Parliament Watch: E-filing portal scales up as ITR rush peaks, LTCG mop-up jumps 79% to ₹1.29 lakh cr in AY26 & more

The finance ministry told Parliament on Monday that the income tax e-filing portal has been upgraded to handle one crore income tax return (ITR) applications per day, aiming to address concerns over technical glitches during the ongoing busy filing season. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, in a written reply, said ITR filings between July 8 and July 14 more than doubled on an annual basis in a few days, reaching 12.22 lakh returns on July 14, while daily inflows rose to nearly 99 lakh. Total daily transactions on the portal, including return applications, entries, Challan generation and Form 26AS downloads, reached 1.61 crore on July 14, compared to 95.3 lakh in the previous year.

LTCG Mop-Up rose 79% to ₹1.29 Lakh Cr in AY26

Income collections from long-term capital gains (LTCG) increased by nearly 79% to Rs 1.29 lakh crore in the assessment year (AY) 2025-26 and the government is not considering any proposal to waive LTCG for domestic and retail investors, the finance ministry told Parliament on Monday. The Income Tax Department collected ₹ 1,29,158 crore under long-term capital gains tax in AY 2025-26, compared to ₹ 72,249 crore in 2024-25, MoS for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

Central Debt Drops to 58.2% of GDP

The Centre’s outstanding debt rose from ₹ 121.8 lakh crore in 2020-21 to ₹ 201.2 lakh crore by the end of 2025-26. However, debt as a percentage of GDP has decreased from 61.4% in 2020-21 to 58.2% in 2025-26, Finance Minister Pankaj Chaudhary said in his written reply to the Lok Sabha. This reflects “the ability of an expanding economy to support rising debt levels,” he said, adding that the government aims to maintain a fiscal deficit trajectory that will reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio.

MSME Export Base Expands to 2 Lakhs

MoS for MSMEs Shobha Karandlaje told the Rajya Sabha that the number of MSMEs exporting goods increased from 1.8 lakh in FY25 and 1.6 lakh in FY24 to 26 lakh. The export turnover increased by 9% in FY26 compared to FY25, the Minister said.

Coal Stocks Are Sufficient: Government

Thermal power plants are being supplied with sufficient coal to meet the daily demand, MoS of Power Shripad Naik told the Rajya Sabha on Monday. Coal-based generation capacity is approximately 230.8 GW, accounting for 69.54% of electricity supplied between April and June 2026. Maximum generation from such plants reached approximately 188.8 GW (approximately 75% of the total 251.4 GW) during solar off-peak hours. Planned maintenance of thermal units is planned in advance, taking into account the demand over the months.

1.42 Lakh MSMEs Closed During

Around 1.42 lakh micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) were closed in FY 22-26, affecting employment of around 10.26 lakh people. During the same period, 774.1 lakh MSMEs were registered employing around 35.31 million people, Shobha Karandlaje, MoS for MSMEs, told the Rajya Sabha. Businesses may deregister for a variety of reasons, including change of ownership, duplicate registrations, certifications no longer required, or business closure.

CapEx Increased 5 Times to ₹64.7L Cr Since FY 2014

The Centre’s capital expenditure between FY 2014 and FY 26 increased to ₹ 64.70 lakh crore compared to ₹ 12.4 lakh crore in the decade in FY 2014, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Monday. Capital expenditure increased to 3.2% of GDP from 1.6% in FY26, he told the Lok Sabha. He said the government continues to prioritize effective capital expenditure, which includes both capital expenditure and aid to states for capital asset creation. As a result, effective capex rose to ₹90.9 lakh crore between FY04 and FY26 and ₹17 lakh crore between FY04 and FY14.

Foreign Currency Inflows Are Increasing Despite the West Asian War

Net private transfers – mostly remittances from Indians working abroad – rose 16.2% year-on-year to $144.8 billion in FY26 despite ongoing conflict in West Asia, Parliament was told on Monday. Net transfers rose to $16 billion in April, up more than 70% from $9.4 billion a year earlier.

ITIs Jump to 13,856

The number of industrial training institutes (ITIs) increased from 9,642 in 2014 to 13,856 in 2026, while the number of enrollment increased from 9,51,168 in FY 2015 to 14,70,277 in FY 26. MoS (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary informed LS on Monday.