SHILLONG, July 7: Church leaders have raised strong objections to the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, warning that key provisions could have sweeping and lasting consequences for churches and charitable institutions across India.
The principal concern, according to Rev Edwin H. Kharkongor, secretary of the Khasi Jaintia Christian Leaders Forum, centres on clauses that would empower a government-appointed “Designated Authority” to take possession of assets created wholly or partly through foreign contributions if an organisation’s FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered, or allowed to lapse.
Critics say the move could be retrospective in nature, potentially affecting properties and institutions built with foreign funds received since the original FCRA was enacted in 1976 or revised in 2010. Section 16 and related provisions are seen as particularly contentious, as they give the Designated Authority wide powers to supervise, manage, and preserve such assets once an organisation loses its FCRA status.
Citing Ministry of Home Affairs data, Rev Kharkongor noted that over 37,000 FCRA registrations have already been cancelled or not renewed, while around 14,000 organisations currently hold active registrations. He stressed that while churches have become increasingly self-reliant, foreign contributions over several decades helped establish schools, hospitals, and welfare institutions that continue to serve remote and underserved communities where government services remain limited.
“The poor, the marginalised, indigenous communities, Dalits and people living in far-flung areas would be among the first to feel the impact if these amendments are implemented,” he said.
Rev Kharkongor questioned whether the government’s stated aim of improving transparency and accountability justifies the proposed measures, arguing that transparency must go hand in hand with fairness and accountability in governance itself.
The issue has united churches across denominations. A June 5 meeting convened in Shillong by the National Council of Churches in India, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, and the Evangelical Fellowship of India resolved to jointly pursue advocacy. June 28 was observed as a National Day of Prayer on the matter. Rev Kharkongor clarified that he was not part of the recent delegation that met Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
He urged the Meghalaya government and legislators, including the Leader of the Opposition, to raise the issue in the Assembly and press the Centre for clarity. He also suggested that Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma coordinate with other Northeast chief ministers to make a collective representation.
Veteran journalist A.J. Philip has gone further in an open letter to Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai. He argued that the Bill strengthens a law originally enacted during the Emergency in 1976 and questioned the government’s criticism of Emergency-era excesses while expanding the scope of legislation introduced during that period.
Philip warned that the proposed changes grant the government sweeping powers to take over properties of organisations whose FCRA registrations are cancelled or not renewed. He said this could severely affect orphanages, old-age homes, churches, and charitable institutions that depend on contributions from overseas members of the Indian diaspora, and appealed to the Centre to reconsider the Bill before it is debated in Parliament.
The proposed amendments have sparked a broader debate on whether the pursuit of regulatory control is now overshadowing the long-standing role of faith-based and civil society organisations in delivering education, healthcare, and social services in areas the state has struggled to reach.
