Meghalaya’s United Democratic Party urges James Sangma to seek safeguards in FCRA bill

The United Democratic Party (UDP) has urged the Joint Committee examining the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026, to introduce safeguards to prevent the proposed changes from affecting humanitarian, educational, health and social service institutions in Meghalaya.

In a letter to James P K Sangma, MP and member of the Joint Committee, UDP general secretary Titosstarwell Chyne said the party supports concerns raised by Church leaders and the Meghalaya government over the possible impact of the amendments on institutions that provide public and community services.

The UDP has submitted a set of recommendations covering both the proposed legislation and its rules.

On provisions relating to the vesting of assets under Sections 16A to 16H, the party has called for automatic provisional vesting to be replaced with a court-supervised process. It has also sought a provision preventing permanent vesting until all judicial appeals have been completed.

The party has opposed retrospective application of the proposed vesting provisions, recommending that they apply only to foreign contributions received after the 2026 Act comes into force. Assets created before that date, it said, should remain outside the scope of the provisions.

The UDP has also sought exemptions for assets administered by minority institutions, citing the need to protect constitutional rights under Articles 25 to 30.

For Sixth Schedule areas and states covered under Articles 371A to 371H, the party has proposed additional safeguards against the sale or transfer of vested property. It has suggested that any such transfer require prior approval from the concerned Autonomous District Council or state government and comply with applicable land laws.

Among other recommendations, the party has called for registration to be denied only following a final conviction rather than on the basis of an FIR. It has also sought permission for organisations under suspension to use existing funds for salaries and statutory payments.

The UDP has proposed restricting criminal liability to office-bearers who knowingly authorised violations, rather than extending liability broadly to institutional functionaries.

For the proposed rules, the party has sought exemptions for honorary foreign advisers associated with minority institutions. It has also called for broader operational categories instead of 105 detailed classifications, time-bound clearance of foreign funds within 30 days, and consideration of domestic expenditure when assessing whether an organisation is carrying out reasonable levels of activity.

The party has further called for wider consultations with state governments, Church bodies and Autonomous District Councils before the amendments are finalised.

The UDP has recommended that the proposed changes be examined by a Joint Parliamentary Committee to develop an FCRA framework that addresses regulatory concerns while taking into account the role of voluntary and faith-based institutions providing services in Meghalaya and the wider North East.