Parliament passed the Appropriation Bill, 2026, on Wednesday after demands for grants of various ministries were guillotined and approved by the Lower House through voice vote, thus paving the way for withdrawal of funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the approved spending for 2026-27.On March 17, the Rajya Sabha returned the Bill to the Lok Sabha after discussion. The Finance Bill is likely to be introduced in Lok Sabha on March 23 and could be passed on the same day.The passage of the demands for grants marks the key state in the Union Budget process, during which detailed expenditure proposals of different ministries are discussed on its programmes and schemes across sectors ranging from infrastructure and defence to social welfare and rural development.Meanwhile, responding to a discussion on demands for grants for the agriculture ministry, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said all recent agricultural agreements under the Centre have been framed keeping the interest of farmers in mind.Taking a jibe at the Congress, Chouhan claimed that the Opposition party indulged in politics when power was at stake but pretended to serve the people only when it found it convenient. He added that unjust criticism had been raised about agricultural agreements, but as a farmer, as a citizen, and as India’s Agriculture Minister, he firmly believed that all agreements had been made for the benefits of farmers and the nation.Chouhan noted that in 2013-14, the agriculture budget was Rs 21,933 crore, whereas this year, Rs 1,30,561 crore had been allocated (2026-27).