NDA leaders have defended proposed amendments to the Women's Reservation Act and the Delimitation Bill, 2026, arguing women have waited long enough for reservation, while opposition parties allege the process could undermine India's federal and democratic structure, particularly impacting southern states.
Introducing the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill, which was approved by a two-thirds majority in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Meghwal recounted the measures initiated by the Narendra Modi government for the empowerment of women over the last nine years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation tonight at 8.30 PM, a day after a bill to implement women's reservation in legislatures was defeated in the Lok Sabha.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking his intervention after she was allegedly forced to vacate a circuit house in Nadia district, claiming harassment and threatening legal action. She reported a crowd shouting 'Jai Shree Ram' slogans outside the premises after her refusal to leave.
Reserve Bank Deputy Governor S C Murmu has highlighted the "cash paradox" where currency in circulation continues to grow despite a significant increase in digital payments. This trend complicates the RBI's forecasting and planning for currency production and distribution, prompting the central bank to seek solutions and explore ways to extend banknote life and reduce the carbon footprint of the cash cycle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to Lok Sabha members to vote for the women's reservation bill, emphasising the need to empower women and rectify decades of political inaction.
A Constitution Amendment Bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent reservation for women in legislatures and increasing Lok Sabha seats was defeated in Parliament, marking a setback for the government's efforts to empower women in politics.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday moved the women's reservation bill for passage in the Lok Sabha, saying it is a very important bill and urging members to pass it with unanimity.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused opposition parties of obstructing the passage of the women's reservation bill in Parliament, alleging they have crushed the dreams of women and prioritised selfish politics over national progress.
It's not about how much you earn -- it's about how you borrow and repay.
Home Minister Amit Shah has offered to hold a comprehensive debate in Parliament on student protests and other pressing issues, but Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has swiftly rejected the proposal, demanding accountability for actions against students.
Mumbai police have registered a case against the organisers of a BJP rally after a woman's outburst over the resulting traffic jam went viral. The rally, held to celebrate the women's reservation bill, allegedly violated norms, leading to the police action.
The opposition on Tuesday termed as an 'election jumla' the women's reservation bill brought by the government with many leaders raising questions over the proposed legislation, contending it doesn't account for reservation for OBC communities and that it will be effective at the earliest by the 2029 Lok Sabha polls.
'The reason why they rushed through the bill was they wanted to avoid using the 2026 Census because the 2026 Census by their own decision will be a caste census.' 'The BJP knows that a significant share of the OBCs who will get captured in the census, for the first time after the 1931 Census, are against the BJP. Only a segment of the OBCs are in their favour.' 'So they wanted to avoid the OBC reservation among women, which is a demand of a lot of Opposition parties.'
The Payments Council of India has confirmed that Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services will continue to be free for consumers and small merchants, despite a recent Lok Sabha Bill. This clarification addresses concerns about potential charges, emphasising that while a sustainable financial model for UPI infrastructure is being developed, transaction charges will not be passed on to users or small businesses.
Actor-MP Kangana Ranaut and movie legend Sharmila Tagore are embroiled in a public debate over Vande Mataram.
Once more women assume leadership roles and join the nation-building process, he said, adding they will become a guarantee of the country's bright future.
The contraction in total reserves was driven by a fall in gold reserves, which dropped $13.49 billion to $117.19 billion during the reported week.
'The ethanol blended with petrol programme should not be halted or reconsidered.' 'India is not experiencing a structural sugar shortage, and the ethanol blending roadmap does not compete with food security or drive domestic price increases.'
The Congress on Monday said it welcomed the reported move as the party has been raising the demand for long.
A savings or current account with no customer-induced transaction for more than 24 months is classified as inoperative.
A day before her scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi excise policy case, Bharat Rashtra Samiti leader K Kavitha led a hunger strike here on Friday seeking the passage of the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill in this Budget session of Parliament.
If you do not insulate your retirement corpus from the true cost of modern critical care, you don't have a retirement plan -- you have a fragile strategy waiting for an expensive medical emergency to break it
The Congress party in Haryana boycotted a special session of the state assembly, accusing the ruling BJP of using the platform for political propaganda related to a defeated Constitution amendment bill on women's reservation. The BJP criticised the Congress's move as anti-women.
According to a bulletin issued on Wednesday, 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026', 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026' will be introduced and debated for passage in the Lower House.
'They want to sabotage the caste census and bury Muslim backward classes, Hindu backward classes, Sikh backward classes and Buddhist backward classes.'
India's trade deficit reached a six-month high of $31.98 billion in July, driven by a sharp increase in imports, particularly crude oil, electronic goods, coal, and fertilisers. Both merchandise exports and imports recorded their second-highest levels during the same period.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed concern over the repeated disruptions of parliamentary proceedings, stating that due to the turmoil in the House, the country has been unable to listen to the talented MPs elected in recent times.
The Indian government is reportedly developing new proposals to increase Lok Sabha seats by 50 per cent across all states. This initiative aims to address concerns from southern states regarding potential political power reduction due to population-based delimitation, while also facilitating the operationalisation of the women's quota law before the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
While the BJP and the Congress have always supported the bill, opposition by other parties and demands from some for quota for backward classes within the women's quota have been key sticking points.
'The made-up stories really angered me. Forget angering me, it actually made me feel, okay, if they want to play this game, let me play along.'
India is significantly expanding its crude oil sourcing to Latin America, with Venezuela emerging as a major supplier, as geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz compel the world's third-largest oil consumer to diversify its energy supplies.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin celebrated the defeat of the Constitution Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, emphasising the unity of the south and the triumph of democracy. The bill aimed to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase Lok Sabha seats. Stalin criticised the bill as weakening the balance of the union and asserted Tamil Nadu's commitment to justice, dignity, and federalism.
The Indian Parliament remains deadlocked as the Opposition, led by the Congress, insists on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply to discussions on alleged donation theft at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and student protests, rejecting the government's offer for Home Minister Amit Shah to respond.
The Indian government has clarified that consumers will not be charged for UPI transactions, and most merchant transactions will also remain free. This comes amidst speculation following an amendment to the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. Any future merchant discount rate (MDR) would be nominal, threshold-based, and aimed at ensuring UPI's long-term sustainability and infrastructure development.
India's Central government is likely to see its fertiliser subsidy bill double to a record 3.4 trillion in FY27, up from the Budget estimate of 1.7 trillion, due to surging global fertiliser prices exacerbated by the West Asia war. This significant increase, coupled with revenue losses from excise duty cuts for oil-marketing companies, is straining the government's fiscal space, though capital expenditure plans remain unchanged.
'For the rest of his tenure, people will start with the assumption that even Modi can be forced to bow down'
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's purchase of 'jhalmuri' during a campaign stop, alleging it was a staged event for cameras. She also accused the BJP of aiding Independents from the minority community and criticised the Election Commission over voter roll revisions.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticises the Congress and its allies for the defeat of the Constitution amendment bill aimed at implementing 33 per cent women's quota in legislative bodies before the 2029 Parliamentary polls.
Sonia Gandhi criticises the government's proposed delimitation, claiming it's a politically motivated move to delay the caste census and gain an unfair advantage, rather than genuinely promoting women's reservation.
