Air pollution, SIR, Vande Mataram: Key issues and bills in Winter Session

Winter Session of Parliament could see debates on air pollution, electoral revisions, Vande Mataram, and key bills spanning nuclear energy, higher education, and corporate law

From the noxious air pollution that has the national capital in its grip to electoral revisions that have riled Opposition parties to Vande Mataram, the Winter Session of Parliament starting on December 1 is expected to witness heated discussions.

 

The NDA government has listed two Bills for consideration and passing, and ten for introduction, consideration and passing during the 15-day planned session. These range from legislation on nuclear energy and higher education reform to corporate law and capital markets that aim to ease business operations, arbitration, and deepen insurance penetration.

 

Here's a look at what to expect during the Winter Session:

Key issues up for debate

Air pollution

 

Ahead of the Winter Session, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has called for a detailed discussion on Delhi’s air pollution crisis, criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on what he described as a “health emergency". The Delhi-NCR area is once again going through debilitating levels of air pollution, with little relief in sight. The Supreme Court has also stepped in with oral observations about the air quality. Although not on the agenda, the Opposition is expected to press for the debate.

 

SIR

 

The Opposition, including the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, is also expected to raise the issue of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories across India.

 

It had raised the same issue, demanding a discussion on SIR, during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, when the exercise was underway in Bihar. The government, however, had rejected the demand, saying that matters pending before the judiciary cannot be discussed on the floor of the House. The Centre also said that under the existing Constitutional provisions, the House cannot comment on the Election Commission’s actions. The month-long session witnessed multiple disruptions and adjournments over the issue. The Bihar SIR, however, was completed successfully, with the Assembly elections seeing their highest-ever turnout.

 

'Vote chori'

 

Gandhi is also expected to raise the issue of ‘vote chori’, which he has alleges occurred during the Assembly elections in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. The Election Commission, though, has rejected his allegations, and has instead asked him to file a formal complaint with evidence, something the LoP is yet to do.

 

Vande Mataram

 

Apart from these, the government is also planning to hold a day-long discussion on India's national song “Vande Mataram” at the beginning of the session, to mark the year-long commemoration of 150 years of the hymn, reported The Indian Express. The Opposition is expected to be informed about the discussion during the all-party meeting ahead of the session on Sunday.

 

The move comes shortly after PM Modi pointed out that the Congress dropped "important stanzas" from the national song in 1937, which he claimed eventually "sowed the seeds of Partition", the report added.

 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also recently expressed concern over reports that MPs were allegedly being restricted from saying ‘Jai Hind' and ‘Vande Mataram' inside Parliament, asking whether such measures were aimed at undermining the state's identity.

 

On November 24, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat reminded members not to use slogans like 'Vande Mataram' and 'Jai Hind' inside or outside the House to maintain decorum, citing them as a breach of parliamentary etiquette.

 

'Vande Mataram' was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in the 1870s and was officially adopted as the national song of India in 1950.

 

Key bills during the Winter Session

The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025 

The bill seeks to open up India’s civil nuclear sector to private players and govern the use and regulation of atomic energy. The move is significant and is likely to ease the burden of liability on operators in case of a mishap. Opening up the sector to private players is also expected to boost participation in the civil nuclear energy sector and enable India meet its ambitious target of 100 GW by 2047.

 

The Securities Markets Code (SMC) Bill, 2025 

The Bill is a major reform of securities regulatory regime, seeking to merge the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996, and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956, into a unified Securities Markets Code to boost ease of doing business and streamline financial market regulation. 

 

The Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 

It aims to amend the Insurance Act, the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) Act, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) Act, and proposes to deepen insurance penetration, accelerate growth, and promote ease of doing business in the sector. A key proposal includes allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment in insurance companies.

 

The Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 

Intends to amend the Companies Act, 2013 and the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008, to improve ease of doing business and plug gaps identified by the Company Law Committee (2022).

 

The Higher Education Commission of India Bill, 2025 

Proposes to establish a Higher Education Commission of India to make universities more independent and self-governing, with a transparent system of accreditation and autonomy.

 

The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2025 

The bill aims to include Chandigarh in Article 240 of the Constitution to ensure uniformity in its treatment with other union territories without a legislature. However, due to political backlash over it, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday said the government has no plans to introduce such a Bill in the Winter Session, and that it will only be introduced after wider consultations.

 

The National Highways (Amendment) Bill, 2025 

This Bill aims to ensure faster and more transparent land acquisition for national highways. Buying private land remains one of the earliest and most major hurdles in new highway projects.

 

The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 

The Bill proposes changes to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. According to a report by Mint, it is likely to provide for emergency arbitration and redefine arbitration to include proceedings conducted through electronic and audio-video means.