India's Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill bans proselytizing, tightens assets
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2026, and it could shake things up for foreign-funded NGOs in India.
The big change? If an NGO's registration lapses or ends, a new Designated Authority will temporarily manage its assets.
If the group fixes its paperwork in time, it gets everything back; if not, those assets go to public use.
Plus, new rules make it tougher to register and specifically ban proselytizing as a religious activity.
Worship sites preserved and penalties reduced
The bill also makes sure that places of worship keep their original purpose, even if an NGO loses its registration, so their assets can't be used for something else.
Penalties are getting lighter too: maximum jail time drops from five years to one.
And now, once an NGO's registration expires, it automatically ends. No more confusion about legal status.
Overall, these updates aim to tighten how foreign-funded NGOs operate and handle their resources in India.