New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has appointed two Rajya Sabha MPs as special invitees to the Parliament’s joint committee examining the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill (FCRA), a step being described as an uncommon move.
The Union government introduced the amendment bill to impose new restrictions on how voluntary organisations receive foreign donations and manage related assets. Following strong opposition from opposition parties, the bill was referred to a joint parliamentary committee for detailed scrutiny.
The committee has 31 members in total—21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha—and is chaired by BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal. The panel is scheduled to hold its first meeting tomorrow.
The two special invitees named are Rajya Sabha MPs Javed Ali Khan and James Pangsang Konyak Sangma. Former Lok Sabha Secretary-General Achary said Rule 299 allows MPs who are not members to attend consultations, and also provides for appointing MPs with expertise in specific areas as special invitees, though such invitees cannot function as committee members.
