Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Rajya Sabha discusses new Nuclear Bill- SHANTI, Lok Sabha adjourned

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

2:57 PM

Parliament Session LIVE: Sanjay Singh urges withdrawal of Nuclear Bill, flags concern on VB-G RAM G Bill

2:48 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Nuclear Bill prioritises private interests, risks safety, says DMK MP

DMK MP P. Wilson criticised the new nuclear energy Bill SHANTI, saying it compromises safety while diluting supplier liability. He warned that expanding nuclear power, particularly under private control, is risky in a world facing cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and rising sea levels. Highlighting that India lacks a fully proven long-term radioactive waste disposal system, he said the Bill proposes expansion without addressing this historic gap.

 

Wilson also noted that private conglomerates stand to benefit the most, as the legislation opens the nuclear fuel cycle to private players, allows composite licenses, and caps liability at low levels. He questioned whether the Bill prioritises corporate interests over public safety.

2:27 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Ravi Shankar Prasad slams Congress for disrupting VB-G RAM G Bill debate

1:49 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Priyanka Gandhi vows to oppose G RAM G Bill, says it will end MGNREGA

1:47 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: RS members flag rail crossing congestion, healthcare gaps during Zero Hour

Two Rajya Sabha members on Thursday drew attention to infrastructure gaps in different states, with one highlighting severe traffic congestion at railway crossings in Uttar Pradesh and another pointing to inadequate healthcare facilities for pregnant women in Jharkhand and other states.

 

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP member Sangeeta Balwant said thousands of commuters face daily traffic snarls at railway crossings in Ghazipur, Varanasi and nearby areas due to prolonged gate closures. She urged the government to construct overbridges or underpasses at key crossings, including Jamania, Dildar Nagar, Bhadoura, Sahidpur, Sahedi, Maharajganj, Phullanpur and Dullapur Bazaar.

 

Balwant also flagged the discontinuation of a proposed railway line extension from Ghazipur city to Mau. While the rail line from Tari Ghat station to Ghazipur city and a bridge over the Ganga have been completed, she said the planned extension to Mau — which would link the Delhi-Howrah and Varanasi-Mau-Chhapra routes — remains pending.

1:39 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Jairam Ramesh recalls India’s atomic energy journey predating 2014 in RS

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said that no one could rival the Modi government when it comes to coining acronyms and colourful names for legislation. He criticised the narrative that major developments in science and technology began only after 2014, and sought to place India’s atomic energy programme in historical context.

 

Ramesh noted that the first legislation on atomic energy was passed on April 6, 1948, following a debate after it was moved by then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. He said the Atomic Energy Commission was set up on August 15, 1948, with Dr Homi Bhabha as chairman and K S Krishnan and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar as members, reporting directly to the prime minister.

 

He further pointed out that Indian Rare Earths Limited was established in 1950, followed by the creation of the Department of Atomic Energy in 1954. That year also saw the National Symposium on the Peaceful Application of Nuclear Energy, where Dr Bhabha outlined his three-phase nuclear power programme.

1:26 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Centre may raise overseas scholarships for tribal students from 20 to 50

The central government is considering increasing the number of overseas scholarships for tribal students pursuing higher education abroad from the current 20 to 50, the Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday.

 

The National Overseas Scholarship for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students is implemented through the Ministry of External Affairs, with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs releasing funds to eligible students studying overseas.

 

Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said during Question Hour that the government is open to expanding the scheme. Responding to an opposition member’s query on the low number of scholarships, Oram criticised previous governments for doing little for tribal welfare, adding that it was former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who established the Tribal Affairs Ministry to focus on the upliftment of tribal

1:14 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Lok Sabha passes VB-G RAM G Bill to replace MGNREGA

1:06 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Rajya Sabha takes up SHANTI Bill on nuclear energy for consideration

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday took up the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 for consideration.

 

Minister of State for the Department of Atomic Energy Dr Jitendra Singh moved the motion to consider the Bill, following which the House began a debate after his brief introductory remarks.

1:03 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Centre sends Securities Markets Code Bill to Standing Committee

12:58 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: No species-specific conservation plans for wild birds, says Environment min

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Thursday responded to queries in Parliament on the conservation of the Indian Roller and other bird species. BJP MP Dr K Laxman asked whether the government has put in place species-specific conservation plans for wild birds.

 

In his reply, Yadav said birds are protected under Schedule I and Schedule II of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, and multiple measures are being implemented to curb poaching and safeguard habitats. However, he clarified that there are no species-specific conservation plans for wild birds, and stressed that state governments play a key role in their protection.

 

The minister also addressed concerns regarding the conservation of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard in Gujarat, stating that several steps have been taken to ensure the species’ survival.

12:35 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Congress MP seeks panel for review of VB-G Ram G Bill

Congress MP KC Venugopal requested the Speaker to refer the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-G Ram G) to a Standing Committee or a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The Speaker declined the request, noting that the Bill had already been debated for over eight hours.

 

Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sought to continue the discussion, even as Opposition MPs began raising slogans in protest.

12:33 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Opposition MPs protest Bill to replace MGNREGA as Agriculture Minister speaks

12:17 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal accuses opposition of politics over pollution

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal on Thursday accused the opposition of politicising the issue of pollution during the Lok Sabha debate, saying they were seeking relief while simultaneously questioning every step taken by the government. He said both could not happen together and alleged that the opposition could not tolerate a pollution-free environment as it would deprive them of a political issue.

Khandelwal asserted that the parliamentary discussion would bring out the truth on pollution before the people of Delhi and the country, and said the BJP would highlight how the government that ruled Delhi for ten years failed to take any concrete steps to address the problem.

11:56 AM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Congress MP Manickam Tagore calls MGNREGA protest a ‘democratic fight’

Congress MP Manickam Tagore on Thursday described the party’s protest over MGNREGA as a “democratic fight”, saying it was aimed at protecting Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. He alleged that those driven by a “Godse ideology” were attempting to erase Gandhi’s name, claiming such efforts had earlier been made physically and were now being pursued in other ways.

Accusing Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of leading this effort, Tagore said the Congress would not allow it. He reiterated the party’s demand that the matter be referred to the Standing Committee and discussed thoroughly before being brought back to Parliament.