Parliament winter session highlights: Lok Sabha passes Central Excise (Amendment) Bill to tax tobacco, related products

Parliament winter session 2025 highlights: The Bill seeks to levy a higher excise duty on tobacco and related products once the GST compensation cess ends.

Parliament winter session 2025 highlights: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said tax revenues collected from this excise duty would go to the “divisible pool”. (Sansad TV/ANI Video Grab)

Parliament winter session 2025 highlights: Lok Sabha has passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 by a voice vote. The Bill seeks to levy a higher excise duty on tobacco and related products once the GST compensation cess ends....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 3 Dec 2025, 08:25:07 PM IST

  Updates to this live blog have ended.

  Updates to this live blog have ended.

• 3 Dec 2025, 07:32:03 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Excise collected from tobacco to be shared with states, says Sitharaman

  Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said the tax revenues collected from excise duty on tobacco and related products will go to the divisible pool, and will be shared with the states.

  Sitharaman further clairified that this is not an additional tax, adding that the same tax burden which is applicable under GST will continue.

• 3 Dec 2025, 06:33:46 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Lok Sabha passes Bill to levy higher excise duty on tobacco

  Lok Sabha has passed the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 by a voice vote to levy a higher excise duty on tobacco and related products once the GST compensation cess ends.

  After enacted, the Bill will give the Centre fiscal space to increase the rate of central excise duty on tobacco and related products after GST compensation cess discontinues, PTI news agency reported.

  The GST compensation cess is currently levied on all tobacco products like cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, hookah, zarda, and scented tobacco.

• 3 Dec 2025, 06:25:59 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: What was conceded by Centre for GST council to collect compensation cess now being naturally reverted, says FM Sitharaman

  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday evening spoke about compensation cess. “…What was there before 2017, what was conceded by the Centre for the GST council to collect the compensation cess, at the end of compensation cess is being naturally reverted to the Centre,” Sitharaman said.

  “This is not a new law, this is not an additional tax, this is not something that the Centre is taking away. There was quite a lot of observation made by several honourable members that it is a cess. This is not a cess. This is excise duty. It existed before GST, its come back to the Centre because the Centre gave it away at that time for collecting compensation cess. Now its reverting back to the Centre,” the finance minister clarified.

• 3 Dec 2025, 06:10:50 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: FM Sitharaman speaks on extension of compensation cess

  Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while speaking in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday evening, talked about the compensation cess being collected.

  “The compensation cess collected till 2022 was given off to the states. And by law at the time when GST was introduced, compensation cess was to be collected for five years and it came to an end in 2022,” Sitharaman said.

  However, the finance minister said that after 2022, the cess continued to be collected. “It was still being collected because after proper legal consultation, the GST council took a call that during the covid years we couldn't collect the revenue required, and couldn't collect particularly the compensation cess which was levied on items which were 28 per cent rate,” Sitharaman said.

  The finance minister said that therefore, the states couldn't be compensated, which was a promise under the GST. “So taking legal opinion, it was extended to such a period – of course outer limited was March 2026 – till when it had to be collected for returning the loan which was taken for paying the states,” she said.

• 3 Dec 2025, 05:01:46 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rajya Sabha clears passes resolution for adoption of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024 in Manipur

  The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday cleared the statutory resolution for adopting the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024 in Manipur, PTI news agency reported.

  The resolution was moved by Environment and Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav, who said the two houses had to adopt the resolution on the central act given that there is President's rule in Manipur.

  The Act seeks to decriminalise minor offences related to water pollution, according to the PTI report, and enable the Centre to prescribe service conditions of chairpersons of State Pollution Control Boards, as well as exempt certain categories of industrial plants from statutory restrictions.

• 3 Dec 2025, 04:52:46 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Fake news threat to democracy, says Ashwini Vaishnaw

  Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said fake news is a threat to India's democracy, while stressing on the need for strict action on social media platforms, misinformation and AI-generated deepfakes, ANI news agency reported.

  Vaishnaw, while replying to a question in Parliament, said new rules have recently been introduced, which include a provision requiring takedown within thirty-six hours.

• 3 Dec 2025, 04:38:30 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Central ministries, departments told to fill vacancies in reserved categories, says MoS Jitendra Singh

  Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh, in a written reply, said the occurrence and filling up of vacancies reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) across central government ministries is a continuous process.

  Singh said that instructions have been issued to constitute an in-house committee for identification of such vacancies, study their cause, inititate measures to remove such factors and fill such vacancies through special recruitment drivers, PTI news agency reported.

