Lok Sabha

Two Rajya Sabha MPs made special invitees to joint committee on FCRA Bill

In a rare move, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has nominated two Rajya Sabha members as "special invitees" to the joint parliamentary committee examining the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026. A Lok Sabha bulletin on Wednesday said Javed Ali Khan and James Pangsang Kongkal Sangma have been nominated as special invitees to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Bill. Former Lok Sabha secretary general P D T Achari told PTI that Rule 299 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha states that MPs who are not members of the Select Committee may be present during the deliberations of the Committee but shall not address it or sit in the body of the panel. A select committee of one House or a joint committee of the two Houses is constituted to examine a Bill, and its term ends upon the submission of a report. Achari said members with special interests and specialisation in certain fields can be made special invitees, who can sit ...

Rahul Gandhi will lead INDIA bloc in 2029 elections, says Venugopal

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will lead the INDIA bloc in the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, AICC general secretary K C Venugopal said on Sunday, denying that the TVK had proposed its leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay as the alliance's prime ministerial candidate. Venugopal was responding to reporters' queries about reports projecting Vijay for the prime minister's post in the 2029 parliamentary elections. He said the TVK had made no such demand. "Nobody should create any such confusion. Rahul Gandhi will be the face of the INDIA alliance," he said. Venugopal said Gandhi's political campaigns on issues concerning students, farmers and the youth had received wide attention across the country. "It is the fight he is leading that is being discussed the most in India today-whether it is for students, farmers, or the youth. Everyone has accepted that," he said. Asked whether Gandhi would lead the INDIA alliance in the 2029 elections, Venugopal said, "Definitely. Rah

LS Secretariat sends notices to 20 rebel TMC MPs over disqualification plea

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs and sought their replies within seven days on petitions filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law, sources said. The notices, dated August 25, forwarded a copy of Banerjee's petition dated June 18 filed against the MPs, who joined the NCPI, under Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985. The Secretariat has asked the MPs to furnish their comments on the petition within seven days of receipt of the notice, the sources said. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court agreed to hear Banerjee's plea seeking an expeditious decision on the disqualification petitions. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to hear Banerjee's plea questioning the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings. The apex court, while issuing notice to t

Delay in proroguing Monsoon Session brings focus back to productivity

Parliament's Monsoon Session saw sharp disruptions, with the Lok Sabha functioning for just 15% of scheduled time and raising fresh concerns over legislative scrutiny and accountability

Parliament sees rise in bills introduced and passed in same session: PRS

More than half of the bills introduced in the 18th Lok Sabha so far have been passed by both Houses in the session of their introduction, with the trend accelerating sharply over the past year, an analysis of data from PRS Legislative Research shows. Of the 64 bills introduced since this Lok Sabha was constituted, 34 or 53 per cent were passed by both Houses in the session in which they were introduced, according to an analysis of PRS' session-wise data. The corresponding proportion was 33 per cent during the 16th Lok Sabha, when 63 of the 189 bills introduced were passed in the session of their introduction. It nearly doubled to about 62 per cent during the 17th Lok Sabha, when 117 of the 190 bills introduced were passed in the same session, an analysis of PRS data shows. The 18th Lok Sabha, however, began slowly on this count, according to records maintained by PRS, an independent, not-for-profit group that researches and tracks the functioning of Parliament and state ...

Southern states seek fair tax devolution, freeze Lok Sabha strength at 543

At the Southern Zonal Council meeting, states sought protection for their fiscal and political interests while discussing infrastructure and economic integration across the region

Present Lok Sabha witnesses rise in number of bills referred to JPCs

The Foreign Contributions (Regulation) Amendment Bill has become the 17th draft law to be referred to a joint committee of Parliament by the Narendra Modi government since 2014, according to data. The 18th Lok Sabha has seen a sharp rise in bills being sent to joint committees of the two Houses. So far, nine bills have been referred to joint panels since the present Lok Sabha was formed in 2024, according to available statistics. Comparatively, four bills each were sent to joint committees during the 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas. The 17 bills have involved 14 joint panel exercises, because some were referred together to the same committee. Such 'companion' bills seek to achieve the same purpose together. For example, the bill to lay down a legal framework to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies was accompanied by a bill to implement the proposed law in Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir the three Union territories with legislative assemblies. Such

Parliament Monsoon Session: 12 Bills introduced, 11 passed; 33 hrs spent

Parliament's 2026 Monsoon Session passed 11 of 12 Bills introduced, while seven Bills received five minutes or less of discussion in Lok Sabha. None was referred to a Standing Committee

Monsoon Session of Parliament ends; 11 Bills passed in both Houses

The Monsoon Session began on July 20 amid protests over Neet-UG irregularities and student demands; the government had scheduled 19 sittings through August 13

Cash discovery row: LS panel finds charges against Justice Varma proved

The inquiry committee also concluded that material evidence was not preserved after a fire broke out at his residence and his subsequent explanations were 'evasive' and 'misleading'.

