Winter Session Day 3: Lok Sabha passes Bill to levy excise duty on tobacco
Once enacted, the Bill will give the government the financial capacity to raise the central excise duty on tobacco and related products after the termination of the GST compensation cess
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday (December 3) approved legislation to impose an increased excise duty on tobacco and related products following the conclusion of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation cess. The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, received approval through a voice vote in the Lower House.
Once enacted, the Bill will provide the government with the financial capacity to raise the central excise duty on tobacco and associated products following the termination of the GST compensation cess, which is presently levied on all tobacco items such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, hookah, zarda, and flavoured tobacco.
Presently, a 28 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) plus cess at a varied rate is levied on tobacco and related products.
The proposed legislation seeks to impose an excise duty of 60-70 percent on unmanufactured tobacco. For cigars and cheroots, an excise rate of 25 percent or Rs 5,000 per 1,000 sticks is suggested, whichever amount is greater. Cigarettes are proposed to be taxed based on their length and filter, with rates ranging from Rs 2,700 to Rs 11,000 per 1,000 sticks, while chewing tobacco is proposed to be taxed at Rs 100 per kilogram.
The Bill also intends to replace the table that outlines the tariff rates for tobacco and tobacco products found in Section IV of the Fourth Schedule of the Central Excise Act, 1944.
Opposition MPs arrive wearing masks
Earlier in the day, Opposition MPs arrived in Parliament for the third day of the Winter Session wearing gas masks to protest against the severe pollution in Delhi. Parliamentarians of the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc also protested against the four Labour Codes in the morning. Members of Parliament from the Trinamool Congress protested against the Narendra Modi government over pending central funds due for West Bengal.
INDIA bloc strategises on electoral reform talks
Floor leaders of the INDIA bloc held a meeting to finalise their strategy after the government agreed to the Opposition’s insistence on discussing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll under the broader issue of electoral reforms.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, along with Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, attended the meeting as the alliance worked to align its approach for the upcoming debates.
The Lok Sabha will take up the matter of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls next Tuesday (December 9), when it is scheduled to be included in a broader debate on electoral reforms.
The decision followed an all-party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House witnessed a complete washout for the second straight day, with disruptions stemming from the standoff between the government and the Opposition over the timing of the SIR discussion.
Heated scenes in RS
The Rajya Sabha, on the other hand, saw a heated exchange during the day after Trinamool member Dola Sen raised during the Zero Hour the home ministry's November 25 directive to rename all Raj Bhavans in the country as Lok Bhavans. She also spoke on additional issues, including MGNREGA, prompting the House Chair to step in and say that the deviated remarks would not go on record.
Also Read: Centre nod for poll reforms debate; Parliament standoff may end today
Govt sets December 9-10 debate on electoral reforms amid SIR logjam
SIR clash in Rajya Sabha as Chair rejects debate, Opposition walks out
Govt invites Opposition for talks to end Parliament impasse over SIR
Winter session disrupted by anti-SIR protest, Lok Sabha adjourned for the day
Follow more LIVE updates below
Live Updates
- 3 Dec 2025 6:09 PM IST
Central Excise Bill 2025 passed in Lok Sabha, House adjouned for the day
The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, has been passed in the Lok Sabha. Proceedings have been adjourned for the day.
- 3 Dec 2025 6:02 PM IST
MPs share tobacco struggles as Lok Sabha debates new excise bill
A discussion in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposes a new excise framework for cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, hookah, zarda and scented tobacco in place of the existing GST compensation cess took a lighthearted turn as several MPs spoke about their own experiences with tobacco addiction while calling for tougher curbs on its use.
TMC MP Sougata Roy candidly admitted to struggling with smoking, saying, “I have been a smoker myself, and I am trying to quit… people say you will live only for five years.” He questioned whether the government had a responsibility to help reduce tobacco consumption. Presiding MP Jagdambika Pal interjected humorously, suggesting Roy could serve as a “brand ambassador.”
BJP MP Arun Govil also shared his story, saying he supported the bill because he had been “tobacco-free for 50 years.” He recalled being a chain smoker before Ramayan, stating that once the show entered his life, he quit all forms of tobacco.
DMK MP Dr Kalanidhi Veeraswamy urged stronger cessation support in every constituency, arguing that even modest reductions in use could improve lives. This led to light-hearted banter when TDP MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu remarked on Veeraswamy’s own smoking habits, prompting the Chair to intervene.
Under the proposed excise structure, unmanufactured tobacco would face a 60–70 per cent levy, cigars and cheroots a 25 per cent duty or Rs 5,000 per 1,000 sticks, and smaller cigarette categories Rs 2,700 to Rs 4,500 per 1,000 sticks.
(With agency inputs)
- 3 Dec 2025 5:55 PM IST
Centre targets 5,171 women recruits in CAPFs for 2025-26
The government has set a target of recruiting 5,171 women into the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) for 2025–26, marking nearly a 60% rise from the 3,239 women inducted the previous year, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, presenting data in a written reply, said the largest share of the proposed intake would be in the Border Security Force (BSF), which is expected to add 2,513 women. The plan also includes 1,192 recruits in the CRPF, 1,375 in the ITBP, and 91 in the SSB, he said.
