Top news headlines of today – 19 Dec 2025

New Delhi: Parliament on Thursday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of rural wage employment every year amid vociferous protests by the opposition, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that it was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it on Thursday, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA and accusing the government of putting the financial burden on states.

Several members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after demanding its withdrawal and raising slogans against the government. They also tore pages of the Bill, with Chairman C P Radhakrishnan warning them not to go towards the treasury benches.

The opposition parties later sat on a 12-hour overnight dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill.

In another development, TikTok has signed a deal to sell its US business to three American investors – Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX – ensuring the popular social video platform can continue operating in the United States.

The deal is expected to close on January 22, according to an internal memo seen by The Associated Press. CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees in the memo that ByteDance and TikTok have signed binding agreements with the three investors.

Bangladesh is tensed again. Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising who was shot last week, died on Thursday while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days.

Hadi, also a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, was shot in the head by masked gunmen on Friday as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.

The interim government of Muhammad Yunus on Monday sent Hadi to Singapore in an air ambulance for advanced treatment as doctors in Dhaka described his condition “extremely critical”.

Follow this page as we track big developments of the day...

Dec 19, 2025 14:08 IST
No surprises expected but T20WC could be SKY's last as India skipper
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his deputy Shubman Gill's indifferent form is a massive concern but the national selection committee is unlikely to make any shocking changes when it picks the 15-member squad for next year's T20 World Cup here on Saturday.
 
The BCCI would be at liberty to replace any of the named 15 till the start of the T20 World Cup on February 7. For the record, during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Varun Chakravarthy replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal after slow tracks in Dubai were taken into consideration. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 13:05 IST
G RAM G Bill 'anti village', Modi govt demolished 20 years of MGNREGA in one day: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the Modi government of demolishing 20 years of MGNREGA in a single day, and dubbed the new VB-G RAM G legislation as “anti village”.
 
Noting that the VB-G RAM G Bill is not a “revamp” of MGNREGA, Gandhi said in a post on X, “Last night, the Modi government demolished twenty years of MGNREGA in one day.
 
“It demolishes the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee and turns it into a rationed scheme which is controlled from Delhi. It is anti-state and anti-village by design.” READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 13:01 IST
Disruptions unbecoming of MPs, says Rajya Sabha Chairman as Winter session ends
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Friday strongly disapproved of disruptions by Opposition members during the passage of the rural employment guarantee bill (G RAM G), terming the conduct "unbecoming of Members of Parliament", and urged them to introspect and refrain from such behaviour in future.
 
Radhakrishnan read out a synopsis of the legislative and other business transacted during the 15-day sitting of the Winter session before adjourning the proceedings sine die. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 12:55 IST
Lok Sabha wraps up Winter Session with key Bills, 111% productivity
Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die on Friday, drawing curtains on the 19-day-long Winter Session of Parliament.
 
During the brief session with 15 sittings, key Bills were passed, including the one to open up the civil nuclear sector for private companies.
 
Another Bill to replace the MNREGA with a new law – the VB-G RAM G Bill – assuring 125 days of guaranteed jobs for rural India was passed amid opposition protests on Thursday, including tearing of papers. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 11:35 IST
No conclusive data linking higher AQI to lung diseases: Govt tells Rajya Sabha
There is no conclusive data establishing a direct correlation between higher air quality index (AQI) levels and lung diseases, the government has told Parliament.
 
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh on Thursday, however, acknowledged that air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 11:29 IST
Situation tense in Bangladesh after unrest over uprising leader’s death
Tension gripped Bangladesh on Friday after the death of prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadin triggered protests and violence in various parts of the country.
 
While no incidents of violence were reported in the morning, Thursday night saw attacks and vandalism in various parts of the country after Chief Adviser Yunus confirmed Inquilab Mancha leader Hadi's death.
 
The initial announcement of his death had earlier come from the Inquilab Mancha. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 10:48 IST
Dense fog blankets north India, IMD issues red alert for Delhi
A thick layer of fog stretching from Punjab to Bihar reduced visibility across the Indo-Gangetic plains on Friday morning, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for Delhi and warning that road, rail and air traffic may be affected.
 
IMD officials said satellite imagery showed a dense fog cover over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, northeast Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 10:42 IST
Delhi air quality stays very poor; AQI at 382 amid dense smog
Early morning visibility was low in parts of the national capital on Friday due to a thick layer of smog and haze, with mercury levels settling at 9 degree Celsius.
 
Delhi's air remained in the 'very poor' category, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 382, edging closer to the 'severe' category.
 
According to the Central Pollution Control Board's SAMEER app, out of 40 air quality monitoring stations across the city, 14 recorded severe air quality while 26 were in the very poor category. Vivek Vihar recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 434, the data showed. read more



Dec 19, 2025 10:14 IST
Rupee strengthens past 90/USD level in early trade
The rupee appreciated 24 paise to 89.96 against the US dollar in early trade on Friday, supported by corporate dollar inflows and easing crude oil prices.
 
Forex traders said the gain in the USD/INR pair follows the rupee’s string of record lows in recent weeks on likely intervention from the Reserve Bank of India. READ MORE



Dec 19, 2025 09:19 IST
Rupee rises 10 paise to 90.10 against the US dollar in early trade.



Dec 19, 2025 08:35 IST
Noticeable reduction in vehicular movement on Delhi roads after GRAP-4 imposed: Govt
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday said a noticeable reduction in vehicular movement was observed on the city roads following strict enforcement of anti-pollution measures under GRAP-4, with increased public compliance with the Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms.
 
Read more...