Church Bodies welcome referral of FCRA bill to JPC a ‘positive step’ that opens space for ‘clause-by-clause review’

The
decisio
to
efe
the
bill
to
JPC
was
made
by
a
voice
vote.

NEW
DELHI:
The
Joi t
Actio
Fo um
o
Mi o ities
that
had
led
a
delegatio
of
ep ese tatives
of
Chu ches
to
meet
Home
Mi iste
Amit
Shah
last
week
desc ibed
the
decisio
of
the
govt
to
efe
the
FCRA
Ame dme t
Bill
2026
to
a
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee
as
a
“positive
step”
that
p ese ts
a
“impo ta t
oppo tu ity
fo
a
comp ehe sive,
clause-by-clause
eview
of
its
p ovisio s
a d
thei
implicatio s”.A
host
of
Chu ch
bodies
last
week
met
a d
u ged
home
mi iste
Amit
Shah
to
eithe
withd aw
the
Fo eig
Co t ibutio
(Regulatio )
Ame dme t
Bill
o
se d
it
to
a
joi t
pa liame ta y
committee
fo
sc uti y.I
thei
ep ese tatio
to
HM,
the
delegatio
ep ese ti g
Catholic,
P otesta t
a d
O thodox
Chu ches
f om
ac oss
I dia
o ga ised
u de
Joi t
Actio
Fo um
o
Mi o ities
with
DMK
MP
P
Wilso
as
its
chai pe so ,
had
sought
that
the
Bill
is
withd aw
i
e ti ety
o
i
alte ate
be
efe ed
to
a
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee
togethe
with
a
eview
of
the
wo ki g
of
the
P i cipal
FCRA
Act
2010
itself”.O
Wed esday,
Wilso
i
a
stateme t
o
X
tha ked
DMK
P eside t
MK
Stali
a d
all
oppositio
pa ties
i
the
Lok
Sabha
fo
thei
u ified
dema d
to
withd aw
the
FCRA
Ame dme t
Bill
2026,
eve
though
it
was
decided
by
a
majo ity
voice
vote
to
efe
it
to
the
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee.“Although
the
govt
has
ot
ag eed
to
withd aw
the
FCRA
Bill
2026
e ti ely,
the
U io
Gove me t’s
decisio
to
efe
the
Bill
to
the
Joi t
Pa liame ta y
Committee
is
a
positive
step,”
he
added.

“This
is
a
se sitive
issue
whe e
a
bala ce
must
be
st uck
betwee
the
govt’s
autho ity
ove
fi a cial
co t ol
a d
the
ights
of
mi o ity
i stitutio s
to
eceive
cha itable
co t ibutio s.
This
fu di g
suppo ts
schools,
colleges,
hospitals,
a d
othe
public
se vice
i stitutio s.
The
gove me t
will
be
u able
to
fu d
these
activities
if
co t ibutio s
cease,”
he
added.Wilso
said
that
the
efe al
of
the
Bill
to
the
JPC
p ese ts
a
impo ta t
oppo tu ity
fo
a
comp ehe sive,
clause-by-clause
eview
of
its
p ovisio s
a d
thei
implicatio s.
“We
hope
a d
expect
that
the
Committee
will
liste
to
all
stakeholde s
a d
ca efully
co side
the
co stitutio al,
legal,
a d
p actical
co ce s
aised
by
eligious,
educatio al,
healthca e,
cha itable,
a d
civil
society
i stitutio s,”
he
said.

The
Natio al
Cou cil
of
Chu ches
i
I dia,
Ge e al
Sec eta y,
Asi
Ebe eze
welcomed
the
Bill
a d
said
that
they
look
fo wa d
to
e gagi g
with
“the
JPC
as
they
p epa e
the
epo t
fo
the
Wi te
sessio ”.
NCCI
was
pa t
of
the
delegatio
that
met
the
HM
as
pa t
of
the
Joi t
Actio
Fo um
o
Mi o ities.“O
behalf
of
the
histo ic
a d
atio ally
etwo ked
P otesta t
a d
O thodox
Chu ches
i
I dia
ep ese ti g
the
eligious
a d
missio
aspi atio s
of
19
millio
Ch istia s
we
tha k
the
Home
Mi iste
a d
the
govt
fo
heedi g
to
the
equest
of
the
Ch istia
commu ity,”
he
added.