PM Modi says that as far as diplomacy is concerned, India’s role is fairly clear. We have been advocating de-escalation.

“Dialogue and diplomacy are the only ways,” he says.

“The situation arising out of this war is going to be felt for a long time. We need to be prepared and remain united,” PM Modi adds.

The Prime Minister also alerted that certain elements try to take advantage of the situation, and that’s why law and order need to be monitored carefully.

To prepare for times of crisis, India has, in the last decade, India has prepared for times of crisis like this by prioritising storage of crude oil. Today, India has 53 lakh metric ton of strategic reserve petrol. 

The country is running on reserves of 56 lakh metric ton available. This is separate from the oil companies’ reserves.

Our refining capacity has also notably grown in the last 11 years.

The PM says that regarding the impact of the war on agriculture, the government has made adequate arrangements for fertilizers. He said the government didn’t allow the impact of COVID to be felt by farmers.

He assures the farmers of India that the government will do everything possible to help them.

After the war started, till now, 3,75,000 Indians have returned to India safely. Around 1,000 Indians have returned safely from Iran itself. Around 700 of them are students studying MBBS.

He also says that the government is working on short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies to minimise the impact of the West Asia crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that the situation in West Asia is worrisome. “The Parliament of India should send a united voice on the West Asia crisis,” Mr. Modi says.

“This conflict has been going on for more than 3 weeks now. It is affecting people everywhere. The area where the war is happening, with other states, is an important aspect of business for us,” he says.

The PM says 53 lakh metric tonne of strategic petroleum reserves. He says that because of ethanol blending, India is importing 4.5 crore barrels less than earlier.

He also says that the government’s focus should be on electric mobility.

Central Armed Police Forces General Administration 2026 will be considered as and when the motion for the introduction of the bill is moved by the Minister.

House to take up Appropriation No. 2 Bill 2026 after lunch hour. The Business Advisory Committee, in its March 11 meeting, allocated 7 hours for a combined discussion on Appropriation No. 2 Bill 2026 and Finance Bill as passed by the Lok Sabha.

Responding to Opposition Members opposing the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill 2026, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says that this law came before the House after 2 years of deliberation, and the recommendations of the Company Law Committee and its reports in 2022. The report was also uploaded to the website for public comments.

The proposed provisions for National Financial Reporting Authorities Powers are similar to those given to other regulators like SEBI, CCI and IBBI. 

Regarding the concern about CSR, only the net profit criteria is being amended to favour small businesses that are striving to grow.

Regarding access to education loans for students belonging to below the poverty line (BPL), the Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan says there is no major scheme allocated state-wise or district-wise. “The net of the Education Ministry’s scheme is very wide,” Mr. Pradhan says.

For the last two years, the PM Vijayalakshmi scheme has been revised with the help of the Finance Ministry. It does not require a guarantor or collateral, has a payback period of up to 15 years, is liberal with regard to family income, and has interest rates of 3% and higher.

With the second leg of the Parliament Budget session set to resume today, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Corporate Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026, further to amend the Limited Liability Partnership Act, 2008 and the Companies Act, 2013.

According to the List of Business issued by the Secretary General of Lok Sabha, the Union Finance Minister will also move that the Finance Bill, 2026, which will give effect to the financial proposals of the Central Government for the financial year 2026-2027, be taken into consideration.

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to commence proceedings for the ongoing second phase of the Budget Session at 11 a.m. today.

Meanwhile, several ministers, including Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jayant Chaudhary, Shobha Karandlaje, Kirit Vardhan Singh, Sukanta Majumdar, and Harsh Malhotra, are scheduled to lay papers on the table of the House.

- ANI

Members of Parliament and officials of political parties from across the country on Sunday (March 22, 2026) spoke out against the Union government’s Bill to amend the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which proposes to remove the right to a self-perceived gender identity and introduces the requirement for a medical board to determine whether a person is transgender based on a new definition of “transgender person”.

At a public hearing held at the Press Club of India, Rajya Sabha MPs from the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian National Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) spoke against the Bill and said that there was an attempt to coordinate a strategy to oppose it within Parliament. However, Manoj Kumar Jha, MP from the RJD, said, “This government is only afraid of the streets,” even as Renuka Chowdhury said that it would be an “uphill battle”. John Brittas said that while no formal meeting of political parties had taken place over the strategy to oppose the Bill, it is expected to be taken up in the next meeting of Opposition Parliamentarians.

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