Page 126 - Lok Sabha

21 states, UTs adopted groundwater legislation, govt tells Lok Sabha

Twenty-one states and Union Territories have adopted and implemented the groundwater legislation that includes provision for rainwater harvesting, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry said on Thursday. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweshwar Tudu said the ministry circulated a model bill to all the states and Union Territories to enable them to enact a suitable groundwater legislation. "So far, 21 states/Union Territories have adopted and implemented the groundwater legislation on the lines of the model bill, including West Bengal," Tudu said in a written response. The states and Union Territories where the legislation has been implemented are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Chandigarh (Regulations and Bylaws), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.

LS adjourned for the day; govt assures discussion on Manipur in both Houses

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday amid noisy protests by opposition members over the situation in Manipur. As soon as the House assembled at 2 pm, ministers laid papers amid din. Opposition members were shouting slogans such as "Manipur Manipur" and "Manipur is burning". Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said that the government has already made it clear that it was open to a discussion on Manipur in both Houses of Parliament. He said that Deputy leader in Lok Sabha Rajnath Singh has also given a similar assurance. Joshi said that Home Minister Amit Shah would make a detailed reply once the discussion takes place, the time of which will be decided by the Speaker. As opposition members continued raising slogans, Kirit Solanki, who was chairing proceedings, adjourned Lok Sabha for the day.

Monsoon Session begins; LS adjourned till 2 pm after obituary references

On the first day of the Monsoon Session on Thursday, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm after paying tributes to two sitting members and 11 former MPs, including ex-chief minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal. Immediately after the House met, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla paid tributes to sitting MPs Rattan Lal Kataria and Balubhau alias Suresh Narayan Dhanorkar. He also said that 11 former members passed away in the last few months and read out their names. Those who died include Badal, who was a member of the Sixth Lok Sabha, Ranjit Singh, Sujan Singh Bundela, Sandipan Thorat, Viswanadham Kanithi, Atiq Ahmad, Trilochan Kanungo, Ilyas Azmi, Anadi Charan Das, Nihal Singh and Raj Karan Singh. Birla also paid tributes to all past members and adjourned the House till 2 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among those who were present in the House. Earlier, Sushi

NDA coalition to take home 330 seats in parliamentary polls: Palaniswami

Palaniswami also said that he took part and shared opinions in the NDA Alliance meeting that was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on July 18

Reform momentum likely to pick up after Lok Sabha elections next year: S&P

Reform momentum is likely to pick up only after the Lok Sabha elections next year and a little bit of boost to the expenditure in an election year would not adversely impact India's fiscal deficit target, S&P Global Ratings Director Andrew Wood said on Wednesday. "Our expectation is major reforms in the country are probably unlikely right up to the election cycle and until 2024 Parliamentary elections are over. After that perhaps, reform momentum could pick up, particularly if there is a very strong mandate for the next government," Wood said. S&P anticipates that the central government will meet its modestly lower fiscal deficit target and also state governments will be consolidating their finances gradually overtime. "Even if we see a little bit of boost to the expenditure in an election year, in the run up to the elections, revenue growth also remains healthy in India and that has been supporting the gradual pace of fiscal consolidation," Wood said. He was replying to a ...

Will will go solo in state elections, not enter into any alliance: Mayawati

"Whereas in Haryana, Punjab and other states, we can form alliance with the regional parties of the respective state," Mayawati said

NDA vs INDIA: Who said what after two mega meets by political parties

The Opposition resolved to fight what they claimed was the systemic conspiracy by the BJP to "target, persecute, and suppress our fellow Indians"

It is 'INDIA vs Modi' fight: Rahul as Oppn form coalition for 2024 polls

Setting the tone for their 2024 Lok Sabha campaign, 26 opposition parties on Tuesday formed a coalition --Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA)-- to unitedly take on the ruling NDA with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asserting that the fight will be "between INDIA and Prime Minister Narendra Modi". Announcing the name of the opposition bloc at a press conference here after a nearly four-hour-long meeting of the 26 parties, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said,"We'll fight the 2024 Lok Sabha elections unitedly and we will come out with great success." He said a committee of 11 members will be set up for coordination, and a convenor will be selected at the next meeting in Mumbai. Kharge also said a secretariat will also be set up in Delhi for campaign management of the alliance and specific committees will be formed for separate issues. He said the dates for the Mumbai meeting will be announced soon. While Kharge evaded a direct reply on who would be the face o

Opposition, NDA expected to set tone for 2024 Lok Sabha elections today

The meetings by the Opposition and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) come as a show of strength from each side ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024

LJP (Ram Vilas) joins NDA, Paswan confident of wining all 40 Bihar LS seats

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan said on Tuesday that his party has joined the NDA following a positive discussion with the BJP over his "concerns" and asserted the ruling combine will win all 40 seats in Bihar in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. While declining to share details of his talks with BJP leaders, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, he asserted that his concerns have been addressed positively by them. He, however, made it clear that his party will contest from Hajipur, a Lok Sabha seat currently represented by his estranged uncle and Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras. His party will fight as part of the BJP-led NDA in the 2025 Bihar assembly polls as well. Paswan had earlier indicated that he expected the BJP to stick to the same seat-sharing arrangement as in 2019 when the undivided LJP had contested on six Lok Sabha seats and was given a Rajya Sabha seat as well.

