Lok Sabha passes motion to refer FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member Joint Committee.
The panel will include 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members and report during the Winter Session.
Congress MP K C Venugopal opposed the FCRA Bill, alleging it targets NGOs and minorities while demanding its withdrawal.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a motion to refer the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member Joint Committee of Parliament amid Opposition concerns over the proposed changes governing foreign contributions received by organisations in India.
The motion was moved by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on behalf of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
31 Member Panel To Examine Bill
The proposed Joint Committee will comprise 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The Lok Sabha members will be nominated by the Speaker, while the Rajya Sabha members will be nominated by the Chairman of the Upper House.
The motion provides that the quorum for a sitting of the committee will be, as nearly as may be, one-third of its total membership.
The committee will be required to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.
Rajya Sabha Asked To Join Panel
The motion also states that the rules governing the procedure and conduct of business of parliamentary committees will apply to the Joint Committee, subject to such variations and modifications as may be made by the Speaker.
The Lok Sabha has further recommended that the Rajya Sabha join the Joint Committee and communicate the names of its members to be appointed to the panel.
The move comes as the Opposition has raised concerns over the proposed amendments to the law governing foreign contributions received by organisations in India.
The provision for referring the Bill to a Joint Committee was listed in the Lok Sabha’s supplementary list of business issued on Wednesday, August 12.
The motion specifies that the committee will comprise 31 members in all, with 21 nominated from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, and will examine the FCRA Amendment Bill before submitting its report within the stipulated period.
Opposition Seeks Withdrawal Of Bill
Congress MP K C Venugopal said the Bill was introduced at short notice and alleged that Amit Shah remained absent when the motion to refer it to the Joint Committee was moved by the Minister of State.
Venugopal said sending the legislation to the Joint Committee instead of passing it “in din” was not enough, and reiterated the Opposition’s demand that the Bill be withdrawn.
He questioned the purpose of the proposed legislation and alleged that the RSS was receiving donations from across the world without registration, while NGOs and minorities working in health and education were being targeted. “This is not acceptable,” he said.