Rai recalled that in 2016 the government decided to reserve 33 per cent of constable-level posts in the CRPF and 14-15 per cent in BSF, SSB and ITBP for women. He said steps are being taken to ensure safe working conditions, gender-sensitive protocols and proper facilities for women personnel.
Women are deployed in section strength or buddy pairs, while units provide separate accommodation, changing rooms, toilets, childcare facilities, medical support, help desks and confidential complaint systems. Regular gender sensitisation programmes are also being held, he added.
(With agency inputs)
- 3 Dec 2025 5:45 PM IST
Tobacco excise to enter divisible pool, shared with states, says Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Lok Sabha that excise duty collected from tobacco will now form part of the divisible pool and be shared with the states.
- 3 Dec 2025 5:34 PM IST
Sitharaman:1.12 lakh acres shift from tobacco across 10 states
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha said farmers must be encouraged to move away from tobacco cultivation. She noted that sustained efforts are underway in 10 states to promote alternative crops, adding that over 1.12 lakh acres have already shifted from tobacco to other varieties between 2018 and 2022.
- 3 Dec 2025 5:22 PM IST
Rajya Sabha adjourned for day
Rajya Sabha proceedings have been adjourned for the day.
- 3 Dec 2025 5:20 PM IST
Rajya Sabha adopts water pollution amendment for Manipur
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday approved the statutory resolution to extend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, to Manipur, according to PTI. Environment and Forest Minister Bhupender Yadav introduced the resolution, noting that Parliament must adopt the measure because Manipur is currently under President’s rule.
As reported by PTI, the amendment aims to decriminalise minor violations related to water pollution and authorises the Centre to set the service conditions for the chairpersons of State Pollution Control Boards. It also allows certain categories of industrial plants to be exempted from specific statutory restrictions under the existing framework.
(With agency inputs)
- 3 Dec 2025 5:02 PM IST
Centre says 4.8 lakh backlog quota vacancies filled since 2016
The Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday that the identification and filling of reserved vacancies for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) in central government ministries is an ongoing exercise. In a written reply, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said all ministries and departments have been directed to set up in-house committees to assess backlog vacancies, analyse the reasons behind them, and take corrective steps, including launching special recruitment drives.
His response came to a question on the total number of unfilled posts reserved for SCs, STs and OBCs across central ministries and departments. Singh said ministries have also been asked to appoint a liaison officer- at the level of deputy secretary or above-to ensure compliance with reservation policies, supported by a special reservation cell working directly under that officer.
He added that these instructions have been repeatedly reinforced and capacity-building efforts conducted, leading to the filling of more than 4.80 lakh backlog vacancies since 2016.
(With agency inputs)
- 3 Dec 2025 3:57 PM IST
Punjab MPs seek Centre’s aid after rains devastate farmland
Lok Sabha members from Punjab on Wednesday pressed the Centre to provide urgent financial assistance to farmers who suffered extensive crop damage during the heavy rains that hit the state in August and September. Raising the matter during Zero Hour, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said torrential rainfall had devastated “2,500 villages across six districts of Punjab,” leaving farmers with severe losses.
Kang noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers had visited the state after the disaster but claimed that “the state has not received a single penny” of the promised Central aid. He urged the government to step in with substantial support, saying, “I demand the Government of India announce a special package of Rs 50,000 crore to help the farmers of Punjab.”
Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also highlighted the scale of destruction, stating that five lakh hectares of arable land had been buried under silt carried by the swollen Ravi and Beas rivers. She called on the Centre to “mitigate the sufferings of farmers” who had endured major losses in the floods three months earlier.
Badal further requested that compensation be transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts to prevent delays arising from “cross-claims on flood relief” between the Centre and the state government.
(With agency inputs)
- 3 Dec 2025 3:53 PM IST
Opposition demands Manipur elections as Rajya Sabha debates Pollution Bill
Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha demanded immediate elections in Manipur as the Upper House considered a resolution to extend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, to the state. The resolution was introduced by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who said Parliament must adopt it because “there is President’s rule in Manipur.”
During the debate, Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev criticised the Centre for allowing President’s rule to continue. “What we are doing today was meant to be done by the assembly of Manipur… there is a suspended assembly,” she said. Questioning the government’s claims of improving ease of living, she asked, “Which one of these things is there in the state of Manipur today, and who is responsible for it?” Dev argued that bringing such legislation while people remain displaced “is a mockery,” and insisted that elections must be held, calling the situation “a murder of cooperative federalism.”
Congress MP Neeraj Dangi said conditions had deteriorated so severely that “law and order has totally collapsed.” He criticised the prime minister for not visiting earlier, alleging that his recent trip was “for votes.” DMK MP P. Wilson questioned how long Parliament could “usurp the role” of the state assembly.
BJP MP Sanjaoba Leishemba supported the resolution, noting it was necessary under Article 356. The amendment act seeks to decriminalise minor pollution-related offences and rationalise penalties.
(With agency inputs)
