Washington: A US lawmaker has raised alarm over India’s proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), warning that the changes could strain relations between New Delhi and Washington.
Republican Congressman Riley Moore of West Virginia said the proposed amendments could allow the Indian government to take over churches and religious charities. He called the move a “clear attack against Christians” and said it would become a “major concern” in India-US bilateral relations if passed in its current form.
“Christians have been in India since St Thomas the Apostle travelled to the Malabar Coast just decades after the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But despite this long Christian history, India’s Parliament is considering amending FCRA rules to permit government takeovers of churches and religious charities,” Moore wrote on X.
The Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 proposes to allow the government to create a “Designated Authority” to manage foreign contributions and assets created using such funds when an organisation’s FCRA registration is cancelled, surrendered or not renewed. The bill states that if such assets include places of worship, the authority must ensure their religious character is maintained.
The proposed legislation also reduces the maximum punishment for FCRA violations from five years in prison to one year.
The amendments deal with foreign donations received by NGOs, trusts, educational institutions and religious organisations. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 13,520 organisations received Rs 55,741 crore in foreign contributions between 2019 and 2022. As of July 15, 2026, there were 14,449 active FCRA registrations, while 22,498 had been cancelled and 15,212 had expired.
The government is expected to introduce the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha next week. The proposed changes have already drawn attention beyond India’s borders, with Moore’s remarks signalling that religious freedom concerns in India are increasingly entering the frame of US foreign policy discussions.