Lok Sabha sends FCRA amendment Bill to 31-member JPC amid Oppn protests

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed a motion to refer the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for further scrutiny, amid strong Opposition protests and demands for its withdrawal. The motion, moved by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai amid sloganeering by Opposition MPs demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah in the House, provides for a committee, comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The members from the Lok Sabha will be nominated by Speaker Om Birla, while those from the Rajya Sabha will be nominated by Chairman C P Radhakrishnan. The committee has been asked to submit its report to the Lok Sabha by the last day of the first week of the Winter Session of Parliament in 2026. Before after the motion was passed, Congress MP KC Venugopal said the Opposition had only just received information about sending the bill to a joint committee and alleged that the legislation was

Justice Varma cash row: Inquiry report to be tabled in Lok Sabha today

Report of an inquiry committee which investigated allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma -- against whom removal proceedings were initiated over the alleged discovery of unaccounted cash from his official residence -- will be placed before the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. According to the list of business of the Lok Sabha for Wednesday, the secretary general will "lay" the two volumes of the report along with oral evidence in the House. The three-member probe panel had submitted its findings to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in May. The speaker had constituted the inquiry committee on August 12, 2025, to probe the alleged discovery of wads of cash from the judge's Delhi bungalow. The report will be brought before the House in accordance with statutory requirements under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. A fire broke out in the official residence of Justice Varma on the night of March 14, 2025. Firefighters called to put out the blaze allegedly discovered massive amounts of burnt currency

NCDC Bill explained: How cooperative financing could become easier

The National Co-operative Development Corporation Amendment Bill, 2026 seeks to make funding for India’s cooperatives faster and more flexible.

India's presence in QS global rankings rises nearly fivefold since 2015

According to the QS World University Rankings 2027, IIT Delhi retained its position as the country's highest-ranked institution, climbing five places to 118th globally.

Birla urges govt, Oppn to find common ground, end Lok Sabha disruptions

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday appealed to opposition members to let the House function so that key Bills are passed with a constructive debate, and said Treasury and opposition benches should come on the same page to ensure there are no disruptions. His fresh appeal came a day after the government proposed a response from Home Minister Amit Shah on the use of force by the police on students protesting against NEET paper leak here on July 20. The government had said the opposition should not run away from debate and should listen to the home minister without disruptions. But the opposition has insisted that the alleged embezzlement of donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya should also be discussed. As the stalemate continued on Tuesday, Birla said he was anguished that the House had not been able to function and the Question Hour, wherein members hold the government accountable, could not take place. Separately, NDA members on Tuesday morning staged a protest outside the mai

Govt's debt-to-GDP ratio at 58.2% in FY26, 210 bps above target of 56.1%

The government will have to cut its debt-to-GDP ratio by 260 basis points in the current financial year to meet the Budget Estimate of 55.6 per cent for FY27

Tribunal Reforms Bill passed in Lok Sabha: How it differs from 2021 Act

The new Bill does not bring back the tribunals abolished under the 2021 rationalisation exercise. Its main change is to replace the 2021 system for running and staffing the remaining tribunals

Govt ready for debate, Oppn must listen to Shah's reply peacefully: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said the government is ready for a debate in the Lok Sabha on the student protests as well as police action, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah will reply to the debate but the Opposition should given an assurance that they will not run away from it and listen peacefully. There has been a persistent demand from the Opposition for a statement from the home minister on the police action against students protesting in the city last month. Shah has not been seen in the House even though he has been regularly coming to Parliament House complex. Rijiju also said that since the government is ready for the debate on the student protests in different parts of the country, the Opposition can't create any turmoil and resort to any sloganeering during the discussion in the House as well as reply to the debate. "We have made it clear to the BAC (Business Advisory Committee) of the Lok Sabha that the government is ready for a detailed discussi

Explained: What is NCDC (Amendment) Bill 2026 & what it proposes to change?

The Centre has proposed changes to the law governing NCDC, seeking to give the institution greater flexibility in supporting co-operative development

4 bills introduced in LS amid Oppn uproar, both Houses adjourned till 2 pm

The Bills include amendments to laws governing tribunals, mining, Kerala's name and cooperative development