Page 102 - Lok Sabha

Parliament passes Bill for CEC, EC appointments, Meghwal critiques old law

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed after a brief discussion a Bill which seeks to establish a mechanism to appoint the chief election commissioner and election commissioners. The Rajya Sabha has already given its nod to the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023. Responding to the debate, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the 1991 Act on the service conditions of the CEC and the ECs was a half-baked attempt and the present Bill covers the areas left out by the previous legislations. The Bill was then passed by a voice vote.

Nitish Kumar is 'mistaken', has no chance of becoming PM: Sushil Modi

Criticism comes after reports stated that the INDIA bloc has backed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of PM

LS records 74% productivity in winter session, with 18 Bills passed: Birla

The Lok Sabha, which was adjourned sine die a day ahead of schedule on Thursday, recorded 74 per cent productivity in the Winter Session of Parliament, Speaker Om Birla said. Birla in his concluding remarks said that the House held 14 sittings and worked for 61 hours and 50 minutes. He said that a total of 18 bills, including Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Sanhita - to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Indian Evidence Act, were passed in the Lok Sabha. The bills that were passed in the Lok Sabha also include the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Telecommunications Bill, 2023. Birla mentioned that 55 starred questions were answered orally during the Session. A total number of 265 matters were taken up under Rule 377, he added. The speaker brought to the attention of the House that the department-related Standing Committees of the Lok Sabha presented 35 reports. During the ses

Parliament security breach: Court extends custody of accused till Jan 5

A Delhi court on Thursday extended till January 5 the police custody of four accused arrested in the Parliament security breach case. Special Judge Hardeep Kaur extended the custody of the accused Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde and Neelam Devi? by 15 days on an application moved by the city police. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack on December 13, two of them- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by some MPs. Around the same time, two others- Amol Shinde and Neelam Devi- also sprayed coloured gas from canisters while shouting "tanashahi nahi chalegi" outside the Parliament House premises.

BJP relaunches 'Sneha Yatra' to connect with Christian community in Kerala

As the Lok Sabha polls are just months away, the BJP in Kerala resumed its 'Sneha Yatra' on Thursday -an outreach programme aimed at connecting with the Christian community in the state. The saffron party initially launched the initiative during this year's Easter. In a recent state committee meeting, the party decided to resume the yatra during the Christmas season. BJP state chief K Surendran visited Cardinal George Alencherry, the former head of the prominent Syro Malabar Church, at St Thomas Mount in nearby Kakkanad in the morning and conveyed Christmas greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also visited Archbishop Joseph Kalathiparbil of the Latin Archdiocese of Verapoly, and conveyed the wishes of the Prime Minister. Surendran later said in a Facebook post that it marked the beginning of 'Sneha Yatra' in the state. He also shared photos of his cordial meetings with the church heads. However, the church authorities and the BJP leadership were yet to make clear the

Lok Sabha Speaker Birla warns 3 Congress MPs against protesting in House

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday warned Congress MPs DK Suresh, Deepak Baij and Nakul Nath against protesting in the House. As the House met this morning, opposition MPs continued their protest against suspension of MPs from the House, and demanded a discussion on the Parliament security breach issue and a statement by Home Minister Amit Shah. Opposition MPs could be heard raising slogans as the Question Hour was taken up. Soon after the Question Hour concluded, the Speaker warned the protesting members, and named the three Congress MPs. "I have not suspended any MP without any reason. You are tearing and throwing papers in the House. MPs are coming to me and asking me to suspend them," the speaker said. "I don't want to suspend anyone but you bring placards in the House...this is not right," he said. Two more opposition members in Lok Sabha were suspended on Wednesday for displaying placards, taking the total number of members of the lower House against whom such action ha

INDIA bloc to hold protest march today over suspension of MPs from Parl

A total of 143 Opposition MPs have been suspended from both the Houses of Parliament over the past week

Parliament security breach: Police questions 2 more people, say reports

The Delhi Police has questioned two more people in connection with the Parliament security breach case, sources said on Thursday. While one of them is said to be a close friend of accused Manoranjan D and belongs to Karnataka, the other hails from Uttar Pradesh, police sources said. A team of the Special Cell questioned the duo on Wednesday, they added. They are suspected to be a part of the now-deleted Facebook page 'Bhagat Singh Fan Club', which was created by the accused before the security breach incident, said sources. In a major security breach on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack last Wednesday, two men -- Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D -- jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released coloured smoke and shouted slogans, before being overpowered by the MPs. Two others -- Neelam and Amold Shinde -- were detained outside the Parliament complex for staging a protest. The four were arrested and charged under the stringent

Delhi police detains Karnataka ex-cop's son in Parliament breach case

The Delhi police on Wednesday night detained Bengaluru techie from his home in Bagalkot in connection with the massive security breach in Parliament on December 13

