Roving Periscope: India’s move on FCRA worries Christian leaders and missionaries!
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: India’s proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, expected to be tabled in Parliament soon, has rattled Christian missionaries and their supporters inside the country and outside, with a US lawmaker threatening that it may impact India-US relations, the media reported on Wednesday.
“It is an attack on Christians,” said Riley Moore, a US lawmaker close to President Donald Trump.
The proposed law seeks to empower the government to create a “Designated Authority” to take over the management of foreign contributions when an organisation’s FCRA registration is cancelled.
According to reports, Moore, Republican Congressman from West Virginia, raised concern over New Delhi’s proposed law governing foreign donations received by NGOs, trusts, educational institutions, and religious organisations, and also threatened that the changes could affect bilateral relations between the USA and India.
He claimed the amendments to the FCRA would give power to the Indian government to take over churches and religious charities, a move he described as a “clear attack against Christians.”
“Christians have been in India since St Thomas the Apostle travelled to the Malabar Coast just decades after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But despite this long Christian history, India’s Parliament is considering amending Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment (FCRA) rules to permit government takeovers of churches and religious charities,”” Moore said in a post on X.
“This is a clear attack against Christians. If this bill proceeds in this way, it would be a point of major concern in our bilateral relationship with India,” the first-term Congressman added.
The Bill
The proposed legislation would 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.
The bill 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 reduces the maximum penalty for violation of the Act from imprisonment of five years to one year.
According to the 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 15,212 deemed expired.
Reactions
The US lawmaker’s remarks caused a political row in India, with some opposition leaders, mostly Leftists, criticising Moore despite opposing the bill.
Revolutionary Socialist Party MP NK Premachandran said the US lawmaker’s remarks were absolutely unwarranted.
“It should be condemned, as they should have nothing to do with India’s legislative position, as it attacks India’s sovereign character. Yes, we oppose the FCRA bill, and that is why it has been sent back and delayed. They are no one to lecture us,” he said.
CPI(M) MP John Brittas said, “We do not want US lawmakers to suggest anything, and we do not appreciate any intervention from the US… We oppose this piece of legislation. We do not base our position on what others say about it. This is an internal and domestic matter. Our government and our Parliament must take the decision.”
As the government prepares to table the bill in Parliament next week, the move has already sparked major concern among Christian denominations, civil society groups, and international observers.
Christian organizations fear that the bill will allow the government to take temporary control of assets and unspent foreign contributions if an organization’s FCRA license expires or is cancelled. Church forums and bodies like the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India argue the stringent rules threaten the autonomy of social-service networks, potentially crippling educational and medical missions.
Various Christian coalitions have organized special days of prayer and joint forums to push back against what they view as an overreach into civil society operations.
But the government maintains that the regulations are religion-neutral, applying uniformly to any secular, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or other NGO receiving foreign funds. The legal tightening is necessary to prevent the misuse of overseas money, ensure financial transparency, and protect national security. It also assured visiting church delegations that the law is not discriminatory and that provisions safeguard the religious character of any designated place of worship.
