Parliament

Lok Sabha passes Finance Bill 2026 with 32 government amendments

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Finance Bill 2026, along with 32 government amendments. With the passage of the Finance Bill 2026, the Lok Sabha completed its part of the Budgetary approval process. The Upper House, Rajya Sabha, will now consider the Bill. After the Rajya Sabha approves the Bill, the Budget process for 2026-27 will be complete. The Union Budget 2026-27 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 53.47 lakh crore, an increase of 7.7 per cent over the current fiscal ending March 31. The total capital expenditure proposed for the next fiscal is Rs 12.2 lakh crore. It proposes a gross tax revenue collection of Rs 44.04 lakh crore and a gross borrowing of Rs 17.2 lakh crore. The fiscal deficit for FY27 is projected at 4.3 per cent of GDP, lower than 4.4 per cent in the current fiscal.

FCRA Bill introduced in LS, govt asserts action against forced conversion

A bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with the government making it clear that individuals engaging in forced religious conversion through foreign funding will not be spared. Introducing the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stated that the legislation aims to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of funds received from abroad. Countering the opposition's charges that the bill is "dangerous", Rai asserted that it is "indeed dangerous" for those who engage in forced religious conversion using foreign contributions, as well as to individuals who abuse foreign funding for personal gain. "The Modi government will not tolerate any misutilisation of foreign funding and will take strong action against such elements," he said. Earlier, opposing the introduction of the legislation, Congress member Manish Tewari said that the bill would give ...

Amendment to women reservation law may be delayed; early adjournment likely

The government is unlikely to immediately bring a bill to increase Lok Sabha seats to 816 so that 273 of them could be reserved for women in the ongoing Parliament session, which may be adjourned early but will not be prorogued to keep open the option of reconvening after the upcoming round of assembly elections, according to sources. The sources indicated that there is very little chance of the government tabling the constitution amendment bill that will tweak the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, commonly known as the women's reservation law, in Parliament in the next few days. It is learnt that there was no proposal till Tuesday evening to bring the draft bill before the Union Cabinet, which is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. "There are requirements of seeking further deliberations with all political parties before finalising a schedule for amending the women's reservation law," a source privy to the development said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on Monday discussed the matter

India's strategic oil reserves at 64% capacity, govt informs Rajya Sabha

India's strategic oil reserves, designed to provide cover for about 9.5 days of supplies during disruptions or price shocks, are currently sitting at only two-thirds capacity, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. India, the world's third-largest energy consumer and heavily dependent on imports for about 88 per cent of its crude oil needs, has built strategic underground storage facilities with a total capacity of 5.33 million tonnes across three locations -- Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, and Mangaluru and Padur in Karnataka -- to store crude oil used for producing fuels such as petrol and diesel. "Quantity of the crude available in the caverns varies depending on market conditions," Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said in a written reply in the Upper House. "Currently, ISPRL has around 3.372 million tonnes of crude stock available, which is around 64 per cent of the total storage capacity." Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserve Ltd (ISPRL) is the speci

Lok Sabha refers Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill to joint Parl panel

The Lok Sabha on Monday referred the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to a joint parliamentary committee comprising members from both Houses of Parliament for a detailed analysis and recommendations. The decision was taken following a voice vote after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman suggested it. Earlier, after the Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, opposition members Manish Tewari (Congress), Saugata Roy (Trinamool Congress) and T Sumathy (DMK) strongly opposed it, alleging that the legislation sought to dilute the provisions of law under which companies mandatorily have to pay 2 per cent of their profits towards corporate social responsibility (CSR). The finance minister strongly refuted the allegations and said that the Bill has been introduced after two years of deliberations. She said the apprehensions of the members were unfounded as the Bill seeks to amend only the criteria of net profits, not the entire clause related to CSR. Sitharaman then suggested to Speaker O

