Page 10 - Lok Sabha

ASI has no inventory of privately-owned heritage homes: Govt tells Parl

The ASI "does not maintain" any inventory of privately-owned heritage homes, specifically, however, the government's National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) prepares two national registers on monuments and antiquities across the country, the Parliament was informed on Monday. So far, the NMMA, set up in 2007, has documented and published data for 11,406 built heritage and sites which are 100 years old or more, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in the Lok Sabha in a written response to a query. Tangella Uday Srinivas, Kakinada MP from Andhra Pradesh, asked him whether the government maintains any inventory or registry of privately-owned heritage homes and buildings in the country, and if so, to share state-wise details. "The Archaeological Survey of India does not maintain any inventory of privately-owned heritage homes, specifically, however, the Government of India has established the National Mission on Monuments and Antiquities (NMMA) in 2007 to ..

Democracy cannot function amid relentless hostility, says V-P Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said dialogue, not conflict, is key. He urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to follow India's tradition of dialogue and deliberation

LS adjourned till 4 pm amid uproar as Oppn demands discussion on Op Sindoor

The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the third time on Monday amid continued uproar by the opposition over its demand for a discussion on Operation Sindoor and other issues. As the House met at 2 pm on the first day of the Monsoon session, the Chair appealed to opposition members to allow the House to function. Amid continuous sloganeering, Sandhya Ray adjourned the proceedings till 4 pm. Earlier in the day, the House was adjourned twice over the same issue. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has assured the opposition MPs that the government is ready to have a long discussion on all issues which the Speaker agrees to. "The government is ready to discuss any topic the opposition wants. Whatever time they need to discuss, the government is ready to answer all questions," Singh said. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju appealed to the opposition members to place their demand during the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) scheduled at 2:30 pm on Monday. "The

Lok Sabha vows zero tolerance on terrorism, mourns Pahalgam deaths

The Lok Sabha on Monday expressed its resolve for zero tolerance against terrorism and mourned the deaths of 26 people in the Pahalgam terror attack. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also expressed grief over the deaths of 260 people in the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. "Twenty-six innocent persons were brutally killed in the terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025. This act of terror was an attack on the consciousness of the nation and also the entire world," Birla said as the Lok Sabha convened for the Monsoon session beginning Monday. "This House expresses deep grief over the deaths in this attack and reiterates India's resolve of zero tolerance against terrorism," he said. Birla said 260 people, including 241 passengers and 19 others, died in the Air India crash. "Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also died in this accident," Birla said. "This House expresses its heartfelt sympathies to the families of the victims of this accident," h

Select Committee submits report on Income Tax Bill, 2025; seeks key edits

A panel of 31 Lok Sabha members, led by Baijayant Panda suggested over 30 changes to ensure clarity, fairness, and alignment with existing laws in the proposed Income Tax Bill, 2025

Never allowed to speak in Lok Sabha despite being LoP: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, it is his right to speak in the House, but was not being allowed while the people of the government were making their statements. Gandhi made the remarks to the media after the House witnessed protests by the opposition and was adjourned for the second time in the day. The Lok Sabha witnessed noisy protests by opposition parties seeking a discussion on Operation Sindoor on the first day of the Monsoon session. "The question is that the defence minister and their (the BJP) people are allowed to speak, but if someone from the opposition wants to say something, he is not allowed," Gandhi said. "I am the Leader of Opposition, it is my right, I am never allowed to speak," he said, adding that this is a "new approach". Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said he "ran out of the House in a second". "The debate will happen if they allow it, but the issue is that the victim sta

Monsoon Session: LS Speaker calls for cooperation, constructive debate

Speaker Om Birla expressed hope that the Monsoon Session would be "dedicated to the dignity of democracy, the prestige of Parliament, and the priority of public welfare

Cong gives adjournment notice in Lok Sabha, seeks suspension in Rajya Sabha

Submitting the notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Congress MP wrote, 'I give notice of my intention to move an adjournment motion to discuss a matter of urgent and serious national importance'

SIR, Op Sindoor in focus as Monsoon session of Parliament begins on Monday

To be held between July 21 and August 21, with 21 scheduled sittings

Parl panel report on new Income Tax Bill, 2025 to be tabled in LS on Monday

A report of the parliamentary committee set up to scrutinise the new Income Tax Bill, 2025, which would replace the six-decade old Income Tax Act, is scheduled to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The 31-member Select Committee, chaired by BJP leader Baijayant Panda, was appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to scrutinise The new Income Tax Bill, 2025, which was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 13 in the Lok Sabha. The Committee has made 285 suggestions and at its meeting on July 16 adopted the report on new I-T Bill, 2025, which will now be tabled in the House for further action. The simplified Income Tax Bill, which is half the size of the 1961 Income Tax Act, seeks to achieve tax certainty by minimising the scope of litigation and fresh interpretation. The new bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha, has a word count of 2.6 lakh, lower than 5.12 lakh in the I-T Act. The number of sections is 536, as against 819 effective sections in the existing ...

