New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has notified the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2026, mandating all non-government organisations (NGOs) and associations registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA) to disclose specific activities as well as the geographical scope of their programmes, signalling a tighter scrutiny of how NGOs utilise foreign funds.The FCRA Rules were first published on April 29, 2011, and have since been amended nine times – in 2015, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and on May 26, 2025. The latest was notified on Monday, June 22. This marks the tenth amendment to the Rules under the FCRA. What has changed?According to a report by The Hindu, the new rules require NGOs to mandatorily disclose social media accounts, websites and declare whether the association or its key functionaries has brought out any publication during the year – including any book, magazine or a newspaper article. All associations seeking foreign funds also need to be registered or have prior permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs. It no longer allows general permission under FCRA and any new registration will have to follow the said norms.The new rules also broaden the definition of “key functionary” of an NGO beyond office bearers and directors to include trustees, partners, the Karta of a Hindu Undivided Family, governing body members, or anyone controlling or managing the organisation.Also read: Why FCRA Draws Flak: A Look at Crackdowns, Changing Rules and the Secrecy Around ItForeign contributions can be for social, educational, religious, economic and cultural programmes, as per the Rules, although the associations need to specify the purpose and state or union territory where it would be spending the funds. Political content is barred across these categories.PenaltiesAs per the new rules, any utilisation of foreign funds for purposes other than those for which they were received can attract a penalty of up to 30% of the amount misused or Rs 1 lakh, whichever is higher.Deccan Herald reported that the government has also introduced a minimum spending limit of Rs 10 lakh of foreign contribution in two financial years to prevent inactive NGOs from holding onto the licences. For an NGO to renew its registration or avoid cancellation, it must have spent the amount of foreign contribution over the last two years on its chosen activities, it said.The RSS questionOpposition parties and analysts have repeatedly pointed out how the amendments give an advantage to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) ideological wing. The RSS is not registered under the Societies Act or the Trust Act – it is neither an NGO nor a religious trust or any other legal entity. As a result, it does not file no income-tax returns, has no obligation to disclose donors, and is not accountable to the RTI or FCRA. Also read: RSS Claims to be Apolitical. Priyank Kharge’s Letter Seeks to Expose the LieIn an article for The Wire, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay wrote about how the RSS consistently claims ‘unnecessity’ in providing accounting and administrative details. “As against this, hordes of civil society organisations, from research institutions to public intervention organisations – have not just come under tighter scrutiny since 2014, but their functioning also has been made extremely tough,” he said.Earlier in March, speaking at an election campaign ahead of the Kerala assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had said that the FCRA amendment bill was brought all of a sudden. He had claimed that once it is in effect, only the RSS and Prime Minister Modi would be able to receive foreign funds.“The FCRA bill gives a decisive advantage to the RSS in accessing funding, while leaving charitable and other community welfare organisations at the mercy of the central government,” he had alleged.