Parliament Budget Session 2025: The second phase of the Parliament Budget Session commenced on Monday, March 10, but was quickly marred by disruptions over alleged attempts to impose Hindi. Tensions escalated in the Lok Sabha as DMK members staged protests against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks, where he accused the Tamil Nadu government of being “dishonest” in implementing the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme.

Responding to a query on the scheme, Pradhan criticized the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government for reversing its stance on the Centrally-sponsored initiative aimed at strengthening schools run by central, state, or local authorities. He accused the state government of politicizing the issue and jeopardizing students’ futures. The uproar led to a 30-minute adjournment in the Lok Sabha, which was later extended until 2 pm. The Budget Session’s first phase had concluded on February 13.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live Updates: Stay tuned with Financial Express for all the latest updates!

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Both houses adjourned

Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha to resume proceedings at 2 p.m.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: House needs to discuss voters list, says Rahul Gandhi

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday urged the House to hold a discussion on the voters’ list, stating that every Opposition-led state has raised concerns on the issue.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: ‘Very hurt by Edu Min calling TN MPs uncivilised’ says DMK MP Kanimozhi

During Question Hour, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan criticized the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government for reversing its stance on the National Education Policy, calling their approach “uncivilized and undemocratic.” He accused the state government of jeopardizing the future of Tamil Nadu’s students. Reacting to his remarks, DMK MP Kanimozhi expressed her disappointment, stating that she was “very hurt” by the Education Minister’s comments referring to Tamil Nadu MPs as “uncivilised.”
“I am very pain and hurt that the minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) has called the members of Parliament and the people of Tamil Nadu uncivilised…In our meeting, we had clearly said that we have issues with the NEP and we cannot accept it in full. The three-language policy is not acceptable to the people of Tamil Nadu. The CM of Tamil Nadu has written to the Prime Minister and the Education Minister saying that we have issues with the NEP and it cannot be accepted in total..,” she said.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: LS Speaker congratulates Indian team

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla congratulated the Indian cricket team on their Champions Trophy victory against New Zealand. Skipper Rohit Sharma led the charge with a stellar innings, while Shreyas Iyer and K.L. Rahul made vital contributions. Earlier, India’s spinners played a key role in restricting New Zealand to 251, setting the stage for the win.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Lok Sabha proceedings resume, question hour begins

The Rajya Sabha commenced its session with the Question Hour, allowing members to raise key issues and seek responses from the government. The Lok Sabha reconvened, with various legislative discussions and business proceedings set to take place.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Holi holiday

On the Parliament Budget Session, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee says, “There will be a holiday on March 13 as Holi is on March 14. I have proposed that parliamentary proceedings be held on Saturday, March 15 to make up for the holiday on March 13. Today, there will be a discussion for 8 hours on the Manipur budget. Departmental budgets will be discussed from March 17. Railway, Jal Shakti and Agriculture budgets will be discussed. We are going to give 193 notice regarding the role and function of the Election Commission… 3 voters have the same EPIC number, which is not permissible as per the law. We are raising this issue strongly. We will raise it in Parliament…”

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Lok Sabha adjourned

Lok Sabha adjourned in blink after ruckus over NEP.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: ‘TN taking a U-turn on NEP and Hindi’, says Pradhan

“Today is March 10, and there are still 20 days left in the month. The Government of India remains open and ready for any kind of discussion. The Tamil Nadu government has changed its stance—it initially signed an MoU for the PM Shri scheme but later took a U-turn. Several non-BJP states, including Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, have accepted the National Education Policy (NEP) and are implementing the PM Shri scheme. The DMK government, however, is being dishonest and is jeopardizing the future of Tamil Nadu students. Their only focus is on language politics rather than governance. They are not doing justice to the people and are acting in an undemocratic and uncivilized manner. The Centre, however, is ready for talks,” he said.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: ‘DMK not committed to the students,’ says Dharmendra Pradhan

