Lok Sabha

Parliament session: Oilfields development bill passed in Lok Sabha

Calls for de-linking petroleum operations from mining, renewable projects at oilfields

Parliament highlights: Opposition demands discussion on voter ID discrepancy, delimitation

Parliament Budget session highlights: Catch all the news developments related to proceedings in the Parliament here

Cong, DMK protest in Lok Sabha over renewable project near Indo-Pak border

Opposition members, mainly from the Congress and the DMK, on Wednesday staged a protest in the Lok Sabha over clearance granted to a renewable energy project near the India-Pakistan border and staged a walk out after "not getting a satisfactory reply" from the government. Asking a supplementary during Question Hour, Manish Tewari of the Congress said national security and energy security have to go hand in hand. He claimed the mixed renewable energy project will run up to one kilometer of the International Border (IB) and noted that as per security protocol, any big infrastructure project should be at least 10 km away from the IB. He asked whether any relaxation was granted to the proposed project. The government asserted that nods and licences to any proposal are granted after obtaining clearances from the Centre, the state and relevant agencies. New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said the government is keen to produce renewable energy in the country. He said cleara

Centre introduces Immigration and Foreigners Bill 2025 in Lok Sabha

The matters relating to foreigners and immigration are presently administered through the Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Immigration (Carriers' Liability) Act, 2000

Parliament highlights: Immigration and Foreigner Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

Parliament Budget session highlights: Catch all the news developments related to proceedings in the Parliament here

Bill to streamline services related to immigration introduced in LS

A bill seeking to streamline various services related to immigration and foreigners, including their entry, exit and stay in the country was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with opposition dubbing it to be violative of constitutional provisions. Rejecting suggestions that Parliament lacked the legislative competence to bring the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the central government has all the rights under the Union list to bring legislations on the subject. He asserted that while tourists were welcome to come to India, it was the government's responsibility to ensure peace and sovereignty of the nation remain intact. Opposing the bill at the introduction stage, Manish Tewari (Congress) said the bill is violative of multiple provisions of the Constitution and various laws. He said the bill violates the principle of fundamental rights and the government may use the provisions of the proposed law to deny entry to those who

Nishikant Dubey to present reports on Communications and IT in LS today

On Monday, Opposition MPs walked out of the Rajya Sabha during the second part of the Budget session over the issues of delimitation and the New Education Policy

Dharmendra Pradhan's comment on NEP sparks row; Lok Sabha adjourned

Pradhan said the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government has changed its stand on implementing the centrally-sponsored scheme PM SHRI

Focus on automatic train protection system: Parl committee to Railways

Improving crowd management, adopting energy-efficient technologies, and enhancing onboard amenities are some of the suggestions

Centre tables Manipur budget in LS envisaging Rs 35,104 cr expenditure

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday tabled in the Lok Sabha the Manipur budget for 2025-26, envisaging an expenditure of Rs 35,103.90 crore, up from Rs 32,656.81 crore in the current financial year. Manipur is currently under the President's Rule. The total receipts have been pegged at Rs 35,368.19 crore, up from Rs 32,471.90 crore in 2024-25. According to documents, the capital outlay has been increased by 19 per cent to Rs 7,773 crore over the current financial year ending March 2025. Manipur's budget provides for over Rs 2,000 crore under Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) and Rs 9,520 crore for social sector outlay. For relief and rehabilitation for internally displaced persons, Rs 15 crore has been provided for temporary shelter to them; Rs 35 crore towards housing for displaced people, Rs 100 crore for relief operation, and Rs 7 crore for compensation. A budgetary allocation of Rs 2,866 crore for 2025-26 has been made towards incentives fo

Parliament Budget session highlights: Rajya Sabha discusses Railways Amendment Bill

Parliament news updates: Catch all the news developments related to proceedings in the Parliament here

Women's Day: LS Speaker highlights women's leadership in nation-building

On International Women's Day, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla underscored the pivotal role of women in India's progress, emphasising their leadership across governance, science, defense, education, and entrepreneurship. Speaking at an event in the Parliament House Complex, he lauded the increasing presence of women in decision-making roles and reiterated that India is entering a new era where women are driving change from grassroots democracy to national governance. Highlighting the contributions of pioneering women in India's democratic framework, Birla paid tributes to the 15 women members of the Constituent Assembly, whose vision, he said, continues to inspire future generations. As the nation marks 75 years of the Constitution, he emphasised the importance of recognising their efforts in laying the foundation for gender equality and inclusive governance. He also reflected on India's deep-rooted tradition of revering women, citing their resilience and strength as key pillars of ...

