Parliament Monsoon Session News LIVE: Rajya Sabha returns the Income-Tax, Taxation Laws Bills to the Lok Sabha; Houses adjourned till August 18

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The government on Tuesday said negotiations for India-Oman comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA), which would help boost bilateral trade and investments, have been concluded.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said India has signed 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) and six preferential trade agreements to date. (PTI)

A total of 16.78 lakh households have been benefitted with rooftop installations under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) and over Rs 9,000 crore has been disbursed as Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to the beneficiaries, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) is implementing PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY) across the country since February 2024. The scheme targets to achieve rooftop solar installations in one crore households in the residential sector by 2026-27. (PTI)

The Centre has issued more than 1.25 crore Unique Disability Identity (UDID) cards since its launch in 2016, Lok Sabha has been told.

In a written response, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B L Verma said that the UDID project, aimed at creating a national database of persons with disabilities, has received over 1.62 crore applications so far.

Of these, 22.3 lakh were rejected for various reasons, and nearly 15 lakh applications are waiting for assessment. (PTI)

The Rajya Sabha returned the Income-Tax (No 2) Bill, 2025 and the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to the Lok Sabha on Tuesday for further deliberations. Both Houses have been adjourned till August 18 (Monday) 11 am.

The Rajya Sabha passed the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday (August 11), with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya describing the move as the “single biggest reform in Indian sports since independence.”

With the Sports governance Bill passed, India's sports administration is now set to be regulated by a national board and have its own dispute resolution mechanism. The anti-doping Bill reinforces NADA's autonomy as required by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The Bills now await presidential assent to be notified as acts.

When the Bills were being discussed in the post-lunch session, the Opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha over the issue of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar.

The Lok Sabha passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2025. The Amendment aims to strengthen India's mineral sector by securing funding for supply of critical resources amid global supply bottlenecks and import reliance.

Public sector banks (PSBs) have written off bad loans of about Rs 5.82 lakh crore in the last five financial years, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

During 2024-25, the loan write-off of PSBs was at Rs 91,260 crore, compared to Rs 1.15 lakh crore in the previous fiscal, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The write-off was highest at Rs 1.33 lakh crore during 2020-21, declining to Rs 1.16 lakh crore in the following year and to Rs 1.27 lakh crore in 2022-23.

In contrast to write-offs, PSBs have recovered around Rs 1.65 lakh crore over the last five years. (PTI)

Lok Sabha have been adjourned till 4.30 pm after it passed the Indian Ports Bill, 2025 amid din by Opposition over Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The ports Bill is aimed at consolidating laws related to port management, promoting integrated port development, and enhancing the ease of doing business in the maritime sector.

By simplifying language and structure, the Bill makes "the law more accessible to stakeholders, particularly Indian exporters, importers, and shipping professionals," a press release read.

The National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 and The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 has been taken up for discussion in Rajya Sabha.

The Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday (August 11), with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya describing the move as the “single biggest reform in Indian sports since independence.”

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm amid continuing protests by the Opposition.

"Instead of responding to complaints of vote theft, EC is busy targeting Rahul Gandhi, the opposition," said Congress MP KC Venugopal.

The Parliamentary committee examining two bills to implement the system of holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections together was on Tuesday granted a fresh extension till the last week of the Winter session. A motion moved by chairperson of the Joint Committee of Parliament (JCP) P P Choudhary was passed by the House by a voice vote.

According to the motion, the panel has been given time till up to the first day of last week of the Winter session, 2025, to present its report.

The aim of the Bill is to enable the general elections for the union territory legislative assemblies to coincide with the general elections of the Lok Sabha, as an integral part of the government's policy to conduct simultaneous elections throughout the nation.

The Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 amends the Constitution to conduct elections for Lok Sabha and all state assemblies together (simultaneous elections)as well as another bill for holding elections to the union territory assemblies as part of the simultaneous elections.

Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir are the three union territories.

