THE HEADLINES:
- Both Houses of Parliament hold discussions on Motion of Thanks to President’s address on commencement of Budget session.
- Lok Sabha witnesses multiple adjournments over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks citing unpublished book of former Army Chief; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accuses Congress leader of quoting imaginary and factually incorrect excerpts.
- Centre allocates ten thousand crore rupees in Union Budget for Bio Pharma Shakti scheme to boost bio-manufacturing sector.
- Government, on World Wetlands Day, highlights rise in Ramsar sites in the country from 26 in 2014 to 98 at present.
- Benchmark domestic equity indices rebound; Sensex jumps 944 points and Nifty climbs 263 points.
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The Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha today took up discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of both the Houses of Parliament, on commencement of the Budget session.
A total of 16 hours have been allotted for the discussion in the Rajya Sabha. Moving the motion, Nominated Member C Sadanandan Master said, President Murmu in her address articulated a clear and confident vision of India’s journeys towards Viksit Bharat. He said, Government is moving forward on the path of reform express and the country is witnessing unprecedented investment in modern infrastructure.
Supporting the motion, Dr. Medha Vishram Kulkarni of BJP said, the President’s address highlights India’s continued progress.
Digvijay Singh of Congress alleged that the government is anti-farmer and anti-labour. Sagarika Ghose of TMC alleged that digital systems are enabling cyber fraud and data scams. Sanjay Kumar Jha of JD(U), Tiruchi Siva of DMK, and Ram Gopal Yadav of Samajwadi Party also participated in the discussion, among others. The discussion remained inconclusive. Later, the Upper House took up Special Mentions, after which it was adjourned for the day to meet again tomorrow.
In Lok Sabha, a total of 18 hours have been allotted for the discussion. Moving the motion in the Lower House, Union Minister and BJP MP Sarbananda Sonowal said, the President’s address reflected the government’s vision of social justice, inclusive growth and commitment towards building Viksit Bharat.
Mr Sonowal said, before 2014 during Congress led government, India faced policy paralysis, corruption driven government and delay in execution of projects. He highlighted that in 2014, when the Narendra Modi government came to power, India embarked upon a journey of rapid growth and all round progress. Mr Sonowal said that 44 lakh crore rupees have been transferred into the account of beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer.
Tejasvi Surya of BJP said, in the last 12 years the Narendra Modi government has ensured delivery with dignity and no charge of corruption has been leveled against the government.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Minister was talking to reporters outside Parliament today.
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The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day amid repeated disruptions and uproar today over the remarks of Leader of Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi citing the unpublished book of former Army Chief M M Naravane. Mr Gandhi was speaking during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address. When the House met after the second adjournment at 4 PM, Mr Gandhi again referred to the unpublished book to which treasury bench members objected. He claimed that the matter raised is related to national security. The Presiding Officer reminded the Congress leader of the Speaker’s ruling and urged him to stick to the topic of Motion of Thanks. Despite the Chair’s repeated appeal, Mr Gandhi continued referring to the matter, leading to adjournment of the House till 11 AM tomorrow.
Earlier, when the House met after the adjournment at 3 PM. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is misleading the House by quoting imaginary excerpts which are not factually correct.
Objecting to the remarks of the Leader of Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, Mr Gandhi should not insult the Army. Speaker Om Birla in his ruling said, no book or news report should be read unless it has a connection with the proceedings of this House. Home Minister Amit Shah said, when the book has not even been published, how can Mr Gandhi quote from it.
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Speaking to Akashvani News, BJP MP Jagadambika Pal has demanded action against the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for creating a ruckus and not adhering to the ruling of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
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The government has proposed the Bio-Pharma SHAKTI scheme in the Union Budget 2026-27 at an outlay of ten thousand crore rupees over five years to boost bio-manufacturing sector. The initiative is aimed at strengthening India’s ecosystem for production of biologics and biosimilars. It also aims to reduce import dependence, and enhance India’s competitiveness in global biologics supply chains.
“The Union Budget links manufacturing scale, skilled human resources, clinical research capacity and regulatory credibility into a single framework. The government proposed the expansion and strengthening of the Biopharma-focused network through the establishment of three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPERs) and the upgradation of seven existing NIPERs. The measure seeks to address the growing requirement for highly specialised human resources in biopharma research, development, manufacturing and regulation.
Another key announcement includes the creation of a large-scale clinical research ecosystem, with a proposal to develop over one thousand accredited clinical trial sites across the country.
