Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Amid opposition from Congress and TMC, the govt introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, in Lok Sabha on Wednesday.The two opposition parties claimed the bill would give unrestricted powers to the executive to act against any NGO, and that is dangerous. Responding to the charges levelled by the Opposition, minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said the bill was “indeed dangerous” for those who engage in forced religious conversion using foreign contributions, as well as individuals who make use of foreign funding for personal gains. “The Modi govt will not tolerate any mis-utilisation of foreign funding and will take strong action against such elements,” he said. As against Opposition’s apprehensions, the proposed amendments are meant to bring transparency in funding and its utilisation for welfare of the people, he added.Congress’s Manish Tewari opposed the introduction of the bill, saying it would give sweeping powers to the executive without any constitutional safeguards. TMC member Pratima Mondal said it is draconian in nature as all power is going to be vested in the central govt without any guardrails. This will further centralisation of authority under the act. However, the bill was tabled after the house allowed it by a voice vote. The amendment bill provides for a comprehensive statutory framework for vesting – including provisional and permanent vesting – supervision, management and disposal of foreign contributions and assets through a ‘designated authority’.