- PTI

"We are protecting the Constitution. EC not doing its duty of enforcing 'One Man, One Vote'... There are countless cases like Minta Devi," says Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on SIR and '124-year-old voter Minta Devi on the Bihar's voters' list'.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday admitted a notice for the removal of High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma and constituted a three-member committee to probe charges against him.

Making the announcement in the Lok Sabha, Birla said the process of removal of Justice Varma should begin as the charges against him were serious in nature.

The speaker set up a three-member committee comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior advocate of Karnataka High Court B V Acharya.

- PTI

SC judge Aravind Kumar, Madras HC Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and jurist B V Acharya to probe charges against Justice Varma.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announces 3-member panel to probe allegations against High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma

Lok Sabha reconvenes, discusses impeachment of Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma.

Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: On being asked about Opposition MPs wearing a specific T-shirt during their protest inside Parliament premises, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said, "The level of ECI's failure can be understood, the ECI under Rajiv Kumar, Gyanesh Kumar has become a department of the BJP. They have completely failed. For example, Mita Devi is first-time voter, but 124 years old. We want a discussion on this subject. There is a fake voter list, there are fake names. We want to expose, as a mark of protest, we are wearing this T-shirt..."

Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: Speaker Om Birla called to adjourn the house till noon following protests by Opposition MPs over the Bihar SIR issue.

Parliament Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: Opposition MPs stage protest over the SIR issue at Makar Dwar inside Parliament premises.

There is no need to install sound barriers along the operational stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor as a study found that the noise levels are within permissible levels, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said this in a written reply to a question by MP S Niranjan Reddy.

Reddy had asked whether NCRTC has installed sound barriers as recommended by the 5th report of the Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. (PTI)

Parliament on Monday approved a bill aimed at increasing India's bankability in maritime sector besides ensuring safety and security of ships with minimal disruptions.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, while replying to the debate on 'The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2025' in the Rajya Sabha, said the key focus of the bill is enablement of increasing India's bankability in the maritime sector.

The Bill was passed with a voice vote, amid a walkout by the Opposition that was protesting in the House and demanding a discussion on the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. (PTI)

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 11 am Tuesday after passage of Income-Tax (No 2) Bill, 2025 and The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2025 introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed a bill to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Goa Assembly.

The Lok Sabha had passed 'The Readjustment of Representation of Scheduled Tribes in Assembly Constituencies of the State of Goa Bill, 2025' on August 5.

40 seats in the Goa legislative Assembly, one seat was reserved for the Scheduled Caste and there was no representation of ST in the legislature.

Rajya Sabha has returned Manipur Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2025 and Manipur Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

The Appropriation Bill seeks to authorise payment and appropriation of "certain sums" out of the Consolidated Fund of the State of Manipur for the services of the financial year.

The GST Bill seeks to amend the Manipur Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.

After two Sports bills, the National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025, were passed in the Lok Sabha, officiating chair Sandhya Ray called to adjourn the house till 4 pm.

Opposition Protest LIVE Updates: All the opposition MPs detained on their way to the Election Commission office on Monday to voice their protest against the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and alleged 'vote chori' were released after about two hours, police officials said.

More than 30 MPs, including Congress' Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut and TMC's Sagarika Ghose, were detained and taken to the Parliament Street Police Station. The Election Commission had only given permission to 30 MPs to enter its premises but the protesters were in "large numbers", officials said.

Besides, no one had sought permission for the protest march to the Election Commission, they said.

-PTI

Opposition Protest LIVE Updates: The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and the National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 passed in Lok Sabha

Opposition Protest LIVE Updates: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "In Monsoon Session, the Congress, Opposition parties have wasted a lot of time. But we will not let it happen, the government wants to pass few important Bills in both the Houses. Due to mindlessness of a person, because of a family, the country cannot suffer... Many Opposition MPs have also shown helplessness..."

Opposition Protest LIVE Updates: The National Anti-Doping (Amendment) Bill, 2025 and National Sports Governance Bill, 2025 were introduced in Lok Sabha on Monday.