The Government on Wednesday moved a motion in Lok Sabha to refer the controversial Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill, 2026, to a joint committee of both the Houses of Parliament amid concerns around the provisions of the agenda.The motion said the committee would have 21 Lok Sabha and ten Rajya Sabha members and it will submit a report by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament.The government had on Tuesday indicated its willingness to refer the Bill to a joint committee as sections in the opposition demanded complete withdrawal of the agenda.Top sources said the Bill will be sent to a joint panel to enable larger stakeholder consultations and a resolution to this effect may be moved in the Lok Sabha as early as Wednesday.Several Christian bodies led by The Catholic Bishops Conference of India, Chief Ministers of Mizoram and Nagaland, the Congress, Trinamool Congress and DMK have been opposing any move to pilot the draft law.Introduced in Lok Sabha on March 25 this year, the Bill provides for greater government scrutiny of NGOs and foreign funding and explicitly bars the use of such finances for religious conversions.Discussions on the agenda took place yesterday in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of Rajya Sabha chaired by CP Radhakrishnan. The Congress, TMC and DMK demanded that the Bill be completely withdrawn but the government indicated it would be sent to a joint panel of both houses.Importantly the Government needs only a simple majority to pass the Bill which continues to be the house property having been introduced earlier.It can be taken up any time, but the government sources said they would send the Bill to a panel in the wake of lack of consensus right now.The government had earlier followed the same route for another controversial Bill — the Wakf Amendment Bill 2024.This Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on August 8, 2024, and a day later referred to a joint committee of both houses of Parliament, chaired by BJP’s Jagdambika Pal.The Bill was finally passed by Parliament in April 2025.Official sources indicated that concessions on the FCRA Bill could bolster the Government’s position in negotiations with the DMK on support to the pending delimitation and women’s quota Bill agenda.DMK has 22 MPs in Lok Sabha and eight in Rajya Sabha and their backing to the Bill would help the government come closer to a special two third majority of the MPs present and voting in both Houses which is needed to pass a constitution amendment Bill.Indications are that the delimitation Bill may be brought in a special session later since the Monsoon Session ends on August 13.Contentious provisions of the BillGovernment appointed designated authority to assume management, disposal of assets/funds of NGOs that lose licence under the new BillNew rule for continuation of registration mandates NGOs must show a minimum receipt of Rs 10 lakh foreign funding in the last two financial yearsBlanket ban on proselytisation: The new Bill lists activities for which foreign funds can be received and deployed in IndiaOppositionMizoram Chief Minister, Christian organisations, Nagaland CM Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Congress, DMK and TMC have been opposing the Bill. Recently US Republican Congressman Riley Moore criticised the Bill as a “clear attack against Christians” — a charge MEA rejected.