Parliament

Govt seeks LS nod for additional expenditure of ₹2.81 trillion in FY26

Finance Ministry seeks Parliament approval for Rs 2.01 trillion net additional FY26 spending through the second supplementary demand for grants, with allocations for subsidies and reserve funds

Lok Sabha takes up Opposition's resolution to remove Speaker Om Birla

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday took up an opposition resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla from office for his alleged bias towards the ruling party, amid a heated debate on who will preside over the House while the motion is being taken up. Congress legislator Mohammad Jawed read out the notice seeking to move a resolution to remove Birla from office. Besides Jawed, MPs K Suresh and Mallu Ravi had also moved the resolution. As soon as Jawed read out the notice, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi raised a point of order questioning the decision to allow Jagdambika Pal to chair the proceedings as he was appointed to the panel of chairpersons by Speaker Birla. BJP's Nishikant Dubey countered the claim, citing constitutional provisions, law and House rules. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said Owaisi's claim was irrelevant as Pal was competent to preside over the Lok Sabha when the resolution was taken up. Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said Rijiju should move a mot

India's inter-regional transmission capacity to reach 143 GW by 2027: Govt

The country's inter-regional transmission capacity will be increased to 143 GW by 2027 and 168 GW by 2032 to ensure reliable power flow across the regions, Parliament was informed on Monday. At present, there is no transmission constraint existing at the national level, and the inter-regional transmission capacity stood at 120 GW as of December 2025, Union Minister Shripad Naik said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. The capacity of the National Grid is expanded on a continuous basis, commensurate with the growth in electricity generation and electricity demand. The inter-regional transmission capacity will be increased to 143 GW by 2027 and further to 168 GW by 2032, the Minister of State for Power told the Upper House. A peak electricity demand of 388 GW is expected by 2032, and under the NEP (Volume II Transmission), the transmission network (220 kV and above) is planned to expand to 6.48 lakh ckm by 2032, and the transformation capacity is to increase to 2,345 Giga Volt Ampe

Lok Sabha fails to take up resolution seeking Speaker Om Birla's removal

The Lok Sabha on Monday could not take up a resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla amid repeated adjournments, as opposition members demanded a debate on the West Asia situation. The government and the Chair accused the opposition of holding the House proceedings "hostage" to its demands. The House was adjourned for the day shortly after it reassembled at 3 pm, following an earlier adjournment due to relentless protests by opposition members. As proceedings resumed, opposition MPs continued raising slogans. Jagadambika Pal, who was chairing the proceedings, urged them to maintain decorum and allow the House to take up the resolution against Birla. Pal reminded the opposition that the no-confidence resolution against the Speaker was already on the House agenda, and their adjournment notice seeking debate on the West Asia crisis could not be taken up. He accused the opposition of wasting taxpayers' money -- about Rs 9 crore per day -- by holding the House "hostage" to its

LS adjourned till 3 pm amid opposition protests over West Asia crisis

Opposition MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, staged a protest in Parliament House complex on Monday, demanding a discussion on the West Asia conflict and slamming the government for its "silence" on critical issues related to it. Earlier, opposition parties' floor leaders met in Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Kharge's chamber in Parliament House complex to deliberate on the strategy for the second half of the Budget session. Besides Kharge and Gandhi, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, DMK's Dayanidhi Maran, NCP (SP)'s Supriya Sule and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, among others, attended the meeting. In a post on X, Kharge said, "As the Parliament reconvenes for the second part of the Budget session, US-Israel war with Iran has reached our backyard. In this context, it is imperative to have a full-fledged discussion on the current geopolitical crisis." "A one-sided statement by the EAM is not

West Asia crisis, LPG price hike may dominate Budget session of Parliament

The Budget session's second leg begins Monday, with the Opposition pressing the government on West Asia and prices while moving a resolution seeking Speaker Om Birla's removal

