A report by the European Times has dismissed US Republican Congressman Riley Moore's criticism of India's proposed Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) amendments as little more than propaganda, arguing that his public intervention ironically validates the very concerns the legislation is designed to address. Moore had contended that the amendments could give the Indian government greater control over churches and Christian organisations, and could strain India-US relations.

Why the Intervention Backfires

According to the report, when a sitting lawmaker from another country publicly weighs in on legislation governing foreign funding within India, it reinforces New Delhi's position that external influence over domestic institutions is 'neither hypothetical nor obsolete.' Critics who frame the FCRA amendments as an assault on civil society or a retreat from democratic norms, the report argued, sidestep a more fundamental question: whether India should be denied the sovereign right to regulate foreign influence when virtually every major democracy is moving in the same direction.

A Global Trend, Not an Indian Exception

The report placed India's regulatory approach within a broader international context. The European Union is developing instruments to counter foreign interference, particularly from actors such as Russia and China. Australia operates a Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. The United States itself has enforced the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) for decades. The United Kingdom has introduced its own Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

The core principle across all these frameworks, the report noted, is consistent: foreign funding must not be permitted to shape a country's political, social, or institutional landscape without adequate transparency and oversight. The Indian government has maintained that its proposed amendments align with these international best practices rather than constituting an exceptional or discriminatory regime.

India's NGO Scale Makes Oversight a Security Imperative

The report highlighted the sheer magnitude of India's civil society sector as a key factor. With an estimated 3.3 million to 3.7 million non-governmental organisations, India hosts by far the largest NGO ecosystem in the world — accounting for more than half of all NGOs across G20 nations. By comparison, Italy has approximately 360,000 third-sector organisations.

'India therefore administers by far the largest NGO ecosystem on the planet. Regulating foreign funding in an environment of this magnitude is not merely a bureaucratic exercise or a political choice; it is a matter of national security,' the report stated.

What Happens Next

The Indian Parliament is preparing to debate the FCRA amendments again. The report's findings are likely to feature in that debate as India seeks to counter the narrative that the legislation targets religious minorities. Whether the government proceeds with the amendments as drafted — or incorporates modifications in response to domestic civil society concerns — remains to be seen.