Commerce ministry-promoted ONDC operational in over 500 cities, towns

The government-promoted Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is at present operational in over 500 cities and towns across India, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. ONDC is an initiative of the Commerce and Industry Ministry to create a facilitative model to help small retailers take advantage of digital commerce. It is not an application, platform, intermediary or software but a set of specifications designed to foster open, unbundled, and interoperable open networks. "ONDC is currently operational in more than 500 cities and towns across India," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. All existing laws and regulations of India, related to e-commerce, are applicable to ONDC and the network participants on the ONDC network. Replying to a separate question, he said to safeguard consumers from unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs has also notified the Consumer Protection (E-commerce)

Govt passes telecom, criminal bills as suspended MP count reaches 143

Dhankhar says mimicking him 'insult' to the post of V-P; President Murmu, and PM express solidarity

Foxconn submits application for setting up semiconductor unit: MoS IT

Taiwanese electronics manufacturing services company Foxconn has submitted an application for setting up a semiconductor fab in the country, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Minister of state for electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply to Lok Sabha that the government has taken several measures to boost electronics manufacturing, including semiconductors, incentivising large investments in electronic goods and appliances, and promote exports. "Foxconn has submitted its application under the "modified scheme for setting up of semiconductor fabs in India" for the establishment of semiconductor fab in the country," Chandrasekhar said. The development comes after Foxconn exited a joint venture (JV) with Vedanta Group to set up a chip plant in India. The JV had plans to set up its chip plant in Gujarat with an investment of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Chandrasekhar said the first semiconductor unit by Micron was approved in June 2023 under the Semicon India .

Two more Lok Sabha MPs suspended, count at 143 Opposition lawmakers now

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday suspended two more opposition MPs for showing placards in the House. Thomas Chazhikadan of the Kerala Congress (Mani) and A M Ariff of the CPI(M) were suspended for misconduct after a resolution moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi was adopted by the House. This takes the number of suspended MPs in the Lok Sabha to 97. So far 143 opposition MPs have been suspended from the two Houses of Parliament.

Parliament passes Bill to raise cap on age of GSTAT president, members

Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill that will raise the cap on the age limit for president and members of GST Appellate Tribunals. The bill was approved with a voice vote in Rajya Sabha and returned to Lok Sabha, which had passed the bill on Tuesday. In the post-lunch session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Upper House. The bill seeks to raise the cap on age for president and members of the GST Appellate Tribunals (GSTAT) to 70 years and 67 years, respectively. Currently, the age limit for the president is 67 years and for members is 65 years. The bill also seeks to align the provisions of the Central GST Act in line with the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021. Among others, with the latest amendments, an advocate with 10 years of 'substantial experience' in litigation in matters relating to indirect taxes in an appellate tribunal, would be eligible to be appointed as a judicial member of the GSTAT.

New criminal law bills in consonance with spirit of Constitution: Amit Shah

Amit Shah said the bills will encourage the use of technology in giving justice to people. He said "mob-lynching" had been included as an offence in the bills

UPI transactions up 118% in semi-urban, rural retail stores in 2023: Study

UPI is a driving force in the overall growth of digital payments in India, says government separately

All vacant posts in Centre being filled in mission mode: Govt to Lok Sabha

All vacant posts in Central government organisations are being filled in a mission mode, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday. 'Rozgar Mela' is one of the steps towards fulfilling the government's commitment of according the highest priority to employment generation, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question. He said Rozgar Melas are being held across the country and the new appointees are inducted into various Central ministries, departments, Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) and autonomous bodies, including health and education institutes and public sector banks among others. "Filling up vacant posts in various ministries and departments is a continuous process. All vacant posts are being filled in a mission mode," Singh said, adding that employment generation in the country coupled with improving the employability of youth is the priority of the Central government. Accordingly, the Government of India announced the Aatmanirb

New criminal bills threat to civil liberty, rights of people: Owaisi

Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that the new criminal bills are a threat to the civil liberty and rights of the people as they give sweeping powers to the police to take action against anyone. Participating in a debate on the three proposed criminal laws in the Lok Sabha, Owaisi said the legislations are against the common people of the country as their rights will be snatched away once they become laws. Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the three redrafted bills -- the Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bill (BSB) -- last week and the Lok Sabha on Tuesday took them up for a debate for their consideration and passage. The proposed legislations seek to replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, respectively. Owaisi, the president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen ...

Will not tolerate any insult to Parl, VP post: Dhankhar on mimicry row

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate any insult to Parliament and the post of vice president while expressing deep anguish over a TMC MP mimicking him in the parliament complex and a Congress MP recording the act. In the Rajya Sabha, the chairman said the act of mimicking him and its videography has caused an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his own community. When the House met at 11.45 am after the third adjournment, Dhankhar expressed his anguish over Tuesday's incident and asked the Congress party, including Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to ponder over it. "I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House", Dhankhar said. "You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was ..

Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA bloc PM face? Here's what leaders have to say

Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate