NEW DELHI: As the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) examining the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, is set to hold its first meeting on Friday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla nominated two Rajya Sabha members as “special invitees.”
The move is considered rare. According to a Lok Sabha bulletin, Javed Ali Khan and James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma have been nominated as special invitees to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the bill.
In the first meeting, representatives of the Union Home Ministry will brief members on the bill. The 31-member JPC was constituted earlier this month after Parliament referred the bill to it for detailed examination. The panel comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The bill was referred to the JPC amid opposition demands to withdraw it.
Headed by BJP’s Sanjay Jaiswal, the panel will examine the bill’s provisions threadbare before submitting a report.
The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter session of Parliament.
The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, proposes tighter oversight of NGOs and foreign contributions. The government had put it on hold following strong resistance from various stakeholders
Among the contentious provisions is a proposal to create a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets when an organization’s FCRA registration is canceled, surrendered or ceases to exist. The Bill had also invited protests from several northeastern states.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had urged the Centre to send it to a parliamentary committee, while Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma had raised concerns over its provisions.
The FCRA Bill proposes tighter rules for Indian organisations that get foreign funds. The Bill seeks to amend rules on registration, renewal and the handling of foreign-funded assets. It proposes changes pertaining to organisations that receive foreign funds through the prior-permission route, the responsibilities of key functionaries and investigations into FCRA violations.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, and referred to the JPC on August 12 for examination. Separately, the revised FCRA Rules were notified on June 22. The rules specify permitted purposes and states/UTs of operation, introduce new disclosure needs and prescribe conditions for demonstrating reasonable activity.
Home ministry reps to brief members on Bill
In the first meet, representatives of the Union Home Ministry will brief members on the bill. The 31-member JPC was constituted earlier this month after Parliament referred the bill to it for detailed examination. The panel comprises 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The bill was referred to the JPC amid opposition demands to withdraw it.