Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on Sunday said that the state government has urged the Centre to refer the proposed Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to facilitate a wider consultation before the legislation is finalised.
The bill seeks to significantly tighten the oversight of foreign-funded organisations, proposing creation of a powerful new authority to seize and manage the assets of non-profit groups that lose their licence.
The proposed amendments have drawn attention in Christian-majority Mizoram, where churches and civil society organisations have expressed concerns over provisions they believe could affect groups receiving foreign contributions.
Lalduhoma said he recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi along with leaders of two apex church bodies — the Mizoram Kohhran Hruaitute Committee (MKHC) and the Council of Churches in Mizoram (CCM), which represented various Christian denominations across the state.
During the meeting, the delegation placed before Shah its concerns and suggestions regarding certain provisions of the proposed legislation and also submitted a memorandum to the Union Home Ministry, he said.
Making a fresh appeal for parliamentary scrutiny, Lalduhoma said referring the Bill to a JPC would allow concerns and suggestions from different parts of the country and various stakeholders to be examined before its final passage.
“In the spirit of democratic consultation, we respectfully appeal to the Union Government to refer the Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC),” Lalduhoma said in a post on Facebook.
“This would provide an opportunity for concerns and suggestions from different parts of the country and across stakeholders to be carefully examined and considered before the legislation is finalised,” he added.
He expressed hope that the Centre would consider the request in the larger interest of inclusive, transparent and consultative policymaking.
The contentious FCRA amendment bill will be taken up for discussion and passage in Parliament on August 12, but it will not come into effect retrospectively, Lalduhoma had said on August 6 in New Delhi after meeting Shah.
Earlier, Congress had urged the chief minister to summon a special session of the state assembly to adopt a resolution opposing the Bill.
The CCM, a conglomerate of nine major churches, including the Presbyterian Church of India and the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM), will organise a rally in Aizawl on August 11 to protest the proposed Bill.
The protest march will begin simultaneously in two directions – one from Zarkawt and another from Sikulpuikawn at 10:30 am with participants converging outside Vanapa Hall for a public programme, according to CCM president Rev Dr Lalbiakliana.
The church body expressed concern over provisions in the proposed amendment that would allow authorities to confiscate properties, land and other assets acquired through foreign funding if an organisation’s FCRA licence is cancelled.
The CCM also objected to the proposal to establish a Designated Authority, which it claimed would have sweeping powers to seize and dispose of the assets of churches and NGOs without prior court approval or judicial oversight.
