THE HEADLINES :-
- Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha hold discussion on Union Budget; Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla not to attend House until no confidence motion against him is resolved.
- Government sets three-hour deadline for social media platforms to take down AI-generated or deepfake content.
- Election Commission publishes final voter list for Special Revision in Assam; Extends final publication of electoral rolls in West Bengal in relation to SIR to 28th February following Supreme Court directive.
- Home Minister Amit Shah stresses need to spread more awareness about cyber security among countrymen.
- Indian shooters add two more gold medals taking country’s gold tally to 39 at Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in New Delhi.
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Rajya Sabha today resumed the discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27. Participating in the discussion, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said, during this very politically and economically tumultuous time, India stands alone as a rare island of macroeconomic growth and stability.
Surendra Singh Nagar of BJP said, the Budget prioritizes, increasing economic growth rate, fulfilling people’s expectations and ensuring that in the social sector all schemes reach the people. Kanimozhi of DMK termed the budget anti-poor saying it is detached from the country’s economic realities. Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of TMC said, the budget has allowed for 100 per cent FDI in the insurance sector which endangers the business of nationalised insurance companies.
Masthan Rao Beedha of TDP said, this budget combines macroeconomic stability, infrastructure growth, technological transformation and social inclusion. Later, the house was adjourned for the day, after completing today’s scheduled business. The discussion will continue tomorrow.
Lok Sabha also took up discussion on the Union Budget 2026-27. Participating in the discussion, Aparajita Sarangi of BJP said, the Budget reflects commitment, conviction and consistency of the Government. She lauded the Government for signing free trade agreements with several nations saying that India has shown its ability to cleverly navigate in a different changing world order.
Earlier, initiating the discussion, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor criticised the Budget saying that government spending has reduced and tax receipts have remained flat.
However, the discussion remained inconclusive. Later, the House was adjourned till 11 AM tomorrow.
“After facing two adjournments due to opposition parties’ protest over the various issues, the Lok Sabha transacted smooth business in the post lunch session. The House took up the discussion on the Union Budget and MPs from opposition and treasury benches participated in the debate and put forth their views. Since 2nd of this month after the day of the Budget presentation, the Lok Sabha witnessed noisy scenes and pandemonium leading to frequent adjournments. Due to continuous protest by the opposition MPs the House could not transact smooth business. Last week eight opposition MPs of Lok Sabha were suspended for the rest of the session due to their unruly behaviour. Today, the opposition parties including Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party and others submitted a notice of no-confidence motion against Speaker Om Birla to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. On the other side, Rajya Sabha transacted the listed business and MPs from various political parties participated in the discussion on Union Budget. With Anupam, Bhupendra Singh, Akashvani News, Delhi. ”
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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 against him is resolved. Earlier today, the Opposition submitted gave a notice of no-confidence motion against Mr Birla to the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. Sources in the Lok Sabha Secretariat said that the notice will be examined and processed as per rules. 118 members of opposition parties including Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD and Left parties have signed the notice. However TMC MPs stayed away from signing the notice.
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Government has set a three-hour deadline for social media platforms to take down AI-generated or deepfake content once it is flagged by the government or ordered by a court. The Government today notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, that formally define AI-generated and synthetic content. The official notification also barred digital platforms from allowing the removal or suppression of AI labels or associated metadata once they have been applied. The new rules will come into force from 20th of this month.
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The Election Commission today published the final voter list for the Special Revision (SR) 2026 covering all 126 Assembly constituencies in Assam, with the total electorate standing at 2,49,58,139.
According to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam, a total of 2,43,485 voters names were dropped from the draft list, which had recorded 2,52,01,624 voters. The draft voter list for Special Revision 2026 was published on December 27, 2025. Prior to this, a house-to-house verification drive was conducted across the state between November 22nd and December 20th, 2025. People can appeal to the District Magistrate within 15 days, with a second appeal to the CEO within 30 days.
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In compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, the Election Commission of India has extended the final publication of electoral rolls in West Bengal in relation to the Special Intensive Revision SIR till 28th of February. Earlier, yesterday the Supreme Court ordered to extend the scrutiny period by seven days.
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Home Minister Amit Shah has emphasized the need to spread more awareness about cyber security among the countrymen. He inaugurated a two-day National Conference on Tackling Cyber-Enabled Frauds and Dismantling the Ecosystem in New Delhi this afternoon. On the occasion, Mr Shah also inaugurated the new Cyber Crime Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation. He also launched the State Cyber Crime Coordination Centre Dashboard of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Shah said, the Government has started many initiatives to eliminate Cyber crime in the country.
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The Supreme Court today issued notices to 17 states to ensure the setting up of special NIA courts in states where 10 or more cases are pending trial under anti-terror laws. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant sought responses from the states after the Union home ministry submitted a comprehensive status report.
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Supreme Court today asked the Centre to ascertain whether there is a nationwide network or state-specific group behind the incidents of children going missing from different parts of the country. Hearing a PIL, it asked the Centre to collate data from all states.
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The Interim Trade Agreement between India and the United States has been welcomed by exporters and Association of Manufacturers of Ayurvedic Medicines (AMAM).
Talking to media, President of AMAM, Dr Pradeep Multani lauded the pact, calling it a positive and stabilising development for the pharmaceutical sector of the country.
Member of the Carpet Export Promotion Council and Indian Silk Export Promotion Council, Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad said, with 18 per cent tariff, India now holds the third position in terms of the lowest tariffs after the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Managing Director of Fashion Knits, Ramu R. hailed the Indo-US trade pact
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Global brokerage firm Goldman Sachs has upgraded its growth outlook for India and lowered its current account deficit (CAD) estimate after the India-US trade deal. The firm cut its CAD forecast by around 0.25 per cent of GDP to 0.8 per cent of GDP in the calendar year 2026 and raised India’s real GDP growth projection for the calendar year 2026 by 20 basis points to 6.9 per cent on an annual basis.
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Indian shooters added two more gold medals today, taking the country’s gold tally to 39 at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in New Delhi. Prachi Gaikwad clinched the gold medal in the junior women’s 50 metre rifle three-position final with a score of 353.3 points. Kazakhstan’s Tomiris Amanova won silver with 351.4 points, while India’s Anushka Thokur secured bronze with a score of 341.1 points after 34 shots. In the team event, the Indian trio of Prachi Gaikwad, Anushka Thokur, and Hazel delivered another gold in the junior women’s 50 metre rifle three position category, posting a combined total of 1,748 points.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.
- Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha hold discussion on Union Budget; Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla not to attend House until no confidence motion against him is resolved.
- Government sets three-hour deadline for social media platforms to take down AI-generated or deepfake content.
- Election Commission publishes final voter list for Special Revision in Assam; Extends final publication of electoral rolls in West Bengal in relation to SIR to 28th February following Supreme Court directive.
- Home Minister Amit Shah stresses need to spread more awareness about cyber security among countrymen.
- Indian shooters add two more gold medals taking country’s gold tally to 39 at Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship in New Delhi.
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