Lok Sabha proceedings underway. (Photo: Screengrab from Sansad TV)Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday attacked the government over its bill to replace MGNREGA, saying that it stands to “weaken” the original Act’s guaranteed 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor. The Congress general secretary also said she does not understand the Modi government’s “obsession” with renaming schemes. “Firstly, the process of renaming schemes costs a lot of money to the country, so I don’t understand why they are doing it,” Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Meanwhile, the Opposition members in the Lok Sabha raised objections at the introduction stage of the VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025, with several MPs questioning the move to replace MGNREGA and remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural employment law, while demanding that the proposed legislation be sent to a parliamentary committee for wider consultation and scrutiny.
LS clears Rs 41,455 cr supplementary grants for FY26: The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants, authorising the government for Rs 41,455 crore additional spending in the current fiscal, including over Rs 18,000 crore expenditure towards fertiliser subsidy. The lower house passed the first batch with gross additional expenditure of Rs 1.32 lakh crore. This includes proposals with a net cash outgo of Rs 41,455.39 crore and Rs 90,812 crore savings by the ministries/departments. As per the Supplementary, approval of Parliament was sought for spending Rs 18,525 crore on fertiliser and related subsidies, and about Rs 9,500 crore by the Petroleum Ministry to compensate oil marketing companies for under-recoveries.
Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the passage of the Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2025, soon after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved it in the Lower House. Proceedings will resume at 11 am on December 17.
Opposition MPs in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday raised demands for release of pending dues to states for various ongoing central schemes as they sought more funds for development of infrastructure, education and other welfare activities.
Participating in the debate on supplementary demands for grants, S Niranjan Reddy, YSRCP MP from Andhra Pradesh, said that out of the additional expenditure of Rs 1.32 lakh crore sought by the government, the net outgo (actual fresh cash to be withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund of India) amounts to Rs 41,455 crore. (PTI)
Union Minister J P Nadda on Tuesday accused the Congress of misleading the country by creating a false narrative of rigging of votes through SIR process and said the Opposition is hurting national interest by questioning the Election Commission in order to hide its electoral failures.
Instead of blaming the Election Commission (ECI) and electoral process, Nadda, who is the leader of the Upper House, asked the Congress to find the actual reason for its successive defeats in elections. (PTI)
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day on Tuesday. The House will resume proceedings at 11 am tomorrow, December 17.
All India Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Derek O' Brien on Tuesday accused the government of dividing people and using the electoral roll revision exercise, SIR, to distract and deflect from its failures.
Participating in a discussion on election reforms, O' Brien also alleged that the ruling dispensation was flouting the model code of conduct, while asserting that already rules are there but the issue is in their implementation.
Referring to home minister Amit Shah's remark in Lok Sabha to continue "detect, delete, deport" as the NDA government's policy, O' Brien said actual 'Ds' are not 'detect, delete, deport', but are 'divide, distract and deflect'.
The government has constituted an inter-ministerial committee to monitor export and import trends and recommend corrective action wherever required, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
The committee includes representatives from the Department of Commerce, Department of Revenue, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Directorate General of Foreign Trade and Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics. (PTI)
Rahul Gandhi posted on X -
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsModi ji has a deep dislike for two things - the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi and the rights of the poor.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 16, 2025
MGNREGA is the living embodiment of Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj. It has been a lifeline for millions of rural Indians and proved to be a crucial economic safety net…
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday termed the bill on rural employment an insult to the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, as he accused the Narendra Modi government of seeking to eliminate the secure livelihood of the rural poor after destroying the future of India's youth through severe unemployment.
Several opposition MPs protested in the Parliament House complex on Tuesday over the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace MGNREGA and has become a new flashpoint with the government, as they accused the BJP-led NDA dispensation of "insulting" Mahatma Gandhi. (PTI)
IUML MP Harees Beeran on Tuesday raised concerns over the alarming number of suicides linked to marriage-related issues, citing NCRB data that recorded 1,71,418 suicidal deaths in 2023, with the majority attributed to marital problems.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the Kerala MP termed the crisis a "moral, legal, and institutional failure", demanding urgent action beyond existing legislative frameworks.
"While marriage is considered a sacred milestone in Indian tradition, for an alarming number of women, it has become a phase of silent suffering, isolation, and despair," Beeran said, highlighting how support system failures, dowry demands, and emotional neglect create devastating consequences. (PTI)
Union Health Minister JP Nadda addressed the Rajya Sabha, speaking about the SIR exercise and opposition's 'vote chori' allegations. Nadda asked the Oppositions to have faith in the Election Commission of India, and spoke about how lakhs of fake voters were removed from the voter list via the SIR exercise.
A bill seeking to raise FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent was on Tuesday introduced in the Lok Sabha amid strong protest from the Opposition.
The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025, seeks to amend Insurance Act, 1938, Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, as per the bill circulated to members of Parliament.
