Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 17: In a rare move, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated two Rajya Sabha members as “special invitees” to the 31-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
According to a Lok Sabha bulletin, Samajwadi Party MP Javed Ali Khan and National People's Party MP James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma have been nominated as special invitees to the committee. The JPC is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Friday, September 18.
The committee was constituted earlier this month after both Houses of Parliament agreed on August 12 to refer the FCRA Amendment Bill to a JPC for detailed scrutiny. BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal has been appointed chairperson of the panel, which comprises 21 Lok Sabha members and 10 Rajya Sabha members.
Former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achary told PTI that Rule 299 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha provides for MPs who are not members of a committee to attend its deliberations in certain circumstances. However, such special invitees cannot address the committee or sit among its regular members.
Achary said MPs possessing special interest or expertise in a particular subject can be appointed as special invitees. They may sit alongside officials during committee meetings but cannot occupy seats designated for committee members.
The 31-member JPC has 14 BJP members and five Congress members. The panel also has two members each from the Janata Dal (United), Trinamool Congress and DMK, and one member each from the Samajwadi Party, Indian Union Muslim League, Shiv Sena, NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), NCP and Telugu Desam Party.
The FCRA Amendment Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, seeks to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, which governs the receipt and utilisation of foreign contributions by individuals, associations and organisations in India. The government has said the proposed changes are intended to strengthen regulation and ensure that foreign funds are used for their stated purposes.
The Bill has faced opposition from several political parties and organisations. Opposition parties have demanded its withdrawal, raising concerns about provisions relating to foreign-funded organisations and the proposed framework for dealing with assets when an organisation's FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered or ceases to exist. The government has rejected allegations that the proposed amendments discriminate against minorities.
The JPC has been tasked with examining the proposed amendments and submitting its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament.