New Delhi, July 19 (IANS) The Centre is set to introduce five new bills during the monsoon session of Parliament which kicks off on Monday, which include proposals related to income tax and MSME reforms, an increase in the strength of Supreme Court judges and changes in the birth registration laws.
Among the new legislations to be taken up during the Eighth Session of the Eighteenth Lok Sabha, the government is expected to introduce the Income-tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, both of which seek to replace ordinances. It will also table the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
The Income Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2026 will replace an earlier ordinance. This bill is being introduced to strengthen India’s sovereign debt market, attract global capital flows and enhance market liquidity amid global geopolitical instability, fluctuations in crude oil prices and supply chain disruptions.
The Ordinance was promulgated last month to attract foreign capital to ease pressure on the depreciating rupee due to the West Asia crisis. The government exempted foreign investors from income tax on interest earnings and capital gains from government securities as it looked to attract foreign capital to counteract pressure on the rupee.
The second ordinance which will be replaced is the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026, which seeks to raise the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court judges from 33 to 37 (excluding the Chief Justice of India) to facilitate speedy disposal of pending cases.
The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill, 2026 aims to promote ‘ease of doing business’ and trust-based regulations in the MSME sector, strengthening the mechanism for addressing delayed payments and granting greater powers to the states.
Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 aims to amend Section 13(3) of the original 1969 law (which was also amended in 2023) to make rules on delayed registration of births and deaths stricter and more streamlined.
Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Bill, 2026: It seeks to amend the 1971 law for tougher action against acts that disrespect national symbols or undermine national honour.
In addition, the government will take up two Bills which are already before Parliament. These include the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, and the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, which was introduced on December 15, 2025, after which it was referred to a Joint Committee of Parliament for further consideration.
Apart from the legislative business, the government will present the Demands for Supplementary Grants for the year 2022-23 for discussing and voting in parliament.
There has been speculation that the government will proceed with the Constitution Amendment Bills on delimitation and women’s reservation only after it is confident of securing the requisite two-thirds majority.
The Monsoon Session, scheduled from July 20 to August 13, is expected to witness sharp exchanges between the ruling government and Opposition benches. Leaders of Opposition parties in both Houses will meet on the opening day of the session to finalise a joint strategy on the government’s legislative agenda and key issues they intend to raise.
Ahead of the Monsoon Session, the government has convened an all-party meeting on July 19, where it is expected to brief political parties on its legislative business.
–IANS
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