Mizoram flags asset seizure fears in FCRA Bill, Amit Shah says law won't be retrospective

Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on August 6 met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to formally present the state's recommendations and convey regional concerns over the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.

The meeting comes amid growing apprehensions in Mizoram, particularly among church bodies and civil society organisations, over certain provisions of the proposed legislation governing foreign funding.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Lalduhoma said the Union Home Minister gave a clear assurance that the proposed amendments would not have retrospective effect.

"The only thing that is very clearly mentioned to us is that it's not going to be retrospective. That assurance was given to us, and the rest of the points will be given a paragraph-wise comment by him. He is going to start the discussion on the 12th of this month in Parliament," the chief minister said.

Lalduhoma said the memorandum submitted to Shah outlined Mizoram's concerns over various clauses in the Bill, while expressing hope that the Centre would consider the state's recommendations during the parliamentary discussion.

A delegation of church leaders from Mizoram also met the Union Home Minister and submitted a joint memorandum highlighting objections to several provisions of the proposed legislation.

Reverend Lalhmangaiha, General Secretary of the Council of Churches in Mizoram, said one of the key concerns relates to a provision that, according to their understanding, could allow the government to take over assets created using foreign contributions even after an organisation legally utilised the funds and later surrendered or lost its FCRA licence.

"We have come here to submit a joint memorandum regarding the new FCRA Amendment Bill 2026, in which some of the points we find difficult to accept. Those organisations are licensed to receive foreign funds for a special purpose. Even though they use the funds legally and legitimately, whenever the licence is cancelled or voluntarily surrendered because they no longer require foreign funds, the assets they have built before would be taken away. That is our understanding, and if that is the case, we do not feel comfortable with it," he said.

The church body urged the Centre to reconsider the contentious provisions, arguing that organisations which have lawfully utilised foreign contributions should not face uncertainty over assets created through such funding.

The proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, has generated concern among several religious and charitable organisations, particularly in the Northeast, where many educational, healthcare and social welfare institutions receive foreign contributions under the existing FCRA framework.

Parliament is expected to take up discussions on the proposed legislation from August 12. The Centre is yet to publicly respond in detail to the specific concerns raised by Mizoram and the church organisations.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Christian leaders led by DMK Rajya Sabha MP P Wilson met Union Home Minister Amit Shah with a plea to withdraw the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, taking exception to its "confiscatory" nature.

The delegation contended that the law proposed would replace the existing regulatory regime with the one that adversely affects charitable institutions across the country.

If the government is not inclined to withdraw the bill, it should refer it, along with a comprehensive review of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), the delegation said in a memorandum submitted to Shah. It also demanded repeal of Section 15 of the existing Act dealing with vesting of assets.