31-member parl panel set up to examine FCRA amendment bill
A 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been constituted to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, with 21 members drawn from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, and seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which governs the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations, and companies in India.
The Bill was referred to the Joint Committee on August 12, 2026, after objections were raised during its passage; the panel has been directed to submit its report by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session.
Among its key provisions, the Bill widens the grounds on which an FCRA registration certificate can cease (including non-renewal or denial of renewal) and creates a "Designated Authority" empowered to take over, manage, and dispose of assets created out of foreign contribution when an entity's certificate is suspended, cancelled, or not renewed, with sale proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
The committee is chaired by Sanjay Jaiswal, a Lok Sabha member.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010
The FCRA, 2010 replaced the earlier Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976, and regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contribution or foreign hospitality by individuals, associations, and companies, with the objective of ensuring that such contributions do not adversely affect national sovereignty, public interest, or the electoral and political process. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is the nodal ministry administering the Act.
The Bill under examination amends this very Act, 2010 by expanding the grounds on which a registration certificate can cease and by introducing a new asset-vesting mechanism for entities that lose their certificate — both squarely built on the registration/renewal framework the 2010 Act already establishes.
The FCRA (Amendment) Act, 2020 — the last major overhaul
Before the 2026 Bill, the FCRA, 2010 was significantly tightened by the FCRA (Amendment) Act, 2020, which restricted the flexibility of registered entities in using and transferring foreign funds and expanded government oversight of NGO functionaries.
The 2026 Bill builds on the compliance architecture tightened in 2020 by further raising the consequences of losing a certificate — through the new Designated Authority and asset-vesting provisions — and by proposing a reduction in the maximum imprisonment for violations from five years to one year, altering the deterrence balance the 2020 amendment had earlier increased.
Joint Parliamentary Committee — how and why a Bill is referred to it
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is an ad hoc committee constituted by Parliament for a specific inquiry or to examine a specific Bill, and it ceases to exist once it submits its report — distinct from the permanent Department-Related Standing Committees (DRSCs), which have a fixed composition and continuing mandate.
The FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 was routed to a specially constituted 31-member JPC — rather than the subject's regular DRSC — reflecting the scale of objections raised when it was first taken up, and illustrating how Parliament uses ad hoc joint committees for contentious legislation needing wider cross-party and bicameral scrutiny before enactment.
- JPC strength: 31 members — 21 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha.
- FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 introduced in Lok Sabha: March 25, 2026; referred to the Joint Committee: August 12, 2026.
- Committee's report deadline: last day of the first week of the Winter Session.
- FCRA, 2010 registration validity: 5 years (Section 12(6)); renewal application due 6 months before expiry.
- Prior permission (Section 11(2)) validity: 3 years to receive funds, 4 years to utilise them.
- FCRA (Amendment) Act, 2020: administrative expense cap cut from 50% to 20%; Aadhaar made mandatory for office bearers; public servants barred from receiving foreign contribution; sub-granting to other entities prohibited.
- FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026: proposes reducing maximum imprisonment for violations from 5 years to 1 year; creates a "Designated Authority" for vesting and disposal of foreign-contribution-linked assets, with proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India.
- DRSC (permanent Standing Committee) composition: maximum 45 members — 30 from Lok Sabha, 15 from Rajya Sabha.
- Nodal ministry for FCRA: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).