Lok Sabha select committee proposes 285 changes to Income Tax Bill, 2025

The Income Tax Bill, 2025, will replace the Income Tax Act, 1961. The government aims to implement the new Income Tax law from April 1, 2026

LS speaker Birla urges political parties to curb disruptions in Parliament

Ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday urged all political parties to reduce disruptions in House proceedings and asserted it is time to change past practices. Addressing the national level conference of Urban Local Bodies here, Birla said that people would teach a lesson to political parties that resort to disruption of the House proceedings. Birla said there has been some reduction in disruption of the House proceedings in the 18th Lok Sabha, which had its first sitting in June last year. "It is time for change. If we have to strengthen democracy and hold democratic institutions accountable, we have to ensure that the Houses function in a proper manner," he added. The speaker said all political parties should make efforts to reduce disruptions in proceedings of the House. Parliament's Monsoon Session is scheduled to begin on July 21 and continue till August 21, a week longer than the original plan to conclude on August 12. Birla said

Urban local bodies should act like Parliament to resolve issues: LS Speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said urban local bodies (ULBs) should function on the lines of Parliament with regular Question Hour and Zero Hour to raise issues concerning citizens. He was addressing the first National Level Conference of Urban Local Bodies in States and Union Territories. "I am pained to hear about meetings of ULBs getting adjourned amid pandemonium and key agenda such as budget getting approved without any discussion," Birla said. ULBs should also function on the lines of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and find solutions to civic issues through regular debate and discussion in Question Hour and Zero Hour, he said. Birla also said parliamentary proceedings, which were drowned in ruckus in the earlier Lok Sabhas, were witnessing fewer disruptions in the current Lok Sabha due to the efforts of leaders of all political parties. "Changes were witnessed in the 18th Lok Sabha, when political parties agreed to allow the House to function to raise issues of

Protecting lives paramount, lapses unacceptable: Rahul on Odisha stampede

Condoling the loss of lives in the stampede near Gundicha Temple in Odisha's Puri, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said protecting lives is paramount and any lapse in this responsibility is unacceptable. He said the tragedy is a serious warning that security arrangements and crowd management for such big events should be taken seriously and must be reviewed. "The stampede during the Rath Yatra in Puri is extremely saddening. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured devotees," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X. He appealed to the Odisha government to speed up the relief work and urged Congress workers to help in every possible way. "This tragedy is a serious warning - security arrangements and crowd management for such big events should be taken seriously and must be reviewed," Gandhi said. "Protecting lives is paramount, and any lapse in this responsibility is unacceptable," he ..

Income-tax Bill 2025: Digital data and the question of power and privacy

A Parliamentary Select Committee reviewing the Bill is expected to submit its report during the monsoon session

Parliament Monsoon session to begin July 21, first since Pahalgam attack

Monsoon Session from July 21 to August 12 set to address Operation Sindoor, border tensions, and an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma

AIADMK defers RS seat allotment, DMDK to reveal poll ties in Jan 2026

Apparently perturbed over AIADMK's decision to defer the allocation of a Rajya Sabha seat to it to 2026, the DMDK said it would announce its poll ties ahead of the Assembly election next year. Stopping short of accusing the AIADMK of not honouring its commitment made before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth said the AIADMK had already allotted a seat each to Dr Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK) and G K Vasan (TMC) in the past and now it was the turn of her party to get a Rajya Sabha seat. Playing down DMDK's decision to make known its stand on alliance on January 9, 2026, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami told reporters in Coimbatore on June 1 that the ties between the AIADMK and DMDK were smooth and attempts to break them would not fructify. On June 1, AIADMK Deputy General Secretary K P Munusamy announced that DMDK remained part of the AIADMK-led alliance and a Rajya Sabha seat will be allocated to that party in 2026. On May 31, DMDK .

LS Speaker Birla embarks on visit to Brazil for Brics Parliamentary Forum

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday embarked on a visit to Brazil to participate in the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum where he is scheduled to present his views on reform of multi-lateral peace and security architecture. Birla is leading the Indian parliamentary delegation for the BRICS Parliamentary Forum which will be held from June 3-5 at Brasilia. The Forum will be attended by presiding officers of parliaments of BRICS members and invited nations. The theme for the Forum is 'The Role of BRICS Parliaments in Building a More Inclusive and Sustainable, Global Governance'. The BRICS grouping comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. Presiding officers from Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan too have been invited to participate in the forum meetings along with the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Tulia Ackson. The Lok Sabha Spea

Need Constitutional amendment to hold simultaneous polls: Shivraj Chouhan

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has called for a one-time Constitutional amendment to enable simultaneous elections, citing rising costs and governance issues, as well as national interest

No deputy speaker in eight state assemblies, says think tank report

Amid a debate over the absence of a deputy speaker in the Lok Sabha, data compiled by a think tank shows eight state assemblies not having anyone in the position, with Jharkhand not electing one for more than 20 years. According to a report on the Annual Review of State Laws, 2024, released by PRS Legislative Research, state assemblies sat for an average of 20 days, amounting to an average of 100 hours in total, last year. Article 178 of the Constitution requires state assemblies to choose two members as speaker and deputy speaker as soon as possible, according to the report. Assemblies of eight states and Union territories did not have a deputy speaker as of April 2025, the think tank said in the report. The list includes Jharkhand, which has not elected a deputy speaker for more than 20 years. While the previous Uttar Pradesh Assembly elected a deputy speaker in its last session, the current assembly, which is three years into its term, has not yet elected one. "The Constitutio