The government also announced the strengthening of the regulatory framework for biologics, including enhancing the capacity of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation through the induction of specialised scientific and technical personnel. Talking to media, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said that India is among the very few nations having a dedicated exclusive policy for bio-technology.
The Budget push further strengthens the groundwork for India to compete in the global biopharma market while improving domestic access to advanced and affordable biologic therapies. Bhanu Pratap Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw today said that a record budget of 2 lakh 78 crore rupees has been allotted for Railways in the Union Budget 2026-27. Addressing the media on state wise allocation of the budget, Mr Vaishnaw said that Assam and the northeastern states have been allocated a budget of 11 thousand 486 crore rupees.
The Minister said, more than 14 thousand crore rupees has been allocated for West Bengal. He said, the bullet train in India will connect Varanasi to Siliguri in West Bengal.
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The Election Commission has rejected the allegations of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral roll and termed them as false. Earlier, a Trinamool Congress delegation led by Ms Banerjee met the Election Commission and raised certain issues relating to the SIR in the State. Sources said, despite the patient hearing by the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar and the two election Commissioners, Ms Banerjee raised false allegations. Sources added that the Poll Panel emphasised that no pressure, obstruction, or interference of any kind by anyone should be exerted on officers engaged in SIR work in the State.
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The BJP today staged protests in front of District Magistrates’ offices across several districts of West Bengal, accusing the state government of deliberately distorting the process of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. BJP workers were protesting against the role of certain Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, and Booth Level Officers in allegedly submitting incorrect information about voters during the SIR process.
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President Droupadi Murmu arrived in Bhubaneswar this evening on a six-day visit to her home state Odisha. During her visit, the President will attend a series of official, academic and cultural programmes across Khordha, Jajpur, Balasore, Puri and Mayurbhanj districts. Tomorrow, President Murmu will offer prayers at the Maa Biraja Temple in Jajpur and perform rituals at Navi Gaya. She will later attend the 12th Convocation Ceremony of Fakir Mohan University in Balasore.
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The Government on World Wetlands Day today highlighted the rise in Ramsar sites in the country. The day is observed every year to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet. Addressing an event in New Delhi on the occasion, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh said, India has made significant progress in wetland conservation, with the number of Ramsar sites increasing from 26 in 2014 to 98 at present. Mr Singh noted that wetlands are not just ecological assets but a source of traditional knowledge. During the event, the Minister felicitated 6 states for new Ramsar sites including Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
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Iran has summoned all European Union ambassadors based in the Islamic Republic to protest the bloc’s decision to designate the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told journalists that the summoning process began yesterday and continued into today. Meanwhile, Iran’s parliament speaker yesterday said that the Islamic Republic now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups, citing a 2019 law. On the other hand European Union rejects Iran’s decision to consider the armies of EU countries as terrorist groups.
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Benchmark domestic equity indices, the Sensex and the Nifty, bounced back today, gaining over one per cent, after a steep decline during the Union Budget session.
“The Sensex jumped 944 points to close at 81 thousand and 666, while the Nifty climbed 263 points to settle at 25 thousand 88. The broader market at the Bombay Stock Exchange also edged up. The Mid-Cap index rose almost 0.8 per cent, while the Small-Cap index added over 0.2 per cent.In the forex market today, the rupee appreciated by 48 paise to close at 91 rupees and 51 paise against the US dollar. VAIBHAV J SRIVASTAVA for AKASHVANI News.”
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The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for dense fog conditions over Uttar Pradesh till the 5th of this month. The Met department has predicted similar conditions over Bihar, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for the next two to three days. The MeT department said, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are also expected over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Uttar Pradesh till tomorrow.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN,
- Both Houses of Parliament hold discussions on Motion of Thanks to President’s address on commencement of Budget session.
- Lok Sabha witnesses multiple adjournments over Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks citing unpublished book of former Army Chief; Defence Minister Rajnath Singh accuses Congress leader of quoting imaginary and factually incorrect excerpts.
- Centre allocates ten thousand crore rupees in Union Budget for Bio Pharma Shakti scheme to boost bio-manufacturing sector.
- Government, on World Wetlands Day, highlights rise in Ramsar sites in the country from 26 in 2014 to 98 at present.
- Benchmark domestic equity indices rebound; Sensex jumps 944 points and Nifty climbs 263 points.
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