2024 LS Polls: Amid changing political climate NDA to counter Oppn today

The regional parties which have been rivals sta the state level and have been splintered at the national level are now looking seeking refuge in BJP or the Opposition

Oppn left with no agenda: BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh on unity meet

Leaders of at least 26 Opposition parties will converge at a hotel in Bengaluru on July 17-18 as part of their efforts to present a united front against the BJP govt in the Centre

17th Lok Sabha may earn ignominy of being shortest full-term since 1952

The monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 20 to August 11, and have 17 sittings

No reshuffle in cabinet, major changes after Lok Sabha polls: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday ruled out any reshuffle in his ministry, but said "big changes" will take place after the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and before the 2026 state Assembly election. Sarma also said he has met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and apprised him of the flood situation in the northeastern state. "There will be no reshuffle (in the Assam cabinet) till the Lok Sabha polls. However, there will definitely be big changes after the Lok Sabha polls and before the (2026) Assembly election," he said here. Sarma also ruled out the possibility of any change in the leadership of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Assam unit. "The state unit president of the BJP normally completes his tenure. A president has a fixed tenure. No change takes place halfway," he said. Asked about the ongoing delimitation exercise of the Assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam, Sarma said there is no opposition to it, adding that certain issues have cropped up relat

Congress holds Lok Sabha elections strategy meet for northeastern states

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday met party leaders from six northeastern states and deliberated on the strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. During the meeting, the leaders from the states of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim also expressed concern over the "deteriorating" situation in Manipur, party sources said. Manipur has been witnessing violent clashes, especially between Kuki and Meitei communities, since early May. Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, AICC in-charge of Sikkim, Tripura and Nagaland Ajoy Kumar and former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh were among those present at the meeting held at the AICC headquarters here. Kharge has been holding key strategy meetings with leaders of various states, including some that are due to go to polls later this year. He has already held separate meetings with leaders of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand Cong leaders meet Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, 2024 LS polls on agenda

Top Congress leaders from Uttarakhand on Thursday met party resident Mallikarjun Kharge and former chief Rahul Gandhi here to review the party's preparedness for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. A similar meeting was held with members of the Maharashtra Congress unit earlier. The Uttarakhand Congress leaders, who participated in the meeting, included former chief minister Harish Rawat, PCC president Karan Mahara and AICC in-charge for the state Devender Yadav. AICC general secretary organisation K C Venugopal and all AICC secretaries for the hill state were also present at the meeting. In a message to the state unit, Kharge said the Congress is committed to environment-friendly development of Himalayan states. He said the party has pledged to work for flood victims, adding that that the Congress will keep raising the voice of the people of the state.

BJP's minority wing meeting in Delhi today, to review preparations

According to BJP leaders, a meeting in this regard is being organized by the BJP Minority Morcha at the party's headquarters here in the national capital on Thursday

Karnataka CM, leaders protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar along with a host of ministers, legislators and Congress top leaders in the state on Wednesday staged a "silent protest" here against the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from Parliament and the "politics of vendetta" unleashed by the Centre. This comes days after the party stated it would move the Supreme Court after the Gujarat High Court refused to stay Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 defamation case over his "Modi surname remarks. The protestors tied a black ribbon on their mouth to symbolically convey that the freedom of speech was in danger and anyone speaking against the Central government would face backlash. Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar and others held placards at the Freedom Park here with the photograph of Rahul Gandhi and a message that the "roar of the truth must prevail". Alleging that the BJP deployed "dirty tricks" to disqualify Rahul Gandhi from Parliament, the All India Congress Committe

Nadda to chair BJP meeting today on Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Delhi

BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda will chair a strategy meeting of party leaders here on Wednesday on the assembly polls later this year and the Lok Sabha elections next year. Party sources said it will be a meeting of leaders associated with the BJP's 'Lok Sabha Pravas' programme, an exercise aimed at boosting its prospects in nearly 160 Lok Sabha seats, most of which it had lost in 2019. Besides the party's office-bearers, several Union ministers have also been drafted in the exercise. The deliberations will also focus on the preparations underway for the Lok Sabha polls as well as the assembly elections, a BJP leader said. Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana are due later this year. That these are going to be the last round of state elections before the all-important Lok Sabha polls next year has added extra significance to them, with the BJP pulling out all the stops to put up an impressive show after its recent loss to the Congress

Eye on 2024 polls, Congress to hold foot march, bus rallies in Maharashtra

Senior leaders of the Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday met the party's national leadership here in New Delhi and discussed strategies to strengthen the party's roots in the state