New Delhi: The second half of Parliament’s Budget session is expected to begin on a stormy note on Monday, with the Lok Sabha scheduled to take up an opposition-sponsored resolution seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla.
The ongoing tensions in West Asia are also likely to dominate proceedings. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to make a statement in the Lok Sabha on the situation in the region, amid opposition criticism of the government’s stance on Iran and developments linked to US policy on India’s purchase of Russian oil.
Opposition parties are also expected to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, which reportedly led to the deletion of nearly 60 lakh names from voter lists ahead of Assembly elections.
Other issues likely to figure in the session include questions surrounding the interim Indo-US trade deal following a ruling by the US Supreme Court on tariffs imposed during the presidency of Donald Trump.
The second phase of the Budget session will primarily focus on discussion and voting on the Demands for Grants for ministries for the financial year 2026-27 and the passage of the Finance Bill, 2026, which contains the tax proposals announced in the Union Budget presented on February 1.
Parliament will also debate the functioning and expenditure proposals of five ministries in each House. The government is expected to introduce the Electricity Amendment Bill and take up other pending legislative business.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders will meet in the chamber of Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, on Monday morning to finalise their strategy. The Lok Sabha may also adjourn briefly to pay tributes to sitting MP Ricky Syngkon from Shillong, who passed away on February 19.
India taps alternative crude supplies
New Delhi: Indian refiners have begun negotiating for additional crude cargoes from the US, Russia and West Africa to ensure supplies remain adequate, industry officials and analysts said.
Refineries, which convert crude oil into fuels like petrol and diesel, have deferred planned maintenance shutdowns and are maintaining normal processing rates to create buffers that could meet the country’s requirement in the near term, they said.
India imports about 88% of its crude oil requirement, with roughly half of those supplies in February passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane between Iran and Oman that serves as a key energy transit route for global markets.
The West Asia tensions have led to a near halt in tanker movements through the strategic waterway.
“Non-strait sources are fully operational and we are sourcing more and more supplies from non-conflict zones,” a top oil ministry source said. “Non-Strait sources accounted for 60 per cent of supplies in 2025 which after the Middle East conflict climbed to 70 per cent.”
Indian refiners are tapping crude from West Africa, Latin America and the US, he said adding the US Treasury Department issuing a 30-day waiver to allow the sale and delivery of sanctioned Russian oil that has already been loaded on vessels to India has opened up another avenue.
