THE HEADLINES :-
- Modi Government focusing on robust infrastructure and labour intensive sectors to boost job creation and growth, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tells Lok Sabha.
- BJP to move privilege notice against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for misleading the Lower House.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla directs Secretariat to rectify deficiencies in Opposition’s no confidence motion against him and proceed according to procedures.
- Centre issues guidelines for rendition of National Song Vande Mataram.
- United Nation calls for more women participation on the eve of Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.
- In Hockey, India begin their campaign against Belgium at FIH Pro League in Rourkela.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed that the government is giving a major push to build robust infrastructure in the country with emphasis on labour intensive sectors and MSMEs to generate employment opportunities and facilitate growth. The Minister was replying to a discussion on Union Budget 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha this evening.
The Finance Minister had presented the Union Budget in Parliament on the 1st of this month.
Speaking in the Lower House today, Ms Sitharaman said, in this year’s budget, provision of more than 12 lakh crore rupees have been made for the public capital expenditure which is 3.1 percent of GDP and 11.5 percent higher than the revised estimates for 2025-26. She emphasized that money will be spent to strengthen the country’s infrastructure.
Refuting the opposition’s allegations that the Budget is silent about employment generation, the Finance Minister said, five regional medical hubs are going to promote medical tourism in the country. She also negated the opposition’s allegations on the reduced tax devolution to States saying that more than 25 lakh crore rupees will be transferred to the States this year. She said, the government has transferred 41 percent of the divisible pool to the states and no state’s share has been reduced. On the credit flow, the Minister pointed out that there is no shortage of funds for the industries including MSMEs. She accused the Congress government of compromising with the interest of farmers during its regime and surrendered before the World Trade Organisation. Responding to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation, the Finance Minister said, Government is incentivising data centres so that data stays in India.
Earlier, participating in the discussion, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said, there is nothing concrete in the Union Budget.
Several members of various political parties participated in the discussion. Later, the House was adjourned for the day.
The Rajya Sabha today also resumed the discussion on the Union Budget. Taking part in the discussion, Ashok Chavan of the BJP said, the budget is centred on the youth, strengthens women, farmers, entrepreneurs, poor, underprivileged and all sections of society. Another BJP MP Sat Paul Sharma hailed the Budget saying that it focuses on structural reforms, fiscal discipline and public investment. Haris Beeran of Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) alleged that the Budget does not offer anything for farmers and fishermen.
Several members of various parties participated in the discussion. However, the debate on the Union Budget remained inconclusive. Later the House was adjourned for the day.
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Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said, the BJP will move a privilege notice against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for misleading the House and making baseless statements during the discussion on Union Budget. The Minister was talking to reporters in the Parliament premises. Mr Rijiju accused the Congress leader of making useless and false allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr Rijiju also criticized Mr Gandhi for making allegations against Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri without giving any notice.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s allegation on the India-US Trade deal, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal while talking to media outside Parliament assured that all decisions were taken keeping in mind the welfare of farmers and their interests are secured.
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The No Confidence Motion notice given by the Congress-led opposition parties seeking removal of Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla will be considered in the second phase of the Budget session. The second phase of Budget Session is scheduled to start from 9th March and will continue till 2nd April.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat has identified certain shortcomings in the notice of no confidence motion. According to Lok Sabha sources, in the notice, opposition parties had made references about the four incidents in February last year and on the basis of it, the notice could have been rejected under the rules. However, Speaker Om Birla has directed the Secretariat to rectify the deficiencies in the notice and proceed in accordance with established procedures. He has also ordered prompt action in the matter as per the rules. More from our correspondent:
” The Opposition parties had given a notice of no-confidence motion yesterday against Mr Birla alleging that he has acted in a partisan manner in the House. The notice was submitted to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. 118 members of opposition parties including Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties have signed the notice submitted to the Secretary General. However TMC MPs stayed away from signing the notice. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has decided on moral grounds that he will not attend the proceedings of the House till the no-confidence motion notice brought by the Opposition parties against him is resolved. With Anand Kumar, Sanjeev Jasrotia, Akashvani News, Delhi. “
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In Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath-led government today presented the last full budget of its second term in the state Assembly. With an outlay of over nine lakh twelve thousand crore rupees, it is the largest budget in the state’s history, marking an increase of 12.9 percent over the previous year.
