Kerala Church Raises Concer Over Centre's Tighter Foreign Funding Rules

The tightening of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) rules by the Union Government has triggered concern from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Kerala, with a senior bishop questioning the lack of consultation with churches and warning that stringent penalties could discourage charitable work.

Yuhanon Mar Diascoros, Metropolitan of the Church's Kottayam Diocese, said the Centre had earlier assured religious groups that major decisions would be taken only after consultations. "I have absolutely no knowledge of anyone consulting our Orthodox Church," he said.

The Metropolitan clarified that the Church has no objection to scrutiny of its finances. "Our accounts were ready yesterday, they are ready today, and they will be ready tomorrow," he said, adding that all accounts are regularly audited and submitted to the authorities.

However, he questioned the revised penalty provisions under the amended rules. "We are humans and small mistakes can happen. Such errors should be corrected and organisations allowed to move forward. Imposing massive fines even for minor lapses is something we cannot accept," he said.

In a sharp remark, the bishop said the new provisions could be seen as "another way of telling churches and communities that they no longer need to carry out charitable work and should simply remain quiet."

The Union Home Ministry recently amended the FCRA rules, increasing penalties for several violations. Under the revised provisions, organisations spending beyond the permitted 20 per cent limit on administrative expenses could face a penalty of Rs 1 lakh or five per cent of the excess expenditure, whichever is higher.

Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan also attacked the Centre over the amended FCRA rules in a post on X, calling the unilateral changes "highly deplorable". 

He said the amendments threatened the functioning of voluntary organisations across the country and could severely impact educational and social service institutions, particularly those working in tribal regions of North India and the North-East. 

Satheesan further alleged that the move raised serious concerns about whether it was part of a broader attempt by the RSS-Sangh Parivar to target minority communities. 

He demanded that the Centre immediately withdraw the amended provisions and asked the BJP's Kerala leadership and Union Ministers from the state to clarify their stand.

Responding to the criticism, Kerala BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar sought to reassure religious organisations, saying there was no reason for any institution receiving foreign contributions to fear the amended rules.

He said the regulations were intended to ensure transparency and accountability, and applied uniformly to all organisations registered under the FCRA, irrespective of religion. 

Rajeev Chandrasekhar also offered to facilitate a meeting between church representatives and the Union Home Ministry to address any concerns and clarify the new provisions.