31-Member Joint Parliamentary Panel to Review Foreign Funding Amendment Bill

A 31-member joint committee of Parliament has been constituted to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. The panel, formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, includes 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal will serve as the chairperson.

The committee's composition reflects the strength of major parties: the BJP has 14 members, Congress has five, while JD(U), TMC, and DMK have two each. One member each comes from SP, IUML, Shiv Sena, NCP (SP), NCP, and TDP.

The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 and proposes tighter government oversight of NGOs and foreign funding. It also seeks to create a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets if an organisation loses its FCRA licence.

The Bill was referred to the joint committee on August 12 amid protests by opposition parties, who allege that certain provisions could affect legitimate foreign funding for Christian NGOs and minority-run social welfare and educational institutions. The government has rejected these charges, maintaining that the legislation is not religion-specific and aims to regulate foreign contributions.

The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter session of Parliament.