Sitharaman to table Appropriation Bill, 2026 in Lok Sabha today

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move the Appropriation Bill, 2026, in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing. The house will also discuss grants for the Railway and Agriculture ministries amid opposition protests over LPG shortages.

Appropriation Bill on Agenda

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to move the Appropriation Bill, 2026, for introduction, consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha today, according to the List of Business.

The Bill seeks to authorise the payment and appropriation of certain further sums from the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2025-26. The Finance Minister will seek the leave of the House to introduce the Bill and subsequently move that it be taken into consideration and passed, subject to the voting of the Supplementary Demands for Grants for 2025-26.

Discussion on Grants for Key Ministries

The House will also take up further discussion and voting on the Supplementary Demands for Grants (Second Batch) for 2025-26. As part of the Union Budget process, the Lok Sabha is scheduled to hold discussion and voting on the Demand for Grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for the financial year 2026-27.

Ministers to Table Official Papers

Meanwhile, several ministers will lay official papers on the Table of the House. These include External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Jadhav, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel and Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth.

Ministerial Statements and Legislative Business

Minister of State Anupriya Patel is scheduled to make a statement correcting an earlier reply given in the House regarding GST for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination.

Further, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal will make a statement outlining the government's legislative business for the week commencing March 16.

Private Members' Business on the Floor

Later in the day, the Lok Sabha will take up Private Members' Business, where several MPs are expected to introduce legislative proposals, including Bills on minimum support price guarantee for farmers, prevention of mob lynching, welfare of fishermen, regulation of tour operators, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, and reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the private sector.

Opposition Protests Amid Session

The parliamentary proceedings come amid protests by the INDIA bloc leaders led by Rahul Gandhi over reports of a nationwide LPG shortage linked to the escalating conflict in West Asia, with the Opposition demanding a discussion on the issue in Parliament.

Budget Session Overview

The second phase of the Budget session is scheduled to go up to April 2, during which essential legislative business and the Union Budget 2026-27 are expected to be addressed primarily.

The session, which began on January 28 with the President's address to a joint sitting of the two Houses, comprises 30 sittings over 65 days up until April 2. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)