New Delhi, July 5 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma led a delegation of senior church and community leaders to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi, pressing for safeguards on the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act that the state says could disrupt decades of public service work.
The group that walked into the Home Ministry included Rev. H. L. Myrsing, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of India, Rev. S. C. Diengngan who heads the PCI’s FCRA sub-committee, Rev. Dr. Meyu Changkiri, General Secretary of the North East India Christian Council, Fr. Teiboklang Kharbani, Administrator of the Archdiocese of Shillong, and Durasal R. Marak, Youth Director of the Garo Baptist Convention.
Their core concern was how proposed changes and strict enforcement of FCRA norms are affecting religious, educational, charitable and social welfare institutions across Meghalaya. The Chief Minister told Shah that these bodies run hundreds of schools, colleges, hospitals and outreach programmes, especially in rural and remote areas where government services often do not reach. For many villages, the church-run hospital or school is the only option.
Sangma argued that Meghalaya’s situation is different because faith-based institutions have been the backbone of education and healthcare for generations. He urged the Centre to factor in the state’s unique context while applying the law, and asked that genuine institutions engaged in public service be allowed to continue without administrative disruption.
The delegation stressed that the issue is not about diluting oversight, but about ensuring compliance does not choke funding for essential services that benefit thousands.
Shah heard the delegation and assured that the concerns raised would be examined. With FCRA amendments back in focus nationally, Sunday’s meeting puts Meghalaya’s case directly on the Centre’s table, and the state will now watch for any policy tweaks that address the ground realities flagged by the church bodies.