Introducing the bill, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the common people's insurance has always been the focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government has provided insurance to the marginal sections of the society even during the Covid pandemic.
BJP MP Iranna Kadadi on Tuesday accused the Karnataka government of neglecting farmers and failing to set up procurement centres, leading to economic distress and suicides in the agrarian community.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the Karnataka MP said while the Centre has fixed a minimum support price for 23 crops, it is the responsibility of state governments to establish procurement centres when prices fall below MSP.
"During the kharif season in Karnataka, maize, and different pulses were sown in 48.7 lakh hectare. However, due to extreme drought and floods, 10 lakh hectares of crops were damaged. This has led to severe economic hardship for farmers," Kadadi said.
He said the state has failed to help farmers by setting up the required procurement centres.
"In just two years, 2,809 farmers have committed suicide. This is a very sad situation," the MP said.
Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, protested outside Parliament against the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA. The bill was presented in Lok Sabha by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Introducing the VB–G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Modi government has done more for rural development than all previous governments, asserting that the Centre not only believes in Mahatma Gandhi but also follows his principles in policy and governance.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB—G RAM G BILL, 2025 in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, which is aimed at repealing the existing MGNREGA, 2005. The Bill was introduced amid ruckus created by the Opposition members who opposed the introduction of the Bill.
Seeking leave of the House of the introduction of the Bill, Chouhan said, "yah poora Bill Mahatma Gandhi ki bhawana ke anuroop hai, ram Rajya ki sthapana ke liye hai. (This entire Bill is in accordance with the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi, for the establishment of Ram Rajya.)"
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on the VB-G RAM G Bill, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, "It is not just an administrative tweak, it is an assault on the spirit and philosophical foundation of the rural employment programme."
The house proceedings of Lok Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm amid ruckus over the VB–G RAM G Bill to replace MGNREGA.
Opposition members in the Lok Sabha opposed the introduction of the VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), questioning the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the flagship rural employment scheme and pressing for the proposed law to be referred to a parliamentary panel for detailed scrutiny.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan Tuesday moved a motion in the Lok Sabha to introduce the proposed rural employment legislation, the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to overhaul the existing framework for employment generation in rural areas.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a resolution to refer a bill to set up a 13-member body for regulating higher education institutions to a joint committee of Parliament.
The proposal was moved by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and it was approved by voice vote in the House.
While introducing the bill on Monday, the government said it would like the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill to be sent to a joint panel of both Houses.
According to Tuesday's resolution, the joint committee will comprise 21 members of the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. The proposed committee will submit its report by the last day of the first part of the Budget Session, 2026.
The Budget session usually begins on January 31 with the President's address to a joint sitting of the two Houses. I
Marine exports have seen a 20 per cent growth in the past few months despite imposition of anti-dumping duty by various countries, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday, Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the government is making focussed efforts to ensure that marine fish exports go up.
He said in the last 12 months, 102 marine fish export establishments have been registered in European Union, a bloc of 27 nations.
Similarly, 25 such establishments have been registered and approved in Russia.
The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at the government over its reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that no documents related to Jawaharlal Nehru were missing from the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) during its annual inspection, asking if there would be an apology forthcoming.
In September, Rizwan Kadri, a member of the Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) Society, had said he had written to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to allow physical or digital access to private papers related to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru that are in her possession.
Sharing the reply of the government in the Lok Sabha, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The truth was finally revealed in the Lok Sabha yesterday. Will there be an apology forthcoming?" The government informed Parliament on Monday that no documents related to the first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, have been found missing from PMML during its annual inspection this year.
Opposition leaders Tuesday staged a protest inside the Parliament premises, objecting to the government’s move to change the name of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), saying the move undermines the spirit and rights-based framework of the flagship rural employment scheme
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday slammed the government’s Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, which seeks to replace MGNREGA, questioning the “obsession” with renaming schemes and warning that the proposed law would dilute the statutory right to 100 days of employment for the rural poor. " Under MGNREGA, a right was provided, the right to 100 days of employment for the poorest of the poor. And this bill will weaken that right. The way they have added two or three things in this bill, it seems from the outside that they have increased the number of days. Have you increased the wages?," she said.
The Lok Sabha adjourned for the day until Tuesday at 11 am.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha on Monday that economic growth over the past decade has been widespread and inclusive across sectors.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed disappointment over MPs alleging a lack of budgetary planning, asserting that supplementary demands are essential for a government to respond effectively to emerging needs. She said she strictly limits such demands, allowing no more than two in a year and, wherever possible, restricting them to just one.
Addressing concerns over fertiliser availability, Sitharaman said meeting farmers’ requirements for urea and other fertilisers is the government’s responsibility. She noted that global price volatility since the COVID-19 pandemic has made imports unpredictable, but maintained that Indian farmers have not been neglected. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, she said, has ensured timely distribution for the kharif season and the upcoming rabi crop as well.
The Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day until Tuesday at 11 am.