Kerala did not avail ₹311 cr national disaster mitigation fund: Sitharaman

Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday told the Lok Sabha that approval for central grants is one thing and applying for the amount by the states is another thing as she mentioned that Kerala did not avail Rs 311.95 crore as part of national disaster mitigation fund. The minister was responding to supplementaries during the Question Hour on the arrears of grants and amounts pending from the central government towards Kerala. Sitharaman, who is in charge of the finance and corporate affairs ministries, said a state has to provide the utilisation certificate so that the next round of funds can be released. For instance, she said there was a specific case related to Kerala where despite the allocation, the Kerala government has not even drawn the amount. An amount of Rs 311.95 for the National Disaster Mitigation Fund that includes Rs 72 crore for risk mitigation project in the landslide-affected territories of Wayanad. Another Rs 17.73 crore was approved for forest fire mitigat

Parliamentary panel flags underutilisation of funds in river-linking scheme

A Parliamentary panel has expressed concern over the underutilisation of funds under the Interlinking of Rivers scheme in 2025-26 and urged the government to fast-track implementation to ensure the timely completion of projects. In a report, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources noted that the National Water Development Agency (NWDA) has been entrusted with interlinking of rivers under the National Perspective Plan (NPP) formulated in 1980, under which 30 link projects 16 in the Peninsular component and 14 in the Himalayan component have been identified to facilitate inter-basin transfer of water from surplus to deficit regions and improve water availability in drought-prone and rain-fed areas. The report noted that the scheme witnessed underutilisation of funds during the 2025-26 financial year. The fund allocation at the Budget Estimates (BE) stage was Rs 2,400 crore, which was revised to Rs 1,808.29 crore at the Revised Estimates (RE) stage, while the actual .

Only dialogue can help resolve global conflicts, says VP Radhakrishnan

The world is under the threat of war and only dialogue can lead to solutions, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan said on Saturday. Addressing a gathering of the 29th national session of the Indian Youth Parliament at the RSS' Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir complex in Reshimbagh here, he also said speaking in one's mother tongue is not about being regional but about being original. The theme of the 4-day Youth Parliament is 'Indian Languages & Developed India-2047'. "When the whole world is under the threat of war, only dialogue can lead to solutions. The Youth Parliament teaches us the importance of respectful debate, listening to diverse perspectives, and finding solutions through dialogue," he said. "The theme on languages is the need of the hour. Bharat has so many languages. Everyone loves their own mother, every one loves their own mother tongue, mother religion , but it does not mean we should not respect the mother of another person. When we speak our mother tongues, we are not ...

Parl panel flags 67% vacancies at UGC, seeks time-bound hiring drive

Parliamentary panel flags over two-thirds vacancies at UGC, warns of impact on grants, monitoring and NEP rollout, calls for time-bound hiring drive

‘There's no full stop in politics’: PM Modi bids farewell to 59 Rajya Sabha MPs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday praised the contributions of retiring Rajya Sabha members, saying their experience and participation strengthened parliamentary traditions.

Watch: LS Speaker’s first remarks after no-confidence motion was defeated | Lok Sabha | Parliament

Om Birla, speaking in the Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion moved against him, said the Chair does not belong to one person and that he will uphold constitutional dignity in the Parliament.

No funds disbursed under ₹24K cr solar PLI scheme till Feb: Govt tells LS

Solar equipment manufacturers have not received any funds under the Rs 24,000-crore production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for them till February-end, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India, is implementing the PLI Scheme for High Efficiency solar PV modules with an outlay of Rs 24,000 crore. Under the scheme, letters of award have been issued for setting up 48,337 MW of fully/partially integrated solar PV module manufacturing capacity, Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The minister said as on February 28, 2026, no funds have been released under the scheme, as it provides for the release of PLI to successful bidders a year after commissioning of the manufacturing projects awarded under the scheme. Until now, this one-year post-commissioning period has not been completed in respect of the projects awarded under the scheme, he stated. Under the

LS extends tenure of 'One Nation One Election' panel till Monsoon Session

The JPC is currently reviewing the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

Recent developments have cast shadow on Chabahar port, says Parl panel

The "recent development" has cast a shadow on the future of Chabahar Port, a vital and strategic port for India, a parliamentary panel on external affairs has said, and welcomed that the Centre "remains engaged" with all concerned parties in order to address the implications of these developments. The 'Twelfth Report of the Committee on External Affairs (2025-26) on Demands for Grants (2026-27)' of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), was presented in Parliament on Tuesday. The Committee of External Affairs is headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The observation by the panel, assumes significance as it comes amid the ongoing West Asia conflict and in the backdrop of the recent changes in US sanctions or tariff policies on India's participation in the Chabahar project. "The Committee find that for the development of Chabahar Port, an amount of Rs 100 crore was allocated at BE (budget estimate) 2025-26, which was increased to Rs 400 crore at RE (revised estimate). The allocated .