Southern states will lose 26 seats in LS after delimitation: Chidambaram

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has called for a joint effort from various political parties to raise their voices against Delimitation, calling for a Joint Action Committee meeting on March 22

LS delimitation: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin moots Joint Action Committee of MPs

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Wednesday proposed a Joint Action Committee comprising MPs and party representatives from southern states at an all party meeting on Lok Sabha seats delimitation here. Moving a resolution, Stalin said that in the event of increase in the number of seats in Parliament, 1971 Census should be the basis for it. Also, the 1971 Census should be basis for delimitation of LS seats for 30 years from 2026, he asserted. The all party meeting is expected to pass a resolution on the issue of delimitation. Principal opposition party AIADMK, the Congress and Left parties, actor-politician Vijay's TVK among others attended the meeting which was boycotted by the BJP, Tamil nationalist Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) and former union minister GK Vasan's Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar). The ruling DMK has been staunchly opposing the delimitation exercise, with party president and chief minister Stalin claiming it will lead to reduced LS seats in TN. He has wondered

Lok Sabha MP's secy loses over Rs 1L after calling fake helpline number

According to the police, the victim was attempting to book a train ticket from Chennai to Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, through a mobile application

Centre spent over Rs 400 crore to contest court cases in last 10 years

The government has spent more than Rs 400 crore to contest court cases during the past 10 years, official data showed. The central government's Rs 66 crore expenditure on litigations in the 2023-24 financial year was over Rs 9 crore higher than the previous fiscal. The amount incurred on litigations has gone up since 2014-15, barring two fiscals when the Covid pandemic was at its peak, according to data shared by the government with the Lok Sabha in response to a question in the ongoing Budget session. In 2014-15, the cost incurred on litigations stood at Rs 26.64 crore while the expenditure for 2015-16 was Rs 37.43 crore. Between the 2014-15 and the 2023-24 financial years, the government spent more than Rs 409 crore on litigations. The government is working on a national litigation policy that seeks to expedite the resolution of pending cases. A draft of the proposed policy will go before the Union Cabinet for a final call. The policy has been drafted and redrafted for several

ONOE Bill upholds federal structure: Former law panel chief to House panel

Former Law Commission chairperson Justice (Retd.) Ritu Raj Awasthi on Tuesday is learnt to have told the joint committee of Parliament examining the 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) Bill that the proposed measure does not violate the basic structure doctrine on federalism and is not against the democratic principles of the Constitution. Justice Awasthi, who is now a member of anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal, is also learnt to have told the committee members that the bill, which lays down the legal framework to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, does not violate the right to vote for eligible citizens. Deposing before the panel as an expert, the former Karnataka High Court chief justice said that the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill had all the ingredients to hold simultaneous polls in the country. The law panel under his chairpersonship had prepared a draft report on simultaneous elections. He is learnt to have told the committee that the bill, ...

Parliamentary panel examining Income Tax Bill holds first meeting

The Finance Ministry on Monday briefed the members of a Select Committee of Lok Sabha on various aspects of the Income Tax Bill as the panel headed by BJP MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda held its first meeting. Sources said the finance secretary told the parliamentarians that the Bill will simplify the existing Act, enacted over six decades back, and make it more user-friendly. Lok Sabha sent the Bill to the committee on the request of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after she introduced it in the House in the first half of Parliament's Budget Session. Sitharaman had said the new I-T Bill will carry forward the spirit of "Nyaya" (justice) based on the concept of "trust first, scrutinise later". The Bill seeks to replace terminologies such as assessment year and previous year with the easier-to-understand tax year as part of a move to simplify language while removing provisos and explanations. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had constituted the 31-member Select Committee on February ...

USAID funded 7 projects worth $750 mn in India in FY24: FinMin report

Amid a raging political controversy over USAID's alleged role in influencing Indian elections, the latest annual report of the finance ministry has disclosed that the agency funded seven projects worth USD 750 million in 2023-24. "Currently, seven projects worth a total budget of USD 750 million (approx.) are being implemented by USAID in partnership with Government of India," as per the Finance Ministry annual report for 2023-24. For the financial year 2023-24, an obligation of a total of USD 97 million (about Rs 825 crore) has been made by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the seven projects, it said. The Department of Economic Affairs under the Finance Ministry which is the nodal department for bilateral funding arrangements has also shared the details of projects funded in 2023-24 in the report. During the year, no funding was made for enhancing voter turnout but to projects related to agriculture & food security programme; water, sanitation and hygiene

Income-Tax Bill empowers taxman to ask for access to electronic systems

Scrutinising crypto, other virtual digital assets may become easier