JPC on FCRA Amendment bill to hold second meeting tomorrow

New Delhi [India], September 28 : The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 will hold its second meeting at Parliament Annexe on Tuesday (September 29), with officials from the Ministries of Home Affairs and Law and Justice scheduled to brief members on various provisions of the proposed legislation. 
According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the meeting will be held on September 29 from 11 am to 2 pm in Committee Room 3, followed by a working lunch.
The committee will receive a clause-wise briefing on various provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 from representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice.
From 2 pm onwards, the panel will hear the views of domain experts and stakeholders, including State Bank of India Chairman Challa Sreenivasulu Setty and Additional Solicitor General of India for the Delhi High Court Chetan Sharma.
The meeting will be the second sitting of the newly constituted Joint Committee, which held its maiden meeting in New Delhi on September 18.
During the first meeting, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan briefed the panel members on the rationale, objectives and broader policy framework behind the proposed legislative changes.
The briefing focused on how the proposed amendments are expected to reshape compliance, operational transparency, and financial oversight for non-governmental organisations (NGOs), educational institutions, think tanks, and other entities operating on foreign grants.
Following the maiden meeting, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, who chairs the committee, said discussions were productive, and members across party lines participated in the deliberations.
“The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere. MPs raised questions. We have the mandate to submit the report before Winter Session. We will succeed in doing that,” Jaiswal told ANI.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was referred to the Joint Committee for detailed examination during the recently concluded Monsoon Session. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had moved the motion in the Lok Sabha.
The committee has been tasked with examining the provisions of the Bill and submitting its report to Parliament by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session 2026. The quorum for the committee's sittings has been fixed at one-third of its total membership.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, while the revised FCRA Rules, 2026 were notified on June 22.
Opposition parties, including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC), have opposed the proposed amendments and alleged that the provisions could be used to target NGOs, minority institutions and organisations receiving foreign contributions.
The government has maintained that the proposed amendments seek to strengthen oversight and ensure transparency in the use of foreign contributions while preventing their misuse or diversion in ways that could affect national interest.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign funds by individuals, associations and companies in India to ensure that foreign funding does not adversely affect internal security or national interests.
The 2026 Bill proposes stricter reporting protocols for organisations receiving foreign grants to ensure end-use accountability. It also proposes digitised compliance workflows for NGOs, research bodies and universities and tighter oversight mechanisms to prevent misuse or diversion of foreign funds into non-designated activities.
The Joint Committee is mandated to complete stakeholder consultations and submit its final report to Parliament ahead of the Winter Session.