Sri Lanka's new law scrapping pensions for parliamentarians takes effect

The Sri Lankan government has gazetted the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Act after it was passed by parliament with an overwhelming majority on Tuesday, fulfilling a key campaign promise of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In Sri Lanka, a member of parliament was entitled to a pension after serving a five-year term. On Tuesday, lawmakers passed the bill by 154 votes in the 225-member House, with only two against. The remaining legislators were not present during the vote. The gazette has been dated Friday. On February 6, the Supreme Court had determined that the Parliamentary Pensions (Repeal) Bill can be passed in Parliament with a simple majority. The main aim of the bill was to repeal the Parliamentary Pensions Law No 1 of 1977 which had established a non-contributory life time pension to persons who have ceased to be members of parliament. The move caused outrage among former parliamentarians who sought the Supreme Court intervention without success to see it being ...

Lok Sabha concludes first part of Budget session; to meet again on March 9

The stormy first part of the Budget session, which saw heated exchanges over the India-US interim trade deal and unpublished memoir of former army chief M M Naravane, concluded Friday and the House will now reassemble on March 9. The three-week recess period will allow standing committees to examine allocations to various central ministries given in the Union Budget. Earlier in the day, the House was adjourned for one hour after Opposition members raised slogans demanding resignation of Union Minister Hardeep Puri. The opposition members were also protesting against the India-US interim trade agreement. The first part of the Budget Session began on January 28 with the address of President Droupadi Murmu to a joint sitting of the two Houses. The Lok Sabha witnessed dramatic scenes and repeated adjournments from February 2 afternoon after the Chair disallowed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to quote from the excerpts of the memoir of Naravane relating to the India-China conflic

Govt shelves motion against Rahul Gandhi as BJP MP moves notice: Rijiju

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said on Friday that the government has shelved a plan to bring a motion against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for using unparliamentary language against the prime minister, as a BJP MP has submitted a notice to initiate a "substantive motion" against the Congress leader on the same issue. Speaking to reporters here, the Union minister stated that the speaker would be consulted on whether to send the matter to the House privilege committee, the ethics committee, or bring it directly to the Lok Sabha. "It has not yet been decided," he said. He noted that since a private member has already submitted a notice for the motion, the government will refrain from introducing its own motion. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey told PTI Videos on Thursday that he has given a notice to initiate a "substantive motion" against Gandhi, demanding the cancellation of his Lok Sabha membership and calling for him to be barred from contesting

Govt must implement New Public Sector Enterprise Policy: Parl panel

A parliamentary panel on Thursday emphasised the need for the implementation of new Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) Policy without delay for achieving the intended objectives of fiscal prudence. The New PSE Policy for Atmanirbhar Bharat envisages that loss-making public sector undertakings (PSUs) in non-strategic sectors should be considered for privatisation or closure. "This policy aims to promote fiscal prudence and efficient resource allocation. However, not much headway has been made in this regard as the proposal for disinvestment of any non-strategic CPSE has not been approved since the guidelines were issued in December 2021," Standing Committee on Finance said in its report. New Public Sector Enterprise (PSE) Policy for Atma Nirbhar Bharat, which also provides overall guidance on strategic disinvestment, was notified on February 4, 2021, with the approval of the Cabinet. The policy intends to minimise the presence of the government in PSEs across all sectors of the ...

Oppn MPs to protest US trade deal; Manish Tewari moves adjournment motion

Through an adjournment motion, Tewari sought an immediate government statement, alleging the India-US interim trade deal includes commitments on Russian oil purchases and farm concessions

Budget session: LS to present reports, discuss Labour Law Amendment Bill

BJP MPs Harendra Singh Malik and Rajkumar Chahar will also present reports (in Hindi and English) of the Committee on Government Assurances

Industrial Relations Code Amendment Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

Seeking to avoid any "future unwarranted complication" over continuity of certain laws replaced by the Industrial Relations Code of 2020, an amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Union Labour minister Mansukh Mandaviya introduced the 'Industrial Relations Code (Amendment) Bill, 2026 through supplementary agenda soon after the Question Hour. According to statement of objects and reasons of the proposed law, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 replaces the Trade Unions Act, 1926, the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946 and the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, relating to trade unions, industrial employment and industrial disputes. It contains savings provisions under section 104 to ensure continuity and legal certainty. "Though the repeal has occurred by operation of section 104 of the Code itself, there is a possibility of future confusion being created on a misconceived ground that the Act delegates the power to repeal the said enactments to the .

