Shillong, Nov 2: The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 arrived in Shillong for the first time to hold a consultation.
The meeting was chaired by Sanjay Jaiswal, the JPC chairperson, and attended by representatives of 40 religious organisations, along with various other organisations from the North East.
Jaiswal said that the groups who receive foreign contributions gave some suggestions and the committee also questioned the groups.
“We have asked them to reply in 15 days and, after taking note of all their replies, we will definitely take care of it and we will make the final bill which is good for everyone,” he said.
Organisations from Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and other states of the region attended the meeting. The JPC will also visit Kochi and Chennai in Kerala and Tamil Nadu respectively as the committee wants to hear from all organisations in the country who receive foreign contributions, Jaiswal said.
“On the ground we want to talk to them, what are the practical problems and what are their practical suggestions and how to improve our bill and then we will definitely come with a bill acceptable to everyone,” he added.
There has been a great level of anxiety expressed by Christian organisations in Meghalaya and other North East states over the FCRA amendment. However, Jaiswal said that foreign contributions for religious organisations make up only 6 percent of the total that enters India.
“We have to think about a holistic approach and not only on any specific cause,” the JPC chairman said.
He added that the Centre wants to make a law that is beneficial for those who want to do good for society but the rules need to be tough enough to be a deterrent to those who want to do harm to the nation’s national security.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma described Jaiswal as the right person to head the JPC since he understands the pulse of the nation.
The CM informed that when Jaiswal was announced as the chairperson, Sangma called him and requested that he should come to Shillong to meet all the different organisations that are receiving foreign funding.
Sangma said that what is important is that all stakeholders who had concerns about the FCRA amendment got a chance to express their concerns.
The Chief Minister stated that the JPC was open-minded and discussed all the aspects in detail, adding that this is part of a healthy democratic process and there will be positive outcomes from the meeting.