• 3 Dec 2025, 04:30:06 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab demand special package for state's farmers

  Lok Sabha MPs from Punjab on Wednesday demanded a special package for the state's farmers. “I demand the Government of India announce a special package of ₹50,000 crore to help the farmers of Punjab,” AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, PTI news agency reported.

  Kang said farmers in 2,500 villages across six districts of Punjab faced severe losses in August-September following heavy rains.

• 3 Dec 2025, 03:46:28 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Govt taking every step to ensure safe working conditions for woman CAPF personnel, says MoS Nityanand Rai

  Minister of State Nityanand Rai said that the Centre was taking every step to ensure safe working conditions, separate accommodation facilities, and gender-sensitive operational protocols for women CAPF personnel.

  “They are being provided separate accommodation/barracks, a rest room-cum-changing room and separate toilets. Creches and Day Care Centres have also been provided to take care of their children. There is also a provision for women-centric medical support to address women-specific health issues, and Women Help Desks and confidential complaint mechanisms to address grievances related to sexual harassment,” ANI news agency quoted Rai as saying.

  Rai said that the total number of women recruited in the Financial Year 2024-25 in CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB stood at 3239, adn the target for GY 2025-26 is 5171.

• 3 Dec 2025, 03:40:50 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Airports Authority of India implementing advanced cyber security solutions, says minister Rammohan Naidu

  Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu, while speaking in Lok Sabha, said the Aiports Authority of India is implementing advanced cyber security solutions for IT networks and infrastructure.

  “These actions have been taken in accordance with the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre and Indian Computer Emergency Response Team guidelines,” PTI quoted Naidu as saying.

• 3 Dec 2025, 03:32:53 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Supriya Sule says will support Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, hopes ‘objectives are very clear’

  On the debate on the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Baramati MP Supriya Sule said she would support the Bill “wholeheartedly.” “I hope the objective is very clear to reduce smoking and make sure the tobacco farmer doesn't get hurt,” Sule added.

• 3 Dec 2025, 03:10:25 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: ‘Ethanol will benefit farmers, reduce pollution in country,’ says Nitin Gadkari

  Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday highlighted the benefits of ethanol, while also speaking on its affordability in comparison to petrol.

  “he cost of ethanol is ₹65 per litre, whereas petrol costs ₹120 per litre. Moreover, while running, ethanol produces 60% electricity. If we compare the mileage, then in terms of efficiency, the effective cost of petrol comes down to around ₹25 per litre, that is how cheap ethanol becomes in comparison,” Gadkari told PTI news agency.

  He further said that ethanol was produced by farmers by using “broken rice, maize, sugarcane juice, molasses and even rice straw or stubble.” Gadkari said that its “pollution level is zero”, thus making it a “green fuel.”

  “We currently import fossil fuels from abroad, but ethanol will benefit our farmers, reduce pollution in the country, end fuel imports and create employment for people in villages,” Gadkari told PTI.

• 3 Dec 2025, 02:44:30 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: MoS Communications says Sanchar Saathi app a tool to counter fraud

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Minister of State (MoS) for Communications, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said the Sanchar Saathi application is the only way to counter cyber fraud. Sekhar said the app can be deleted from mobile phones and that the government is ready to re-examine the order if needed. The MoS said, "I ask anyone who says it is a snooping app to please download the app. Take a look at it by yourself. There are only a few ways to prevent cyber fraud. This is, in my view, probably the only way. Whether it can mandatorily pre-install or not is a different story. The government and Scindia have just explained that we will re-examine that order. The goal of the app is to gather information from educated people and use it to help poor people and older people."

• 3 Dec 2025, 02:42:26 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: TMC MPs protest over pending dues

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Trinamool Congress MPs staged a protest in Parliament premises over the issue of pending Central dues for Bengal as they held banners and placards alleging that the Centre owed West Bengal ₹2 lakh crore. The MPs then marched to Parliament House, raising slogans over the issue. "The protest was on the very serious issues of complete breakdown of the federal structure and the fact that the MGNREGA dues of West Bengal have not been paid for the past four years, either for work already done or for new work enlisted. We have dues of over 7,000-8,000 crore in MGNREGA," TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra said.

• 3 Dec 2025, 02:40:50 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: SP MP on SIR debate

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad emphasised the urgency of addressing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) issue, saying that thorough discussions and constructive suggestions from the opposition are crucial to safeguarding India's democracy. He said such efforts will protect the right to vote, a fundamental principle enshrined by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar.

