Mumbai: Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule on Friday stressed that legitimate overseas donations to educational and social organisations should not be obstructed under the changes proposed in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026.
Speaking to reporters here, Sule said the government should not rush through the proposed legislation, and demanded that all political parties be taken into confidence.
The Lok Sabha had sent the FCRA Bill to a 31-member joint committee amid protests by opposition parties, which alleged that the proposed legislation targets minorities and NGOs and demanded its withdrawal. The government has rejected the charge, saying the Bill is aimed at regulating foreign contributions and is not religion-specific.
The Baramati MP said that the government should take strict action if foreign funds were illegal or constituted "dirty money", but legitimate funding for polio vaccination, healthcare, education and the welfare of poor and working-class families should not be viewed with suspicion.
The FCRA Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, proposes tighter government oversight of NGOs and foreign funding. It also seeks to create a designated authority to manage and dispose of assets if an organisation loses its FCRA licence.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), comprising 21 Lok Sabha and 10 Rajya Sabha members, has been asked to submit its report by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026.
Sule also expressed concerns about the condition of old ashram schools in Maharashtra, saying that reports by committees constituted for the issue in the past must be sought and a meeting must be convened immediately to review the situation.
According to officials, an average of nearly one student died every day in the state's ashram schools over the last two years, taking the total death toll to 584 across state-run and government-aided residential facilities during the period, with causes ranging from snakebites and sickle cell disease to serious illnesses, accidents, and suicides.
The NCP (SP) working president said district collectors must be asked to review schools and submit their reports within a month.
Elected representatives, irrespective of their political affiliations, should be involved in the review, she said, stressing that children's education and health should be kept above politics.
Speaking about the issue of 20 companies in the Chakan industrial area in Pune relocating over problems of traffic congestion, pollution, water, power and poor roads, Sule said the MIDC had been established during NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar's tenure, and the situation has become a cause for concern under the present "double-engine government".
Poor families were losing jobs, she claimed, questioning the government's response to the problems faced by workers and industries in the area.
This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