On the New Education Policy and three language row, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says, “…They (DMK) are dishonest. They are not committed to the students of Tamil Nadu. They are ruining the future of Tamil Nadu students. Their only job is to raise language barriers. They are doing politics. They are doing mischief. They are undemocratic and uncivilised…”

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Speaker urges parties to ensure smooth Question Hour

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called on political parties to ensure the smooth conduct of Question Hour in the House. During Monday’s business advisory committee meeting, he urged all members to facilitate an uninterrupted session. He also highlighted that discussions would focus on the demands of key ministries, including Railways, Agriculture, and Jal Shakti, during the session, which will run until April 4. The Question Hour usually witnesses uproarious scenes as the opposition seeks to raise a range of issues.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha proceedings begin

Parliament reconvened on Monday, March 10, 2025, for the second part of the Budget session. As per the Lok Sabha’s agenda, multiple Bills and standing committee reports are set to be presented.

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: BJP MP Biplab Deb on Manipur

On the Parliament budget session, BJP MP Biplab Deb said, “Nirmala Sitharaman, under the leadership of PM Modi, had presented a visionary budget…in Manipur, President’s rule is underway so naturally, central govt will present budget for Manipur. Govt has taken it seriously…”

Parliament Budget Session 2025 Live: What are the key agendas?

  • Manipur Budget: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to present the budget for Manipur on Monday.
  • President’s Rule in Manipur: Home Minister Amit Shah to move a statutory resolution seeking parliamentary approval.
  • Stock Market Concerns: AAP MP Sanjay Singh files Suspension of Business Notice (Rule 267) in Rajya Sabha to discuss retail investor losses due to market volatility.
  • Delimitation Impact: DMK MP Tiruchi Siva seeks discussion under Rule 267 on the impact of the upcoming delimitation exercise on India’s federal structure and Southern states’ representation.
  • Internal Security Debate: Congress MP Manickam Tagore moves an Adjournment Motion in Lok Sabha to discuss violence and government accountability in Manipur and Jammu.

Congress MP ask about the reinstatement of removed subsidies in Railways

Congress MP Vivek Tankha asks if the government will reinstate the subsidies for senior citizens and journalists that were removed from Indian Railways. He also emphasizes that Indian Railways requires real improvements, not just cosmetic changes.

Government seeks Parliament nod to spend Rs 51,463 crore extra in current fiscal

The government on Monday sought Parliament’s approval for an additional net expenditure of Rs 51,462.86 crore for the current financial year, which ends in March. A significant portion of this amount will be allocated towards pension and fertilizer subsidies.

The total gross additional expenditure requested by the government is over Rs 6.78 lakh crore, with Rs 6.27 lakh crore being offset by savings and receipts.

According to the second batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha, the net additional spending for the current fiscal year will amount to Rs 51,462.86 crore.

This additional expenditure includes Rs 12,000 crore for the fertilizer subsidy and Rs 13,449 crore for government employee pensions, including the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS). The overall spending also covers Rs 8,476 crore for defense pensions and Rs 5,322 crore for the Department of Telecommunications.

Rahul Gandhi doubts discussion on the voter’s list issue in the House.

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi expressed doubts about a discussion in the House on the voter’s list issue. When asked about it, he said, “I don’t think so.” Earlier, he had stressed the importance of discussing the voter list in the Lok Sabha.

He said, “Question is being raised on the voter list in every states. In Maharashtra, questions were raised on black and white voter list. The entire opposition is just saying that there should be a discussion on the voter’s list.” 

Congress MP calls Education Minister’s comment on Tamil Nadu “unparliamentary.”

Congress MP Mallu Ravi condemned Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remark calling Tamilians “uncivilised” during a response in the House, following a face-off with DMK MPs over the NEP. Ravi called the comment “unparliamentary” and criticised the BJP government’s attitude toward South India, particularly Tamil Nadu. He emphasised that Tamil is one of the most important languages in India and that Tamil Nadu’s civilization is on par with any other state.

The government plans to set up SPV for manufacturing aircraft in India: Union Minister Naidu

The government is in the process of establishing a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop regional transport aircraft, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu announced on Monday. He emphasized that the necessary policies are already in place for India to manufacture both planes and their components.

Responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the minister highlighted the government’s efforts to promote aircraft component manufacturing and Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) activities, including implementing a uniform IGST rate.

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing civil aviation markets, with domestic airlines placing orders for over 1,500 planes to expand their fleets in response to increasing air traffic demand.

“We have shifted our mindset regarding aircraft manufacturing. India is now at a point where we can manufacture, design, and maintain aircraft,” Naidu stated.

Regarding future plans, the minister explained that the government is adopting a comprehensive approach and is working on setting up an SPV for regional transport aircraft manufacturing.

“We plan to establish the SPV over the next five years, involving all key stakeholders to assess the current landscape and create a roadmap,” he added, emphasizing the goal of producing the aircraft within five years.

Congress Lok Sabha members raise issue of lack of remuneration for Asha workers

Congress members from Kerala and Tamil Nadu raised concerns on Monday about the lack of remuneration for Asha workers and their demand for social security benefits, criticising the ongoing “blame game” between the Centre and the Kerala government, which they said is not helping the healthcare volunteers.

Shashi Tharoor was the first to bring up the issue during Zero Hour, highlighting the month-long agitation by Asha workers in Kerala. He pointed out that these workers are poorly paid, treated as volunteers, and denied social security and pension benefits. He also noted that the “unsung” heroes, who served as frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, are still not receiving regular payments. Tharoor questioned whether their efforts are being overlooked simply because they are women.

K.C. Venugopal, another Congress member from Kerala, reminded the Chair that he had been trying to raise the issue for some time. He noted that while the state government blames the workers for the agitation, the Centre blames the state for the situation.

Sashikanth Senthil, Congress MP from Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur, criticised the digital India initiative, calling it a “denial India” initiative. He claimed that after several flagship schemes, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) would be the next casualty due to poor implementation of digital initiatives. He said the poor are often caught up in face recognition and one-time passwords just to access benefits.

RSP’s N.K. Premchandran also spoke about the plight of Asha workers, marking the completion of their month-long agitation.

JP Nadda Proposes ‘Refresher Course’ on House Rules for Opposition MPs

Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, JP Nadda, criticised the Opposition after they walked out of the House over issues related to delimitation and the New Education Policy (NEP). He suggested that the Opposition leaders undergo a “refresher course” to better understand the functioning of the House.

Speaking in the House, Nadda said, “For the past few days, I’ve noticed that under Rule 267, members from the Opposition are submitting notices early in the morning. This practice is a deliberate attempt to undermine Parliament and harm the institution. It is a malicious design to discredit the Parliament. They aren’t interested in debate; their aim is to create the impression that the government is unwilling to answer or engage in discussions.”

BJP backs Dharmendra Pradhan, says “Taken back words he used”

BJP leader Praveen Khandelwal defended Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who during Lok Sabha proceedings, had referred to the Tamil Nadu government as “dishonest” and its people as “uncivilised.” Khandelwal clarified that Pradhan had retracted his statement in Parliament, and the Lok Sabha Speaker had removed it from the proceedings. “Pradhan has made it clear in Parliament that he withdrew his words. If a statement is made after the discussion has ended, it disrupts parliamentary decorum,” Khandelwal told ANI on Monday.

Earlier, Pradhan had criticized the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party over the ongoing controversy surrounding the three-language policy in the New Education Policy, accusing them of being “dishonest” and playing “politics” at the expense of Tamil Nadu students’ futures.

Opposition slams government over Railway Board Control

Opposition members in the Rajya Sabha on Monday accused the government of attempting to take control of the Railway Board through the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024. They also alleged that the government was circumventing parliamentary scrutiny by avoiding review by a parliamentary panel.

The proposed amendments would bring the Railway Board under the 1989 Railway Act, making the central government responsible for appointing, determining qualifications, and setting tenure and criteria for the Chairman and members of the Board.

Critics argue that the bill undermines the independence of the Railway Board, with one opposition member stating, “The very freedom of the Railway Board is lost, and its functional autonomy has been diminished.”