FCRA Amendment Bill Sent to 31-Member JPC Amid Protests

Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 is referred to the 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC). This decision was taken in the midst of stiff protests from the opposition MPs, who were demanding withdrawal of the Bill and raised their apprehensions about the possible impact of the legislation on minorities and NGO’s. The JPC consists of 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 members from the Rajya Sabha and has been asked to submit its report till the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.

What Happened in the Lok Sabha?

The motion to refer the FCRA Amendment Bill to the JPC was raised by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amidst slogans by the opposition MPs.

Also, opposition MPs were demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House. Congress MP KC Venugopal alleged that opposition had come to know about the referral just recently and added that this Bill could possibly target the minorities and NGO’s.

This allegation of opposition was rejected by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and he added that opposition itself had been asking for the thorough examination of the Bill by a parliamentary committee.

He argued that the concerns regarding the legislation can be brought forth to the JPC. Further, the legislation is not targeting any particular community of minorities, he added.

How Would This 31 Member JPC work?

The proposed Joint Parliamentary Committee will consist of,

• 21 Members from Lok Sabha
• 10 Members from Rajya Sabha

Members from Lok Sabha will be nominated by Speaker Om Birla, while the members from Rajya Sabha will be nominated by the Chairman C P Radhakrishnan.

This committee has been asked to examine the legislation thoroughly and submit its report to the Lok Sabha till the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.

What Is the Proposal Made by the FCRA Amendment Bill?

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 has been introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25.

The Bill aims to increase the government’s control over the organisations that receive foreign contributions.

This provision of the Bill requires the constitution of a special agency that will take charge and deal with the property of the organisations that lose their FCRA certificate.

The primary purpose, as per the government, is to make it more stringent with regard to foreign contribution received by the organisations functioning in the country.

What Are the Next Steps?

The next immediate step is the constitution of the 31-member JPC and then comes the process of examining the Bill.

The committee needs to keep in mind the issues of the political parties and other stakeholders before making a report on the same.

The committee is supposed to submit its report to the Lok Sabha before the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.