Amit Shah, File Photo: Dynamite News
New Delhi: The government is likely to table the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment(FCRA) Bill in Parliament on Monday, sources said. The FCRA is not mentioned in the list of business today, which was expected to be tabled.
The main opposition, Congress, is opposing the FCRA bill in its present form and sought several changes in the bill. Since the passage of the bill would affect Kerala the most, the Congress is demanding changes in the bill. Home Minister Amit Shah, who is behind the new Bill, is expected to give a reply when the Bill is taken up for passing.
The Bill seeks to empower the government to create a "Designated Authority" to take over the management of foreign contributions and assets created using foreign contributions when an organisation's FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered, or ceases because it is not renewed.
It also states that in case of assets that are a place of worship, the authority must ensure that its religious character is maintained. The proposed legislation also reduces the maximum penalty for violation of the Act from imprisonment of five years to one year.
Interestingly, this bill, which was to be tabled during the last budget session, attracted international attention, with a US Congressman warning that the amendments could impact India-US relations.
According to the MHA(Ministry of Home Affairs), 13,520 organisations received Rs 55,741 crore of foreign contribution between 2019 and 2022. The FCRA portal indicates that as of July 15, 2026, there are 14,449 active FCRA certificates, 22,498 cancelled, and 1521 deemed expired.
