The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the SHANTI Bill with Union Minister Jitendra Singh asserting that India has to set a target of 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047.
The Rajya Sabha took up discussion on the VB-G RAM G Bill and the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025.
Earlier, the Lok Sabha held discussion on the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 and Sustainable Harnessing of Atomic Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill. The Opposition strongly criticised the Bill arguing that it opens the door for large private players to enter India’s nuclear energy space, a sector he said should remain firmly under public control.
On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha passed the Insurance Amendment Bill, formally titled the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill. The Rajya Sabha approved and returned the Appropriation (No. 4) Bill, 2025.
The Lower House also passed the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, which seeks to scrap 71 outdated laws.
The second day of the final week saw intense debate over the VB-G RAM G Bill, which aims to replace the MGNREGA. The proposed law has emerged as a fresh flashpoint, with the Opposition accusing the BJP-led NDA government of "insulting" Mahatma Gandhi.
The controversial SHANTI Bill, which seeks to open the nuclear sector to private players, and the VB-G RAM G Bill to replace the rural employment guarantee law are both listed for passage in the Lok Sabha’s List of Business on Wednesday.
The Opposition INDIA bloc has mounted a strong pushback as the government moves to push through the two controversial Bills.
Ahead of proceedings resuming on Wednesday, floor leaders of the INDIA bloc are set to meet at the office of Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to coordinate a united strategy.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will introduce the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
The minister will also move that the bill be passed.
Under legislative business, Dr Jitendra Singh will move the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025.
The Bill seeks to promote the use of nuclear energy and ionising radiation for power generation and applications in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, industry, research and environmental protection, while ensuring a strong regulatory framework for their safe and secure utilisation.
National Conference MPs in Rajya Sabha have submitted a memorandum to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking the transfer of J&K prisoners currently lodged in other states to prisons within the Union Territory, and the release of those against whom charges have not been proven.
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told the House that telecom schemes in Bihar aim to provide network coverage to 500 villages, adding that 398 villages have already been covered.
Scindia was speaking during discussions on Bharat Telecom 2025 and BSNL’s local network.
Scindia explained that Bharat Telecom is designed to support small and medium enterprises, while the Indian Mobile Congress is aimed at larger industry players.
The minister also said India’s telecom exports have grown 72 per cent over the last five years.
MP Chandrashekhar Azad protests inside Parliament premises over Delhi pollution. He held a banner reading, "Zehrili hawa hai, sarkar lapata hai."
VIDEO | Parliament winter session: MP Chandrashekhar Azad protests inside Parliament premises over Delhi pollution, holding a banner reading, "Zehrili hawa hai, sarkar lapata hai."
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 17, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/tdN0WZoWbJ
Railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said it is a "complex task" to carry out station redevelopment without stopping rail traffic.
Responding to a supplementary question during Question Hour, the minister said that in several countries, rail traffic is halted for three to four years while station redevelopment work takes place.
"But in India, where 7.5 crore people travel by trains, it is not possible to stop rail traffic."
In reply to a question by DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran on why Starlink is so expensive, Union Minister Scindia said that the pricing is not dictated by the government, but by the firms.
"India has given an example to the world on how high volumes and low pricing can lead to not only great penetration but also great amount of revenue for firms. That has been shown in both the mobile and broadband space," he said.
He added that in the telecom sector, India has the highest number of subscribers at the lowest rate possible.
Speaker Om Birla said several adjournment notices seeking to suspend House business for discussions had been received, but none were admitted.
The Lok Sabha then moved ahead with routine business, with papers, statements and reports laid on the table of the House.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 and the Sustainable Harnessing of Atomic Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill are next on the cards for discussion.
Congress MP K.C Venugopal said that the Opposition has requested the two bills be sent to a standing committee or a joint parliamentary committee.
"There should be an adequate number of hours dedicated to the discussion of the Bill," Venugopal added.
Meanwhile, Speaker Om Birla said the House would hold detailed discussions on the bills and was prepared to sit late into the night if necessary.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government was ready to allot time both for the bills and for the special discussion sought by the Opposition.
