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Rajya Sabha
Members of Parliament on Tuesday raised issues ranging from modernisation of Anganwadi kitchens and establishment of a Bhojpuri literary academy to the growing air pollution crisis during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha. Rekha Sharma (BJP) demanded a national programme for modernising Anganwadi nutrition kitchens, proposing upgrades including stainless steel utensils and food storage, clean preparation counters, safe drinking water units and exhaust systems for ventilation. While acknowledging the Anganwadi network as one of India's proudest social welfare achievements, she said nutrition kitchens require modernisation to meet today's needs. Sharma stressed the importance of millet-based nutrition menus and urged states yet to adopt this practice, to follow the example of those already implementing it. She also called for integration of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for supply of nutritious food and strengthening of digital monitoring and growth tracking systems in Anganwadis. Kunwar Ratan
The three recently elected MPs from Jammu and Kashmir on Monday took oath as members of the Upper House. National Conference leaders -- Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and party treasurer Gurwinder Singh Oberoi took oath as Rajya Sabha members at the start of Parliament's Winter Session. While Kichloo took the oath in Urdu, Oberoi did the same in Punjabi. Ramzan took the oath in Kashmiri. After the oath, the three leaders exchanged pleasantries with Chairman C P Radhakrishnan and greeted other leaders present in the House. Last month, the National Conference won three Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP won the fourth seat in the elections.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday asserted in the Rajya Sabha that the government is not averse to holding a discussion on SIR or electoral reforms, as he asked the Opposition not to insist on setting a timeline. He was responding to opposition members who were demanding an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls or electoral reforms in the House. Not satisfied with the minister's response, members of several opposition parties staged a walkout from the Upper House. Responding to the opposition parties' demand to start an immediate discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls or electoral reforms, the minister sought more time to respond to the matter. Chairman CP Radhakrishnan earlier disallowed the notices given by nine opposition members on several issues, including a discussion on SIR under rule 267, leading to protests by the Opposition. The chairman later asked members to raise their Zero Hour ...
People's Conference chief Sajad Lone on Saturday accused the ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir of "gifting" seven votes to the BJP to ensure the saffron party's victory on one seat in the Rajya Sabha polls held on Friday, calling the elections a fixed match between the two parties. The National Conference (NC) won three seats, while the BJP managed one in the first Rajya Sabha elections held in Jammu and Kashmir after it became a Union territory in 2019. You (NC) have clearly gifted seven members to the BJP. It was a fixed match, Lone claimed at a press conference. The Rajya Sabha elections for four seats were divided into three notifications. In the third notification, elections were held for two seats. While NC's Chowdhry Mohammed Ramzan won the first seat, its candidate Sajjad Kitchloo won the second. For the third notification, the NC fielded two candidates -- G S Oberoi, also known as Shammi Oberoi, and Imran Nabi Dar. The BJP, on the other hand, fielded its Jam
The BJP on Sunday named three candidates, including its Jammu and Kashmir unit president Sat Pal Sharma, for the elections to four Rajya Sabha seats in the Union Territory scheduled for October 24. Two other candidates are Ghulam Mohammed Mir and Rakesh Mahajan. The Election Commission has issued three separate notifications for the elections to four seats. The National Conference-Congress combine has an edge in three seats while the BJP has in one, going by their strength in the assembly. The BJP's decision to force a contest will spice up the polling, as it is expected to spearhead an intensive exercise to woo MLAs from other parties to shore up support for its candidates. The ruling National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir had on Friday announced the names of its three candidates for the Rajya Sabha polls to be held on October 24, and said discussions were on with the Congress for the fourth seat.
Biennial elections to fill four Rajya Sabha seats from Jammu and Kashmir, which have been lying vacant since 2021, will be held on October 24, the Election Commission said on Wednesday. Separately, Rajya Sabha bypoll to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of AAP member from Punjab Sanjeev Arora will also be held on October 24. He had resigned following his election to the Punjab assembly. His Rajya Sabha term was to otherwise end on April 9, 2028. The Rajya Sabha elections for the four Jammu and Kashmir seats are being held nearly a year after the assembly polls were held in the union territory. MLAs elect Rajya Sabha members of their respective states. The union territory has been unrepresented in the Upper House of Parliament since February 15, 2021, the day when Ghulam Nabi Azad and Nazir Ahmed Laway finished their term. Two other members, Fayaz Ahmed Mir and Shamsheer Singh Manhas, had completed their term on February 10, the same year. While announcing the schedule
A case has been registered after Rajya Sabha member and philanthropist Sudha Murty filed a complaint alleging that an unknown person, posing as an employee of the Ministry of Telecommunications, tried to obtain her personal information, police said on Monday. The incident occurred on September 5, following which she lodged a complaint with the Cyber Crime Police in Bengaluru, they said. In her complaint, she alleged that on September 5, she received a call from an unknown person who introduced himself as an employee of the Ministry of Telecommunications, Government of India and tried to obtain her personal information by falsely claiming that her mobile number was registered in January without linking it to Aadhaar. He also threatened that obscene videos were being broadcast or accessed from that mobile number and that her services would be disconnected at 12 PM, the FIR stated. "The person was very rude and the call came from a mobile number, which was showed as Telecom Dept on Tr