New Delhi, Jul 16: A bill to give national song Vande Mataram the same statutory protection as the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and another legislation to ensure that foreign contributions to NGOs are not utilised in a manner prejudicial to the national interests have been listed by the government for introduction in the Lok Sabha during the Monsoon session beginning July 20.
The government is also planning to introduce another bill seeking to make “delayed registration” of birth and death more stringent and a legislation for a massive overhaul of India’s higher education sector by dissolving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to create a single, unified regulatory commission.
A bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat said the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is listed for introduction, consideration and passing.
The bill seeks to give the national song Vande Mataram the same statutory protection as the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and make any insult or obstruction to the singing of the national song Vande Mataram a punishable offence through this.
The bill was also listed for introduction and passage in the Rajya Sabha.
The Lok Sabha secretariat said that the government has also listed the consideration and passing of the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment (FCRA) Bill, 2026.
This bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha during the Budget session but did not come up for consideration and passage, ostensibly due to opposition from certain quarters in Kerala, where assembly elections were due around that time.
The bill seeks to vest in the government the power to strip the NGOs of their assets if they fail to comply with FCRA registration requirements.
The 2020 amendment to the law imposed a fixed 25 per cent cap on the use of foreign contributions for administrative expenses, down from the earlier 50 per cent.
The fresh amendment proposal seeks to tighten the government’s control on institutions receiving foreign contributions by allowing the government to seize and permanently acquire their assets.
A delegation of Christian leaders recently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who piloted the bill, to convey their apprehensions about the bill.
Another bill listed for introduction, consideration and passing is the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026. It seeks to further amend section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023) “in order to make provisions of delayed registration more stringent”.
Sources said according to the bill, people who fail to report births and deaths to authorities within two years may face a stricter registration process.
It has been proposed that births and deaths reported after two years can be registered only on the order of a first-class judicial magistrate, replacing the existing provision under which such cases can be approved by a district magistrate (DM), sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) or executive magistrate.
This bill is listed for introduction and passage in the Rajya Sabha too.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which seeks a massive overhaul of India’s higher education sector by dissolving the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) to create a single, unified regulatory commission is also listed for consideration and passing after the report of Joint Committee of Parliament is presented to Lok Sabha.
Introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 15, 2025, the legislation was referred to a joint committee of Parliament for examination and recommendations last year.
The bill also aims to implement the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, by dividing higher education oversight into three specialised councils for regulation, accreditation and standards.
The government also plans to introduce the Income-tax (Amendment) Bill in the upcoming Monsoon session to replace the Ordinance effected to exempt foreign investors from income tax on interest earnings and capital gains from investment in government securities (G-secs).
The Ordinance was promulgated last month to attract foreign capital to ease pressure on the depreciating rupee due to the West Asia crisis. The Income-tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, will replace the Income Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is also listed for introduction, consideration and passing in both Houses of Parliament. It seeks to align the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 with the changing MSME scenario to ensure ‘ease of doing business’ and bring trust-based regulations in the MSME ecosystem. (PTI)
