By Er. Rajesh Pathak
In the country, there also operates a parallel power which the people have not elected. Yet, it wields immense influence that profoundly affects our thinking and is equipped with all the tools needed to infuse false narratives. This is the power we know as the “Deep State”, also considered a part of the so-called “Fifth Generation Warfare”. Its most lethal weapon is the tactic of funding from beyond national boundaries, through which acts of sabotaging a country’s progress are carried out and, in the Indian context, attempts are made to divide Sanatan society. It is precisely to break the backbone of this Deep State that the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2026 has now been introduced, which, according to its proponents, will transform the country into a well-guarded sovereign proactive state.
According to experts, the Deep State operates through a “Funding-to-Chaos” strategy. This includes continuously funding faith-based NGO institutions and, through them, leaving no opportunity to incite dissent under the façade of alleged violations of “human rights”. It also involves spreading a distorted image of the country by concocting false narratives through Twitter and social media in general, and building mass movements against critical infrastructure. Consequently, the sovereignty of the country gradually becomes subject to greater control by foreign powers rather than by the nation itself.
In view of the facts mentioned above, NGOs will now have to comply with provisions incorporated in the FCRA, 2026, which are designed in the interest of the nation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), notably, has already made it clear that the FCRA will no longer be allowed to be misused for anti-national, political, and conversion-related purposes.
If one takes a look at history, it is learnt how, during the Cold War era, the US-led faith-based NGO network was fully exploited by the CIA to gather intelligence inputs in order to outmaneuver Latin America, Africa, and communism in general. Even today, similar practices are alleged to continue. According to a widely watched news podcast, in order to obtain crucial intelligence from North Korea, the Pentagon routed money through HISG (Humanitarian International Service Group), a faith-based organisation.
According to a report by India’s intelligence agency, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), agitation allegedly orchestrated by the Greenpeace movement to stall coal projects in the name of climate protection caused India’s GDP to decline by 2-3 per cent. India once had to impose sanctions on the Ford Foundation and Amnesty International, alleging that they were engaged in lobbying activities that harmed the country’s global image. In retaliation, they allegedly launched a worldwide campaign portraying India as a place where there was “no scope for dissent”. For similar reasons, more than 20,000 NGOs were stripped of their licences to operate in India.
The question that now persists is: What are the new clauses contained in the amended FCRA Bill to rein in such dubious foreign-funded NGOs?
Notably, the Bill includes an “Asset Control Clause”, under which, if an organisation’s licence is cancelled, all its assets will come under the purview of the authority appointed by the government. Secondly, the provision of “sub-granting” has been rendered ineffective. Large NGOs will no longer be allowed to pass on funds to smaller NGOs. Previously, due to the absence of such a provision, establishing the money trail was a difficult task. Thirdly, there is the provision of “Accountability Lockdown”. All accounts must now be properly maintained, and foreign interests cannot be allowed to take precedence over the larger national interest.
Not to mention, the strongest resistance to the proposed Bill has reportedly been witnessed in Kerala, where foreign funds flow abundantly to religious and charitable trusts. However, what is now taking shape in the country in the form of the new FCRA is very much in line with global practices. The United States has its own law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). If such funds are used there for political activities, individuals can be declared foreign agents. In countries such as Russia and China, such practices are treated as direct threats to national security. Without much consideration of whether the practices are fair or unfair, strict bans come into effect there.
(The author is a freelance writer from Bhopal.)