• 3 Dec 2025, 02:38:55 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: PM Modi meets Bengal BJP MPs

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: West Bengal BJP MPs met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament to discuss preparations for the 2026 elections, PTl reported. He said the current situation in the state requires clear communication and public outreach, and the party must strongly counter what is happening on the ground, the reported said quoting sources. Regarding preparations for 2026, the PM asked MPs to begin preparing detailed presentations and ensure complete groundwork for upcoming political planning and mobilisation. The Prime Minister told BJP MPs from West Bengal that incidents like the assault on MP Khagen Murmu must be highlighted effectively so that people understand the violence attributed to the TMC.

• 3 Dec 2025, 02:25:00 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP snubs Cong MP amid dog row

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: After Renuka Chowdhury's ‘woof woof’ response to reporter amid dog row, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said her remarks after bringing the dog to the House represents the Congress party's campaign to undermine the dignity of the Parliament. “We want to ask, why is the Congress party engaged in this campaign to tarnish the dignity of the Indian Parliament? Is this what the Prime Minister said is true, that the Congress is becoming the 'Muslim League Maowadi Congress'?... It demonstrates that, similar to the urban Naxalite mindset, the undermining of all constitutional operators,” he said.

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:58:42 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Renuka Chowdhury's ‘woof woof’ response to dog row

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury reacted sharply to reports claiming that the Rajya Sabha may initiate a privilege motion against her over her recent remarks involving dogs. She kicked up a row after she brought a dog to Parliament on day one of the winter session, saying the dog was wandering near an accident site and she decided to pick it up and put it in her car. Chowdhury said she is prepared for any action taken in Parliament and adds, “I will see when it is brought… I will give a befitting reply.”

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:54:32 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP MP's sharp attack on Opposition

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP MP Giriraj Singh said the Opposition's protests are meant to grab media attention as they have lost public support. He added that outside the House, they speak against the Speaker, leaving them with nothing but disruptive tactics. “These people do such things only to attract media attention because the public has rejected them. Outside of Parliament, they speak against the Speaker; nothing is left for them except doing such things,” he said.

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:49:58 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rijiju says looking forward to a constructive discussion

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that he is looking forward to "a very constructive and engaging discussion" on election reforms after an agreement between the government and opposition to resolve the impasse over demand for discussion on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:48:42 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP MP slams Opposition

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal slammed the Opposition parties for disrupting the parliamentary proceedings saying that the government has always emphasised that the issues under discussion in the House can be comfortably debated. "Certainly, our government has always emphasised that the issues under discussion in the House can be comfortably debated. But the way the opposition obstructs the House is not in keeping with the dignity of democracy... I am fully confident that when discussion takes place on both issues, the opposition will maintain a positive mindset, making the discussion meaningful," the BJP MP was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:42:19 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Scindia rejects ‘rumours’ on Sanchar Saathi app

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia rejected claims of privacy breach and snooping surrounding the Sanchar Saathi app, saying that people should not fall for rumours as he said the claims that the app cannot be uninstalled is false. Referring to the pointers of the order he said, “7B only says that the phones should have the apps installed and there should be no hindrance for the user to be able to access them, and it should not be disabled so that the user cannot use it. Nowhere does 7B say that the user cannot delete the app." He said parts of the order have been misconstrued.

• 3 Dec 2025, 01:17:11 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Union minister says willing to make changes to Sanchar Saathi app order

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told the Lok Sabha that the government is willing to make changes to the order that requires phone makers to pre-install the state-run cybersecurity Sanchar Saathi app. "We are ready to make changes to the order based on the feedback we receive," he said.

• 3 Dec 2025, 12:35:10 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: War of words in Rajya Sabha

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: The Rajya Sabha witnessed a heated exchange on Wednesday after AITC member Dola Sen raised the issue of the Ministry of Home Affairs' November 25 directive to rename all Raj Bhavans in the country as Lok Bhavans during Zero Hour.

  "But first of all, we would like to say that neither the Parliament, Assembly, nor the Cabinet is aware of this... They are not even discussing it with you, sir," Sen said.

  The discussion took a contentious turn when Sen raised additional issues, including MGNREGA, prompting the Chair to intervene and state that the deviated remarks would not go on record.

• 3 Dec 2025, 12:13:08 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Scindia says snooping not possible on Sanchar Saathi app

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Amid allegations that the Sanchar Saathi app will be a breach of privacy, communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said snooping is neither possible nor will happen with the app.

