Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020: A Few Hits And Many Misses

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (Government) introduced the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2020 (Bill) in the Parliament to amend the provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA). The introduction of the Bill was met with stern opposition from members of the opposition in the Parliament and from the civil society. However, despite the opposition, the Bill has been passed in both the houses of the Parliament and will now be sent to the President for his assent. The Bill will become law once the President gives his assent.

The stated object of the Bill is to "strengthen the compliance mechanism, enhance transparency and accountability in the receipt and utilisation of foreign contribution. and facilitating genuine non-governmental organisations or associations who are working for the welfare of the society". In this article we analyse whether the Bill achieves its stated objectives or is this only a case of