JPC Examines Foreign Contribution Amendment Bill Amid Opposition Requests

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) convened its second meeting on September 29, 2026, at the Parliament Annexe in New Delhi to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice provided clause-wise briefings on the legislation, which seeks to digitize compliance and strengthen oversight for NGOs, think tanks, and educational institutions receiving foreign grants.

While the government maintains the bill prevents the misuse of funds and addresses concerns such as forced religious conversions, opposition parties including Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress allege the provisions target minority institutions and Christian NGOs. Following the meeting, members including Congress MP Anto Antony requested Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal to postpone a scheduled October 12 meeting by at least four weeks to allow for a more thorough study of the documents.

These members also requested that the window for stakeholder and public comments remain open for a minimum of four weeks. Despite these requests for deferment, Chairman Sanjay Jaiswal stated that the panel intends to submit its final report before the Winter Session of 2026.