Parliament Panel Holds FCRA Consultations Outside Delhi For The First Time

Taking its consultation process beyond the national capital for the first time, the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, held its first meeting outside Delhi in Shillong on Monday.

Its chairman Sanjay Jaiswal said the venue was chosen at the request of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.

The meeting brought nearly 40 organisations from Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Assam before the committee to present their suggestions, concerns and feedback on the proposed amendments.

Jaiswal said the JPC had asked the participating organisations to submit written responses within 15 days, after which the committee would continue its consultations in Kochi and Chennai.

Jaiswal said the objective was to frame legislation that could accommodate practical concerns raised by stakeholders while protecting organisations engaged in social work and preventing activities that could threaten national security. He stressed that the committee was still in the consultation stage and would consider the submissions before arriving at any conclusion.

Addressing concerns surrounding religious institutions, Jaiswal clarified that the proposed Bill would ensure that temples, churches and mosques remained protected from interference.

He also explained that foreign contributions would first have to be deposited in an SBI account in Delhi before being transferred to any bank account across the country. Citing the scale of foreign funding, he said India receives around Rs 22,000 crore in foreign contributions annually, while political parties are prohibited from receiving such funds.

Jaiswal reiterated that the committee had not taken any final decision and was continuing to hear stakeholders before shaping its recommendations.