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Diya Kumari today presented the state Budget for the financial year 2026-27 in the Assembly. She said, the size of this year’s budget has increased by over 41 percent compared to the previous year.
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The agriculture sector has hailed the Interim Trade Agreement achieved between India and the United States. Talking to Akashvani News, Former Director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Ashok Kumar Singh, said, the deal was finalized, taking the interests of the farmers into focus.
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The government has issued detailed guidelines on the observance of India’s National Song, Vande Mataram, directing that all six stanzas of the official version must be rendered first whenever the National Song and the National Anthem are performed together. According to the Union Home Ministry, the full six-stanza version is to be sung or played on key state occasions such as the arrival of the President, the unfurling of the National Flag, and addresses by Governors, among other formal events.
Under these directions, the official version of the National Song should also be played immediately before and after the President address to the Nation over All India Radio-Akashvani and Television, and when the National Flag is brought on parade.
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The Election Commission today said that the final electoral roll of Goa, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the voters’ list, will be published on the 21st of this month. In a letter to the state Chief Electoral Officer, the commission has approved the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Goa with 1st of January, this year as the qualifying date.
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Senior BJP leader and West Bengal observer Bhupender Yadav has demanded that the West Bengal government remove all obstacles hindering the process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll. Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata today, Mr Yadav cited a Supreme Court directive stating that no interference in the SIR process will be tolerated.
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The United Nation has called for more women participation as Bangladesh gears up for the 13th National Parliamentary Election to be held tomorrow. The UN emphasized that safe, inclusive, and meaningful participation in public life is a fundamental right for all in the country. It highlighted concerns from women’s groups about violence and harassment of candidates and voters, including cyberbullying, deepfakes, and AI-altered abuse. The UN stressed the importance of women’s representation and leadership and is supporting the Bangladesh Election Commission to increase electoral participation. The UN called on political leaders and stakeholders to adopt zero tolerance for intimidation, harassment, and violence, ensuring that all voters and candidates can engage freely, safely, and without fear of reprisals during the electoral process.
Meanwhile, final security and logistical preparations are underway across Bangladesh as the country gears up for national elections. Alongside the parliamentary polls, a referendum will seek public approval for key constitutional and institutional reforms under the proposed “July Charter.” Critics argue that combining multiple reforms into a single yes-or-no question limits voters’ ability to express individual preferences.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington tonight. The talks between the two leaders are likely to be focused on negotiations between the United States and Iran. Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister’s office in a statement said, the talks with the US President seeks to press him to adopt a tougher line on Iran’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes in the next round of talks.
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In Men’s Hockey, India began their campaign against Belgium in the FIH Pro League in Rourkela this evening. At half time, the score was one goal each. Harmanpreet Singh led Indian team will clash against Argentina tomorrow.
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In the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, Australia defeated Ireland by 67 runs in a Group ‘B’ match in Colombo this evening. In a Group D encounter, South Africa defeated Afghanistan in a double Super Over thriller in Ahmedabad this afternoon. In the Group C match, West Indies have set a target of 197 runs for England in Mumbai.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN :-
- Modi Government focusing on robust infrastructure and labour intensive sectors to boost job creation and growth, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tells Lok Sabha.
- BJP to move privilege notice against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for misleading the Lower House.
- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla directs Secretariat to rectify deficiencies in Opposition’s no confidence motion against him and proceed according to procedures.
- Centre issues guidelines for rendition of National Song Vande Mataram.
- United Nation calls for more women participation on the eve of Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.
- In Hockey, India begin their campaign against Belgium at FIH Pro League in Rourkela.
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