a rigorous review because the bill could have wide-ranging effects on civil society groups and minorities.
Congress and Opposition Concerns
Government Parliamentary Timetable
Committee deadline
Congress and Opposition Concerns
Congress says the committee needs more time to conduct a meaningful review and avoid making its work a meaningless exercise.
Government Parliamentary Timetable
The government hopes to take up the bill during the winter session if the committee submits its report by then.
Stakeholder consultation
Congress and Opposition Concerns
Venugopal wants written submissions and oral hearings, arguing that affected stakeholders have not been adequately consulted.
Government Parliamentary Timetable
The article does not state the government's response to the request for broader consultation.
Bill’s implications
Congress and Opposition Concerns
Congress says the proposals could deprive people of aid and affect the constitutional rights of minorities and civil society groups.
Government Parliamentary Timetable
The article reports the proposals and the government's intended timetable but does not provide a detailed government justification for them.
Key facts
- Bill
- Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026
- Introduction date
- March 25, 2026
- Parliamentary status
- Referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee
- Congress request
- Extend the committee’s deadline and require wider stakeholder consultation
- Requested consultation
- Written memoranda and oral hearings from stakeholders
- Contested proposals
- Extend the foreign-contribution bar to any person and transfer funds and assets after cancellation or non-renewal of registration
- Potential timetable
- The government hopes to discuss the bill during the winter session if the committee report is submitted in time
Quotes
K.C. Venugopal
Congress member of Parliament who wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker
“I write to draw your kind attention to the manner in which the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 is reportedly proceeding, and to seek your intervention as the custodian of this House and its Committees.”
thehansindia.com
“We believe that any Bill that emerges out of a JPC should be flawless, and Parliament should be assured that it has passed through a rigorous consultation process. Without ensuring that, a JPC is a meaningless exercise and a fraud on the Parliament.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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