Budget pegs FY27 total expenditure at ₹53.47 trillion: Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that the government has envisaged a total expenditure of Rs 53.47 lakh crore for the next financial year, up 7.7 per cent from the current fiscal ending March 31. According to the revised estimate, the size of the Budget for the current fiscal is Rs 49.64 lakh crore, lower from Rs 50.65 lakh crore estimated in February 2025. The Budget for fiscal 2024-25 was at Rs 46.52 lakh crore. Total expenditure is pegged at Rs 53.47 lakh crore in the next fiscal, much more than tax receipts, she said in reply to a discussion on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha. The government aims for tax receipts of Rs 44.04 lakh crore, 8 per cent higher than the previous year. Talking about capex, she said, the government has made the highest-ever allocation of Rs 12.2 lakh crore, which is 4.4 per cent of the GDP. Besides, she said, the government is following the fiscal discipline and has projected the fiscal deficit at 4.3 per cent of the GDP or Rs 16

'One-sided': Opposition MPs flag concerns over India-US trade deal

With the Lok Sabha deadlock broken after a notice to remove Speaker Om Birla, Opposition parties accused the government of signing a one-sided India-US trade deal that could hurt farmers

PM's absence in LS was an act of fear, Speaker under BJP pressure: Cong MPs

Congress' women MPs in the Lok Sabha wrote to Speaker Om Birla on Monday, claiming that under pressure from the ruling party to defend the "non-appearance" of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he made grave allegations against them. They urged the Speaker to act as an impartial custodian of the Lower House. Their letter to the Speaker comes days after Birla stated in the House that he had "concrete information" that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Modi's seat and carry out "some unexpected act" as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. Speaking about the letter signed by her, along with other women MPs of the Congress, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, "There is so much pressure on the Speaker which is not right. There is no question of anyone raising a hand on the PM or do anything like this. There are 11 women MPs, they are all serious MPs." "He (Birla) should not

Parliament session: Both Houses to begin discussion on Union Budget 2026-27

Both Houses of Parliament are scheduled to begin discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27 on Monday, which was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1.FM Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2026-27 in Lok Sabha, for the ninth consecutive time. Asserting that the Budget is driven by "Yuvashakti" and based on "three kartavyas," she proposed seven high-speed rail corridors, new dedicated freight corridors, and the operationalisation of 20 national waterways over the next five years.The Centre also announced an increase in the Securities Transaction Tax (STT) on futures and options (F & O) to discourage speculative trading.While the NDA has welcomed the Budget, the Opposition alleged an exclusion of the marginalised communities. The Secular Progressive Alliance, led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu, has called a protest against the Budget on February 12.While the Houses are scheduled for general discussion on the Budget, the Opposition MPs are likely to demand a ...

Parliament Session: Lok Sabha to hold general discussion on Union Budget

The House will meet at 11 am to transact government business, beginning with Question Hour

1 in 4 superfast trains runs below threshold speed, says House panel

A parliamentary panel has flagged that about 25 per cent of superfast trains run below the prescribed speed threshold but continue to levy higher fares, urging a review of speed and punctuality benchm

PM Modi says EU, US trade deals open new opportunities for youth, SMEs

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India's trade deals with the EU and the US mark a shift in the global order in the country's favour, while the Opposition disrupted proceedings in the Lok Sabha