Congress MPs protested in the Parliament House complex against the Centre over its alleged misuse of the Enforcement Directorate, in the wake of court relief to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case.
The party MP asserted that truth prevailed when a Delhi court refused to take cognisance of the probe agency's money laundering charge against the two party leaders in the case.
Lifting a banner that read 'Satyamev Jayate, Truth Prevails', the MPs lined up in front of the Makar Dwar steps and raised slogans against the government and demanded an apology from the Narendra Modi government.
Congress general secretary in-charge organisation K C Venugopal, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Tariq Anwar, Kumari Selja, K Suresh, Manickam Tagore, among others, participated in the protest.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Atomic Energy, moved that the Sustainable Harnessing of Atomic Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill be taken into consideration in the Lok Sabha.
He further said that the SHANTI Bill "is a very important and historic bill."
Opposition, however, raised objections against the Bill.
Responding to questions on road safety, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said that at least 50,000 deaths could have been avoided if timely medical aid was provided.
Gadkari further said that two schemes have been introduced to aid people who have met with accidents.
“Whoever admits an injured person to a hospital will be declared ‘Rahaveer’ and given a prize of Rs 25,000. Also hospital bills upto Rs 2.5 lakhs will be insured by NHAI for the first seven days."
He further said that a centralised number with a modernised ambulance service will be done in a MoU with the state governments to ensure ambulances reach the accident site in 10 minutes.
Raising concerns over the stagnation of tribal autonomous councils, UPPL MP from Assam, Rwngwra Narzary demanded immediate passage of the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019, which has been pending in the Rajya Sabha for over five years.
Speaking during Zero Hour, Narzary highlighted that while the Constitution provides for self-governance to India's nine per cent tribal population through the Sixth Schedule, the 10 autonomous councils created under this provision have remained "stagnant" for 74 years, denying tribals their "rightful share of development".
Congress MP Manish Tewari questioned the proposed nuclear legislation, highlighting the omission of any clause on supplier liability.
He also questioned how the change would serve India’s interests.
"I did not find a single word about suppliers' liability," he said, further adding that there will be a greater presence of foreign suppliers if the nuclear sector is opened up.
"How is removing the supplier’s liability clause going to help India?" he questioned.
He warned that removing such safeguards could dilute accountability and leave the country vulnerable in the future.
Athlete-turned-Rajya Sabha member P T Usha raised concern over the deepening crisis faced by coffee growers in Kerala's Wayanad district, urging the government to take coordinated and time-bound action to address issues ranging from human-wildlife conflict to crop insurance failures.
Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Usha, one of India's most celebrated track and field athletes who hails from Kozhikode district, said Wayanad contributes significantly to the country's coffee economy and rural livelihood.
"The first and most alarming issue is human and wildlife conflict. Wild animals are increasingly entering the coffee plantations causing extensive crop damage and grave threat to human life," she said.
Two Rajya Sabha members raised concerns over aviation connectivity in their respective states, highlighting the lack of direct international flights from Kolkata and the disruption of regional air services in Himachal Pradesh.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, TMC MP Saket Gokhale said that, despite Kolkata Airport serving as a gateway for West Bengal and the entire northeastern region, there are no direct flights to destinations in the US and Europe.
Meanwhile, BJP member Harsh Mahajan drew attention to disruptions to air services on crucial routes in Himachal Pradesh under the UDAN Regional Connectivity Scheme.
He said air connectivity on important sectors such as Delhi-Shimla, Shimla-Dharamshala and Shimla-Amritsar has been affected due to the expiry of contracts.
He further urged the Civil Aviation Minister to restore air services at the earliest by inviting new operators or renewing the UDAN scheme agreement with existing ones.
Speaking in the House, Saugata Ray of the Trinamool Congress opposed the Bill, arguing that it opens the door for large private players to enter India’s nuclear energy space, a sector he said should remain firmly under public control.
