The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was on Wednesday formally referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed examination following a motion moved by the government in the Lok Sabha.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai moved the motion after the House resumed proceedings following its morning adjournment.
According to the Supplementary List of Business, the Joint Committee will comprise 31 members, including 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The members from the two Houses will be nominated by the Lok Sabha Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman, respectively.
The committee has been tasked with conducting an in-depth examination of 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 will be one-third of its total membership.
The motion also recommended that the Rajya Sabha join the Joint Committee and communicate the names of its members to the Lok Sabha.
Responding to the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the decision to refer the Bill to a JPC should be welcomed and asserted that there was nothing in the proposed legislation aimed at targeting minority institutions.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) regulates the acceptance and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and organisations in India. It seeks to ensure that foreign contributions are used for the purposes for which they are received.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and is currently under consideration by Parliament. The revised FCRA Rules, 2026, were notified on June 22 and are in force.
-ANI