Suspension of eight Opposition MPs revoked after Parliament rapprochement

Lok Sabha revokes suspension of eight Opposition MPs after government and Opposition reach agreement to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament during the Budget session

Create energy policy to shield economy from oil shock: Parl panel to FinMin

A parliamentary panel on Tuesday suggested that the Department of Economic Affairs should develop a strategic energy mitigation framework to protect the economy from oil shocks and ensure long-term stability. In addition, the Standing Committee on Finance, in its report, emphasised that the rapidly evolving global competition for critical minerals and rare earth elements, which are essential for semiconductors, renewable energy systems, electric mobility, defence technologies, and the development of alternative fuels, requires a coordinated national strategy. The panel, headed by senior BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, has, therefore, recommended that the government accelerate efforts to secure diversified international supply chains for critical minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, while simultaneously strengthening domestic exploration, processing, and value-addition capabilities to support emerging sectors, including renewable energy, electric mobility, and ..

Lok Sabha revokes suspension of 8 opposition MPs with immediate effect

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday revoked with immediate effect the suspension of eight opposition members, who were suspended from the House on February 3 for "unruly" behaviour, after Congress leader K Suresh requested the House to consider the matter. Following the submissions by several opposition members, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said there was a need to draw a 'Laxman Rekha' for the smooth functioning of the House, which both treasury and opposition benches agreed to. Speaker Om Birla said there is a need to ensure that no placards, posters, photos or AI-generated images are displayed in the House or inside the Parliament complex. Rijiju then moved a motion to remove the suspension of seven Congress MPs and one CPI-M member, which was adopted by a voice vote. The suspended MPs included Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, C Kiran Kumar Reddy, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Manickam Tagore, Prashant Padole and Dean Kuriakose of the Congress, and S Ventakesan of the ...

Call all-party meeting to discuss Women's Reservation Act: Kharge to Rijiju

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has told Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju that an all-party meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, should be convened at the earliest to discuss the "modalities and roadmap for the implementation" of the Women's Reservation Act. Responding to a letter by Rijiju to him, Kharge noted that the Act, 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', was passed unanimously by Parliament in September 2023. "Thirty months later, the government is, in your own words, 'seeking an opportunity to interact with me and the senior members of my party to deliberate upon the modalities and roadmap for the implementation of this landmark constitutional amendment'," the Congress president said in his letter to Rijiju on Monday night. "You spoke with me on this matter a few days back. I have already conveyed to you, as has Jairam Ramesh, chief whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha, that the INC's view is that the government should convene

Parl Panel calls for expansion of digital food coupons in PDS nationally

Centre recently launched pilots in few districts including in Gujarat

Rajya Sabha to observe holiday on March 19-20, to sit on March 28-29

The Rajya Sabha will function on the weekend on March 28-29 as the government has accepted the request of some members not to hold sittings on March 19-20 on account of festivals, Chairman C P Radhakrishnan informed members on Monday. During a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee held on March 11, 2026, certain members had suggested that in view of several festivals such as Navaratri, Gudipadwa, Ramadan etc, starting from March 19, it would be inappropriate to hold sittings of the House. "I wish to inform the members that the request made in this regard has been considered favourably by the government. Accordingly, the sittings of the Council scheduled for Thursday, 19 March 2026, and Friday, 20 March 2026, stands cancelled. "However, in order to make up for the time so lost, the Council will instead sit on Saturday, 28 March 2026, and Sunday, 29 March 2026. Members may kindly take note of the same," the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.