Echoing concerns from the Opposition benches, Arun Nehru of the DMK described the very title of the Bill as an oxymoron, stressing that nuclear energy, by its nature, is extremely powerful and fraught with risk. He cautioned against permitting private participation in sensitive sectors such as energy, citing past tragedies and rising costs.
Drawing parallels, he pointed to the finance sector, where corporate write-offs have mounted, and to food and agriculture, where private involvement, he said, has contributed to fertiliser shortages.
The Parliament passed a bill seeking to repeal or amend 71 obsolete and outdated laws with a view to enhancing ease of living for citizens.
Piloting the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2025, in the Rajya Sabha, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said it aimed at removing outdated laws, correcting errors that had crept in during the law-making process and removing discriminatory aspects of certain laws.
Shashi Tharoor on flagged concerns over a provision in the SHANTI Bill that allows the Central government to exempt nuclear facilities from licensing or liability if the perceived risk is deemed “insignificant.”
The Congress MP warned that such discretionary powers could weaken regulatory oversight, calling it a “backdoor” that enables plants to bypass safety and accountability frameworks at the government’s convenience.
The satellite-based toll collection system will be operational across the country by 2026-end, which will eliminate the waiting time at toll plazas for commuters and bring more revenue for the government, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
He said the new technology will be satellite and AI-based and commuters will not have to wait at toll plazas.
This will help save fuel worth Rs 1,500 crore and add Rs 6,000 crore to the government revenue and there will be zero wait time at toll plazas, he added.
"The multi-lane free flow toll (MLFF) is a very good facility. Earlier, we had to pay at the toll, and it would take 3 to 10 minutes; then, due to FastTag, the time has come down to 60 seconds or less. Our income has increased by at least Rs 5,000 crore. After MLFF came, replacing FastTag, cars can now cross the toll at a maximum of 80 km per hour, and no one will be stopped at the toll," road transport and highways minister said in the House.
Lok Sabha passed the nuclear energy bill with Union minister Jitendra Singh asserting that it would help India achieve its target of 100 GW atomic energy generation by 2047.
Singh termed the bill a "milestone legislation" that will give a new direction to the country's developmental journey.
"India's role in geopolitics is increasing. If we have to be a global player, we have to follow global benchmarks and global strategies. The world is moving towards clean energy. We too have set a target of 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047," he said.
A Bill replacing the 20-year-old MNREGA and seeking to guarantee rural jobs for 125 days every year came up for discussion in the Lok Sabha, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that the measure will not only ensure employment but also fulfil Mahatma Gandhi's dream of making villages self-reliant.
Moving the Bill for consideration and passage, Chouhan, the Union Rural Development Minister, said the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill will ensure all-around development of villages and make them poverty-free, fuelling their growth journey.
TMC MP Mahua Moitra mounted a sharp attack on the VB–G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha, questioning the rationale behind replacing and renaming MGNREGA.
Recalling the scheme’s launch in 2005, she said it had created large-scale rural employment and accused the government of “communalising” the law by invoking the name of Lord Ram.
“This is not for Ram or Rahim,” she said, adding that the Bill was not aimed at genuine development. Moitra also demanded the release of pending MGNREGA funds for West Bengal, noting that allocations had already been withheld and alleging that the Centre was now moving to repeal the law altogether, despite the Bill proposing a legal guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per rural household.
Backing the Opposition’s criticism, DMK MP K Kanimozhi said even the title of the VB–G RAM G Bill was troubling.
She argued that the naming reflected an attempt to impose Hindi on non-Hindi-speaking states and accused the Centre of repeatedly pushing Hindi or Sanskrit on regional states under the guise of policy initiatives, warning against enforced linguistic uniformity.
TDP's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu voiced support for the VB–G RAM G Bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the proposed law largely carries forward the spirit of MGNREGA.
He noted that rural job programmes were in place well before 2005 under various titles, referring to initiatives like Jawahar Rozgar Yojana and Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana, and argued that the current Bill represents a reworked version rather than a departure from the existing model.
He also welcomed the proposal to raise the guaranteed number of workdays from 100 to 125, terming it a constructive move for rural employment.
