Both Houses of Parliament will not meet over the weekend as decided earlier, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Parliament had not met last Thursday and Friday due to festivals and it was decided that the two Houses will meet on March 28 and 29, Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Rijiju said members suggested in business advisory committees of the respective Houses that Parliament should not sit over the weekend.

Now Parliament will not meet on Thursday on account of Ram Navami and March 31 to observe Mahavir Jayanti.

He said the session will continue till April 2 according to the original calendar announced before the session commenced in the last week of January.

-PTI

Both Houses have been adjourned for the day. Parliament proceedings will commence again on Friday, March 27.

Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill to amend a law on protection and rights of transgender persons that proposes excluding social orientations from the ambit of the statute, with Rajya Sabha giving its nod.

The bill, which seeks to amend Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act 2019, also provides for graded punishment based on the gravity of harm inflicted on such people. The bill was passed in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Replying to the debate on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026, in the Upper House, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Virendra Kumar said the proposed legislation is an effort to take along all segments of the society together.

-PTI

Parliament is likely to complete the budget exercise for 2026-27 by approving the Finance Bill 2026 on Friday.

The Finance Bill, which has already been approved by the Lok Sabha, will be taken up for consideration in the Upper House on Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said.

He was informing Rajya Sabha members about the business schedule for the next three to four days.

Congress member Jairam Ramesh asked Rijiju to inform the House about the government's agenda for the coming three to four days.

Rijiju said Parliament will not function on March 26 as it is a holiday.

-PTI

he Rajya Sabha on Wednesday began discussion on the Central Armed Police Forces (General Administration) Bill, 2026, which seeks to ensure a dominant role for Indian Police Service officers in the top leadership of the country's paramilitary forces.

The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties and retired CAPF officers. They argue that the Bill undermines a Supreme Court judgment delivered on May 23, 2025. In that verdict, the apex court granted Organised Group A Service status to CAPF officers and directed the government to progressively reduce IPS deputation in the forces up to the rank of Inspector General over the next two years.

The Bill aims to bring the five central forces -- Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) -- under a unified administrative framework.

-IANS

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will chair an all-party meeting at 5 pm to discuss the Middle East crisis. Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and several other ministers will also attend the meeting.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri will provide a briefing on the situation in West Asia.

The Lok Sabha passed the Finance Bill 2026, along with 32 government amendments. With the passage of the Finance Bill 2026, the Lok Sabha completed its part of the Budgetary approval process. The Upper House, Rajya Sabha, will now consider the Bill.

After the Rajya Sabha approves the Bill, the Budget process for 2026-27 will be complete.

The Union Budget 2026-27 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 53.47 lakh crore, an increase of 7.7 per cent over the current fiscal ending March 31. The total capital expenditure proposed for the next fiscal is Rs 12.2 lakh crore.

Finance Bill cleared in Lok Sabha.

"India's debt-GDP ratio lower than most major economies, debt on declining path."

"More than what is collected as cess and surcharges is spent under schemes to states."

"Government has exempted 17 critical life-savings drugs from basic customs duty to help common man."

"Rule-based automated process for small taxpayers brought in to obtain lower or nil deduction certificate online."

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India is riding on the reform express and reforms are happening with conviction and clarity.

Replying to the debate on Finance Bill 2026 in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said, "Reform is not happening out of compulsion, but out of conviction, with clarity, confidence and commitment. India is riding on the reform express under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."

She further said there is a trust-based tax administration that is being improved by reducing unnecessary hardship for honest taxpayers.

The government has taken various steps to empower MSMEs, farmers, and cooperatives, and that customs reforms aim at easing trade.

A bill to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Lok Sabha, with the government making it clear that individuals engaging in forced religious conversion through foreign funding will not be spared.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stated that the legislation aims to enhance transparency and ensure proper utilisation of funds received from abroad.

Congress member Manish Tewari said that the bill would give sweeping power to the executive without any constitutional safeguards. Trinamool Congress member Pratima Mondal said it is "dangerous" and "draconian" as all power is going to be vested with the central government.

After a brief debate, Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the chair, called for a vote on the motion, which was accepted by voice vote. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair the all-party meeting at 5 pm to brief political leaders on the evolving crisis in the Middle East, amid rising concerns over its economic and security implications for India.

Five to six ministers, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, will attend the meeting on behalf of the government.

The initiative follows statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in both Houses of Parliament, where he described the situation as an "unprecedented crisis" with potentially long-lasting consequences.

Several Opposition MPs staged a protest in the Parliament House complex over the reported LPG supply crunch.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP(SP)'s Supriya Sule, SP's Dharmendra Yadav, CPI-ML's Sudama Prasad, DMK's T Sumathy, JMM'S Mahua Maji, among others, participated in the protest near the Makar Dwar of Parliament.

With a huge banner stating 'Empty Cylinders, Empty Promises', the MPs raised slogans against the government.

The reported LPG crunch comes amid the conflict in Middle East.