ISKCON among religious bodies heard by parliamentary panel on India’s foreign-funding bill

Representatives of ISKCON were among the religious bodies heard by the parliamentary panel examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, a law that will govern how Indian temples, missions and charities receive money from abroad.

NEW DELHI, India — ISKCON gave its views on the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, at a meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the bill on Tuesday, 13 October, The Economic Times reported. The committee’s chairman, BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal, told reporters after the meeting that major provisions of the proposed law have the same clauses as the FCRA enacted by the UPA government in 2010. Opposition parties say the bill will choke legitimate funding for minority-run organisations; the government denies it.^[1]

What the bill does

The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act governs the receipt of foreign donations by Indian associations, including religious institutions, and ISKCON temples and projects in India that receive donations from abroad operate under FCRA registration. The amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 25 March and referred to the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 12 August after consistent demands from opposition parties, who alleged that certain provisions were highly objectionable.^[1]

According to Jaiswal, the 2010 Act gave the home secretary and the principal secretary of the state concerned the power to confiscate the properties of an NGO receiving foreign funding if irregularities were found, and the new bill gives the same power to a “designated authority” instead.^[1]

“The law brought by the UPA government had decided that if irregularities were found under the FCRA, all the assets would be handed over to the home secretary or principal secretary concerned of the state. However, today, there is a designated authority in place of that arrangement.”

Sanjay Jaiswal, chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, to reporters, 13 October 2026, as reported by The Economic Times^[1]

The religious bodies heard

Jaiswal said that those who gave their views to the committee on Tuesday included representatives of the Syro-Malabar Church, the Ramakrishna Math and ISKCON, among others. The report describes the meeting as an interaction with Hindu, Christian and other groups.^[1]

“Everyone presented their views. We listened carefully to what everyone had to say. When we sit in our committee meeting, we will discuss these matters. We have heard everyone out, and subsequently, we will deliberate on all these points during the committee meeting. We will take the decisions together.”

Sanjay Jaiswal, 13 October 2026, as reported by The Economic Times^[1]

The Economic Times does not report what ISKCON’s representatives told the committee, who represented the society, or whether ISKCON supports or opposes the bill. No statement by ISKCON on its submission had been found by Akincana Gocara at the time of writing.

The dispute over the bill

Opposition parties allege that the bill targets minorities, saying that certain provisions will choke legitimate funding for Christian NGOs and minority-run social welfare and educational institutions. The government has rejected the charge and challenged the opposition to identify a single provision that discriminates against minorities, maintaining that the legislation is not religion-specific and is aimed at regulating foreign contributions.^[1]

When he introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, said it aimed at enhancing transparency and ensuring the proper use of funds received from abroad. Answering the charge that the bill was “dangerous”, he said it was indeed dangerous for those who engage in forced religious conversion using foreign contributions and for individuals who abuse foreign funding for personal gain.^[1]

Where things stand

The committee will deliberate on the submissions at its next meetings before reporting to Parliament.^[1]

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Sources

1. “FCRA amendment bill has similar provisions like UPA-era law: Panel chief Jaiswal”, The Economic Times, 13 October 2026. economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/fcra-amendment-bill-has-similar-provisions-like-upa-era-law-…