Senior Indian National Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused the BJP of introducing reforms only to undermine them later, alleging that the party violated the core principles of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ reform and warning that such actions could lead to undesirable outcomes.
The Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, which proposes the creation of a centralised higher education commission along with three councils, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Presenting the Bill, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government was open to referring it to a joint parliamentary committee. The proposed commission, to be headed by a chairperson appointed by the President of India, will bring all central universities and colleges under its ambit, including institutions of national importance such as IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, IIMs and IIITs that function under the Ministry of Education.
Speaking during the Winter Session of Parliament, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala challenged the Centre on Monday over its reluctance to hold elections through ballot papers. He argued that a government confident of public support should have no fear of ballot-based polls. Emphasising the role of the Election Commission, Surjewala said it is the cornerstone of democracy and warned that a lack of transparency could threaten the very survival of democratic values.
With the Centre’s Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G Ram G) Bill, 2025, likely to put a higher financial burden on the States’ exchequer with its provision to share funding of the scheme, Andhra Pradesh’s finance minister has said they will “support and implement it”, though the sharing of funding is “concerning” and “would put a burden on the state”.
The BJP and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) are allies at the Centre and in the state.
When The Indian Express pointed out the funding pattern of the new scheme, Andhra’s Finance, Planning, and Legislative Affairs Minister Payyavula Keshav said the government will study the provisions of the Bill, and that it will support and implement it. “Definitely, the funding sharing is concerning. It would put a lot of burden on the state if we have to divert a huge amount of funds as our share to fund the scheme. We have not gone through the full details of the scheme yet,” Keshav said.
Finance Department officials said that while this is cause for concern for a cash-strapped state like Andhra Pradesh, other provisions like a guarantee of employment for 125 days in a financial year, weekly wage payments, and a break during the peak agriculture season that would make more workers available for the farm sector are encouraging. Read
The government is planning to introduce a Bill in Parliament this week to raise FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, with a view to providing insurance to all by 2047.
The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025, seeks to amend the Insurance Act, 1938, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, according to the Bill circulated to members of Parliament ahead of its introduction in Parliament.
The amendment will raise the Foreign Direct Investment limit in the insurance sector from 74 per cent to 100 per cent, it said.
Despite the Bill to hike FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, one of the top officials — Chairman, Managing Director, or CEO — must be an Indian citizen.
The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025 and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 were introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of Law and Justice of India Arjun Ram Meghwal and Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan, respectively. While Congress MP Manish Tewari and TMC MP Saugata Roy opposed the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill. “They (Parliamentary Affairs Ministry) do not give us an opportunity to study the Bill,” said Roy. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government is proposing to refer it to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.
A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.
Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?" "Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.
The government capped airfares to prevent ticket prices from spiralling amid large-scale cancellations of regular flights during the IndiGo disruption, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid uproar over anti-PM Modi slogans at Congress rally
A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.
According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005.
The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister J P Nadda said Congress leader Sonia Gandhi should apologise to the nation over slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Congress rally a day earlier.
He said the slogans reflected the Congress party’s “thinking and mentality” and described the remarks against the Prime Minister as condemnable, reiterating that Sonia Gandhi owed the country an apology.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday issued a whip directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the House from December 15 to December 19 with the intent to ensure full attendance at parliamentary proceedings during the final week.
The 6th Session of the 18th Lok Sabha and the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha commenced on December 1, marking the beginning of the Winter Session of Parliament. The session will conclude on December 19.
The NDA government’s Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB-G Ram G Bill, 2025, proposes to raise the guarantee of wage employment to rural households to 125 days from 100 now in a financial year, and is likely to have a higher a financial burden on the States’ exchequer as it makes provision for sharing of funding of the scheme.
The Bill also proposes for the first time a pause in employment guarantee, “a total period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting” during which work shall not be undertaken.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday sought an apology from Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for their party workers' alleged threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's life.
At a hurriedly called press conference here, Rijiju alleged that at Sunday's Congress rally in the national capital, some party workers had threatened to dig the grave of the Prime Minister, which was the "most unfortunate and tragic" thing to happen in Indian democracy.
"Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi should tender an apology for the Congress workers' threat to the life of the Prime Minister. They should tender the apology on the floor of both Houses of Parliament. It is most unfortunate and tragic that Congress workers openly declared to dig the grave of Prime Minister Modi," he said.
The parliamentary affairs minister said the workers and leaders of the Congress and the BJP are political rivals, not enemies. "We propagate different ideologies but work together for a developed India as dreamt by Prime Minister Modi," he said.
Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 12 pm Monday following loud protests by members of the ruling party over slogans allegedly raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a Congress rally, disrupting Question Hour and forcing the Chair to suspend the House.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned amid ruckus Monday after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the issue of alleged anti-Prime Minister slogans shouted at a Congress rally held in Delhi on Sunday, triggering protests from opposition members and a heated exchange in the House.a heated exchange in the House.
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