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Winter Session
The Congress on Saturday took a swipe at the Modi government over the passage of the SHANTI Bill, saying it was bulldozed in Parliament not only for TRUMP but also for ADANI. Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, shared a screenshot of a media report on X, which claimed that the Adani group plans a nuclear energy foray after private firms get a go-ahead to enter the sector. Parliament on Thursday passed the nuclear energy Bill, with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod to the legislation seeking to open the tightly-controlled civil nuclear sector for private participation. "SHANTI was bulldozed through in Parliament not only for TRUMP (The Reactor Use Management Programme) but also for ADANI (Accelerated Damaging Adhiniyam for Nuclear India)," Ramesh claimed. The Congress on Saturday alleged that the SHANTI Bill was "bulldozed" in Parliament only to help Prime Minister Narendra Modi restore SHANTI with his once good friend. Ramesh had said the SHANTI Bil
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. The House also took up two debates on 150 years of Vande Matram and election reforms which witnessed a politically charged atmosphere. A Bill to set up a higher education regulator was referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. Another Bill on the market securities code was introduced and referred to a department-related standing committee for further examination. As soon as the House met for the day, Speaker Om Birla adjourned Lok Sabha sine die (for an indefinite period). The House saw productivity of 111 per cent during
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA with a new initiative that guarantees rural jobs for 125 days every year amid vociferous protests by the Opposition. Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan responded to the eight-hour discussion on The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, asserting that the Modi government was ensuring that the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi were upheld through various initiatives taken by it. "Congress killed ideals of Bapu, NDA ensured Bapu lives through pucca houses built under the PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala yojana, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ayushman Bharat," Chouhan said listing out government schemes for welfare of the poor. Opposition members trooped to the well of the House raising slogans against the government from dropping Mahatma Gandhi's name from the rural jobs initiative and tearing copies of the G RAM G Bill and flinging it towards the chair. The Lok Sabh
The central government may consider increasing the number of scholarships given to tribal students wishing to go abroad for higher studies from the present 20 to 50, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. The National Overseas Scholarship for Schedule Tribes (ST) students is implemented through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the funds are released to ST students studying abroad through the MEA by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. "We can increase the number of overseas scholarships given to tribal students from present 20 to 50," Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram said during Question Hour. When an opposition member questioned why the number of overseas scholarships is so low, Oram hit back, saying the opposition, when in power for a long period, hardly did anything for the welfare of the tribals. He said it was Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who first created the Tribal Affairs Ministry for the welfare of the tribal communities.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday introduced the Securities Market Code Bill in the Lok Sabha and proposed referring it to the department-related standing committee for greater discussion. Arun Nehru (DMK) and Manish Tewari (Congress) opposed the bill at the introduction stage, saying that it gave excessive powers to one body which was against the principle of separation of powers. They described the bill as a case of excessive delegation of power. Responding to their claims, the finance minister said since the government is referring it to the standing committee, such details can be discussed by the panel. Krishna Prasad Tenneti, chairing the proceedings, said the Lok Sabha Speaker has the powers to refer bills to parliamentary panels and he will take a call on the issue. The Securities Markets Code Bill 2025 seeks to merge the provisions of the Securities and Exchange Board of India Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996 and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act,
Lok Sabha witnessed uproar on Monday over the issue of alleged threatening slogans raised at a Congress rally against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to adjournment of proceedings. The Lok Sabha was first adjourned till 12 noon and then till 2 PM as BJP and Congress members were locked in a verbal duel on the issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned the alleged slogans raised at a Congress rally here on Sunday and demanded an apology from the top leadership of the main opposition party. "We are political opponents, not enemies. Congress workers have threatened to dig the grave of the prime minister at the Congress rally. This is the most unfortunate incident to happen," Rijiju said as the Lok Sabha convened for the day at 11 am, triggering protests from the Congress members. "Congress should now tender an apology for giving threat to the prime minister," Rijiju said. Amid the turmoil, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon. At the Congre
The government is planning to introduce a Bill in Parliament this week to raise FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, with a view to providing insurance to all by 2047. The Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Act, 2025, seeks to amend the Insurance Act, 1938, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999, according to the Bill circulated to members of Parliament ahead of its introduction in Parliament. The amendment will raise the Foreign Direct Investment limit in the insurance sector from 74 per cent to 100 per cent, it said. Despite the Bill to hike FDI in the insurance sector to 100 per cent, one of the top officials Chairman, Managing Director, or CEO must be an Indian citizen. It also paves the way for the merger of a non-insurance company with an insurance company. The Bill received the Union Cabinet's nod on Friday, paving the way for its introduction in Parliament. The Bill further ai
Union minister and BJP President J P Nadda on Thursday tore into the Opposition Congress, accusing the party of being opportunistic and not according due respect to the national song Vande Mataram. Concluding the debate on Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha, Nadda asserted that the government does not want to tarnish the image of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and that its only intention was to set the historical records straight. "Vande Mataram did not receive the due respect that it deserved... those in power at that time (government) were responsible for that situation," he said. Nadda, who is also the Leader of the House, said Congress has always been opportunistic and cites the Nehruvian age to take credit when the situation suits the party. However, Congress does not take responsibility when the situation is adverse and seeks to put the blame on others, he alleged. Nadda also mentioned that the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, does not have any provi
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the Centre was not cooperating with the state to solve farmers' problems. The ongoing winter session of the legislature will focus on the burning issues in the state, mainly the farmers, he said, and urged the opposition to join the government to pressurise the Centre over crop procurement and regional development. "We don't know why the Centre is not cooperating with us to resolve the matter. We don't know why it is not releasing funds to procure crops under Minimum Support Price (MSP)," Shivakumar, who is also Congress state president, told reporters here. The winter session of the Karnataka Legislature is in progress in Belagavi. The BJP has decided to stage a protest on Tuesday against the injustice to the farmers. Reiterating that the session must meaningfully address these concerns, he said, "It is our wish that the Centre should release funds for the welfare of Kittur Karnataka and Kalyana Karnataka regions