Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Lok Sabha discusses Central Excise (Amendment) Bill 2025

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

2:56 PM

DMK MP urges action on Manipur and national pollution crisis

DMK MP P Wilson on Wednesday described Manipur as being “on a ventilator” and called for restoring normalcy by holding Assembly elections. Speaking in Parliament, he also highlighted the country’s severe air pollution, pointing out that Delhi residents are losing up to eight years of life due to smog. He criticised traffic congestion and the centralisation of work in the capital.

2:41 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Shiv Sena MP calls for halt to Sanchar Saathi app

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant on Wednesday raised concerns over the financial and operational woes of government telecom firm MTNL. Criticising the mandatory Sanchar Saathi app as a threat to users’ privacy, Sawant urged the Centre to halt the app’s rollout. He also suggested merging MTNL employees into BSNL to safeguard the future of both state-run telecom companies.   

 

2:17 PM

Rajya Sabha discusses Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment 2024 for Manipur

Rajya Sabha on Wednesday took up the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution), Amendment Act, 2024, concerning Manipur. Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav moved for the adoption of the amendment to the Act, aimed at addressing water pollution control measures specific to the state.

2:04 PM

Govt running new programmes to draw more foreign students: Majumdar

Responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha on how India plans to improve its global university rankings—where perception depends heavily on international students and faculty—Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said the government is running multiple initiatives to attract foreign talent. He pointed to schemes such as Spark, which supports faculty exchange and research, as well as Gyan and Study in India, aimed at inviting more overseas students.

 

1:31 PM

Congress MP urges Centre to list tribals under their own religions

Congress’ Nandurbar MP Gowaal Kagada Padavi has urged the Centre to record tribals under the religions they personally identify with when the caste census begins. He said tribal communities should not be grouped into a single category and must be enumerated according to their distinct faith traditions.

1:00 PM

Govt drafting tougher rules to tackle deepfakes, misinformation: Vaishnaw

Calling fake news a “threat to democracy,” Union Information & Broadcasting and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said strict action is needed against those creating AI-generated deepfake videos and spreading false information. Responding during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, he said the government is working on new rules to curb misinformation and deepfakes, and to strengthen the institutional framework to counter such content.

12:39 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju moves motion in Lok Sabha

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju moved the motion: "That this House do agree with the Eleventh Report of the Business Advisory Committee presented to the House on 2nd December, 2025." The motion was accepted by the Lok Sabha.

12:30 PM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Zero Hour Begins in Lok Sabha; Manipur GST Bill Cleared

After three days of Question Hour, Lok Sabha moved on to Zero Hour for the first time on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha returned the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025 without any amendments. Being a money bill, it is now automatically considered passed by Parliament

12:18 PM

Scindia assures Sanchar Saathi app ensures safety, denies any snooping

Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday defended the Sanchar Saathi safety app amid criticism over the ministry’s directive to pre-install it on all new smartphones and roll it out via updates on existing devices. Speaking in Lok Sabha, Scindia said the app is designed solely for public protection and insisted that surveillance is neither possible nor intended. “Sanchar Saathi app se na snooping sambhav hai, na snooping hoga,” he emphasised during Question Hour.

12:06 PM

Randeep Surjewala flags privacy concerns over mandatory Sanchaar Saathi app

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday raised objections in Parliament over the government’s directive requiring cellphone manufacturers and importers to pre-install the Sanchaar Saathi app on all mobile devices. He said the app cannot be deleted or altered by users, calling it a serious breach of privacy.

11:59 AM

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Moves Motion in Rajya Sabha

11:57 AM

Parliament Winter Session Live Updates: DMK MP urges use of ‘differently-abled’ over ‘divyang’

DMK MP Tiruchi Siva highlighted issues concerning Persons with Disabilities in Parliament, marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. He criticised the government’s use of the term “divyang,” pointing out that the UN and human rights groups have questioned it as superficial. Siva urged that the terms “differently-abled” or “Persons with Disabilities” be adopted instead.

11:48 AM

Parliament Winter Session Live Updates: Parliament debates AI and social media misinformation

Bihar MP Pappu Yadav on Wednesday raised concerns in Parliament over the spread of fake news through AI-generated content and social media posts, emphasising the communal tensions such misinformation can ignite.

 

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw responded, highlighting the government's efforts to strike a balance between freedom of speech and curbing misinformation. He noted that new rules have been framed to take down deepfake content, alongside stricter laws targeting online gambling and posts spreading fake news.  

11:38 AM

Uproar in Rajya Sabha as MP Dola Sen speaks

During her speech, MP Dola Sen raised the proposal to rename Raj Bhavans as Lok Bhavans and highlighted issues related to MNREGA in West Bengal. Opposition Leader JP Nadda urged that material unrelated to the permitted topic be removed, while the Chair requested members to stick to the subjects listed in their notices.

11:32 AM

Renuka Chowdhury responds to possible Rajya Sabha privilege motion

Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury reacts to reports that the Rajya Sabha may initiate a privilege motion against her over her recent remarks involving dogs. She said, "I will see when it will be brought, I will give a befitting reply."