• 3 Dec 2025, 12:05:21 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Oppn leaders protest against labour codes

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Opposition MPs on Wednesday staged a protest against the four new labour codes outisde the Parliament on day three of the winter session. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, were among the leaders who held placards and demanded scrapping of the labour codes. MPs of the Congress, DMK, TMC, Left parties, among others, participated in the protest, carrying posters and placards against the new labour codes as they raised slogans demanding their rollback.

• 3 Dec 2025, 12:01:41 PM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Congress MP vows ‘befitting reply’ over dog row

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Congress MP Renuka Chaudhary said she will give a befitting reply if Rajya Sabha initiates a privilege motion against her over her recent remarks involving dogs.

• 3 Dec 2025, 11:35:19 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rajnath Singh evades question on Nehru-Babri remark

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: As defence minister Rajnath Singh arrived at the Parliament, he remained silent when asked about his remark that Jawaharlal Nehru wanted to spend government funds on Babri Masjid. Singh reportedly made the remarks in Vadodara’s Sadhli village where he was addressing a gathering as part of the Rashtriya Ekta Yatra to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

• 3 Dec 2025, 11:23:48 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Oppn MPs wear gas masks as protest against air pollution

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Some of the MPs from Opposition parties arrived at the parliament on Wednesday wearing gas masks to protest Delhi's worsening air pollution which slipped into ‘very poor’ category and on the borderline of hazardous. Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi had earlier said that issues such as air pollution need to be discussed in the Parliament, but the government is not ready for it.

• 3 Dec 2025, 11:07:13 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Oppn terms Sanchar Saathi app a ‘breach of privacy’

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: The Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha have sought permission to discuss issues related to the contentious cyber safety app, Sanchar Saathi, saying the order is a "clear breach of privacy of every smartphone/cell phone user".

• 3 Dec 2025, 10:46:36 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: PM Modi to meet Bengal BJP MPs

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to meet BJP MPs of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha today, news agency ANI reported, quoting sources.

• 3 Dec 2025, 10:25:27 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Why is Oppn protesting against the labour codes?

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rationalising the 29 existing labour laws, the Centre made the four labour codes - the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 effective from November 21. While the Centre highlighted timely wages, the inclusion of women in night shifts, and social security for gig workers among several benefits of the Labour Codes, Congress and Left party leaders have opposed them, raising concerns.

• 3 Dec 2025, 10:22:36 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Oppn to protest against labour codes

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: After the deadlock over SIR ended, the Opposition said it will protest against the four labour codes on Wednesday. “From today, the Parliament will function in the morning, and we are going to protest outside the Parliament against the Labour Codes,” Congress MP Manickam Tagore was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

• 3 Dec 2025, 10:11:47 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: BJP MP accuses Oppn of wasting 2 days

  BJP MP Dinesh Sharma accused the Opposition of wasting two days of the winter session after they disrupted the proceedings as they demanded a debate on SIR issue. Sharma said the the decision had already been taken during deliberations and accused the opposition of wasting two days without reason.

• 3 Dec 2025, 08:35:48 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Centre likely to move Central Excise (Amendment) Bill in LS

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to move the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, as per the list of business, news agency ANI reported. The Bill aims to raise excise duties and cess on tobacco products, with an amendment to the Central Excise Act, 1944.

• 3 Dec 2025, 08:12:37 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Why is Vande Mataram discussion being held before SIR debate?

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: On Tuesday, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla chaired an All-Party meeting where he reportedly assured that both the items—Vande Mataram and SIR—can be discussed, and the 150th year of Vande Mataram should be discussed first due to its historical importance.

• 3 Dec 2025, 08:05:16 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Opposition agrees for ‘Vande Mataram’ discussion

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: At an informal meeting chaired by Rijiju on Tuesday morning, the Opposition had rejected the proposal to debate Vande Mataram before discussing the SIR. Hours later, they accepted the offer.

• 3 Dec 2025, 08:04:13 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: SIR chaos in the House

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned several times on Tuesday after the Opposition MPs disrupted the proceedings over their SIR debate demand . In the Rajya Sabha, leaders from the TMC, Congress, and DMK trooped into the well of the House raising slogans. The leaders demanded an assurance on when the discussion on the pressing issue would be taken up, pointing out that as many as 28 BLOs had died.

• 3 Dec 2025, 07:55:20 AM IST

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rajya Sabha leaders to meet today

  Parliament winter session 2025 live updates: Rajya Sabha floor leaders are expected to meet today to finalise a plan to debate the SIR and 150th anniversary of ‘Vande Mataram’. However, the Upper House will debate only after the Lok Sabha completes the discussions.