Page 128 - Lok Sabha

LS Speaker Om Birla admits no-confidence motion against govt

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday admitted a no-confidence motion moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi against the Narendra Modi government after a head count of over 50 MPs as required under the rules. He said the time of the debate will be fixed by him and conveyed to the House. After the House met at 12 noon and papers were laid on the table, the Speaker said he has received a notice from Gogoi for moving a motion of no-confidence against the government. He asked members supporting the admission of the motion to stand after which INDIA alliance members, including Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi and National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, stood up for a head count. Birla then admitted the motion expressing want of confidence in the Union Council of Ministers. Birla said a date and time for discussion on it will be fixed by him after consultation with all parties. The alliance of 26 opposition parties, INDIA, had decided to move the motion in order to make P

Lok Sabha adjourns till 12 noon amid opposition protests on Manipur issue

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon on Wednesday as Opposition parties continued to protest on the Manipur issue. The protests began soon after the House paid tributes to soldiers who had died in the Kargil war. Opposition members sought to raise the issue of violence in Manipur with some displaying placards during Question Hour. Some members were also heard shouting slogans such as 'We want justice'. Speaker Om Birla told the protesting members that all issues can be discussed and urged them to uphold the decorum of the House. He also wondered whether the Opposition did not want to discuss the Manipur issue. Amid the din, three questions and their supplementaries were taken up during Question Hour that lasted less than 20 minutes. As the protests continued, proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon Earlier in the morning, Birla paid tributes to those who died in the Kargil war on the occasion of the 24th Kargil Vijay Diwas. The House also stood in silence briefly a

Congress calls meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in party parl office at 10 am

Significantly, the Opposition parties have decided to move a no-confidence motion against the BJP-led central government in the Lok Sabha today

Oppn to bring no-confidence motion in LS against govt: Congress leader

The Congress leader further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been declining the opposition's "hard-pressed demand."

Over 50 mn MGNREGA job cards deleted in 2022-23: Govt tells Lok Sabha

More than five crore job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were cancelled in 2022-23, 247 per cent more than the number of deletions in 2021-22, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply, Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh said in 2021-22, 1,49,51,247 MGNREGA job cards were deleted, while in 2022-23, 5,18,91,168 job cards were cancelled. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were among the states which saw the highest number of deletions. In 2021-22, 1,57,309 job cards were deleted in West Bengal, while in the following year (2022-23), the number shot up by over 5,000 per cent as 83,36,115 job cards were deleted. In Andhra Pradesh, 6,25,514 job cards were deleted in 2021-22, which increased by 1,147 per cent in 2022-23, when 78,05,569 cards were cancelled. Similarly, in Telangana, 61,278 job cards were deleted in 2021-22, while 17,32,936 cards were deleted in 2022-23, an increase of 2,727 per cent. Gujarat ...

Lok Sabha passes bill on bio-diversity, proceedings adjourned till 5 PM

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 5 pm on Tuesday amid protests by opposition parties on the violence in Manipur. Amidst the din, the House passed the The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill. The Bill was introduced in Parliament on December 16, 2021 by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The bill would amend the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The Bill was moved to a joint committee on December 20, 2021 due to concerns that the amendments favoured industry and contradicted the spirit of Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The joint committee submitted its report in Parliament on August 2, 2022 with the recommendation that the Bill may be passed after the inclusion of their recommendations. Many MPs spoke on the advantages of the amendments to the bill and said its benefit includes aligning bio-diversity with the Companies Act. Yadav said the bill is significant as the world is facing triple crisis of climate change, ...

Barring STs, SCs, no caste Census since independence: Govt in parliament

The central government has not enumerated caste-wise population other than Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in the Census since independence, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said some political parties and a few organisations have requested to collect caste details in the forthcoming Census. He said in the Census, the castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated. "The government of India has not enumerated caste-wise population other than SCs and STs in Census since independence," he said, replying to a written question.

JD(S) to fight LS polls independently, Gowda rules out tie-up with NDA

The Janata Dal (Secular) would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently, the party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said on Tuesday, ruling out the possibility of an electoral tie-up with the NDA. Gowda's son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said last week his party would work together with the BJP against the Congress government on various issues, fueling speculation of the two parties joining hands for next year's polls. Both the JD (S) and the BJP MLAs had boycotted the Assembly session after 10 BJP legislators were suspended from the House for "indecent and disrespectful conduct". "JD(S) will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", Deve Gowda told a news conference here. "Whether we (the party) win five, six, three, two or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently", he said. "We will field candidates only in those places where we are strong after consulting with our workers".

Make comprehensive statement in both houses on Manipur violence: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a "comprehensive" statement in both houses of Parliament on the violence in Manipur. He said the situation in the northeast was fragile and the repercussions of the Manipur violence seem to be spilling over to other states too, asserting that it was not good for the country's sensitive border states. Kharge said 83 days of unabated violence in Manipur require that the prime minister make a comprehensive statement in Parliament. "Stories of absolute horror are now slowly trickling down. INDIA demands answers from the Modi Government on Manipur violence," he said on Twitter. Kharge said it was high time that Modi sheds his "ego" and takes the country into confidence on Manipur. "PM Modi must tell what his government is doing to improve the situation and when will normalcy return in Manipur," he said. The opposition has been demanding a statement from the prime minister in both houses of ...

Oppn continues protest over demands on Manipur, LS adjourned till 2 pm

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Tuesday amid protests by opposition parties on the violence in Manipur. As soon as the House met for the day, Opposition members sought to raise the issue and also started shouting slogans. Speaker Om Birla asked the protesting members not to indulge in sloganeering and requested them to go back to their seats. While maintaining that there will be no solution to the issues by shouting slogans, Birla told them to allow the Question Hour as important matters are to be discussed. As the protests continued, the proceedings were adjourned in around three minutes and now, the House will meet at 2 pm. Opposition parties have been protesting against the ethnic violence in Manipur and have been demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Parliament proceedings have been disrupted over the Manipur issue since the Monsoon session started on July 20.

Oppn alliance INDIA plans no-confidence motion in LS over Manipur incident

A proposal to submit the notice was discussed at a meeting of the constituents of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Tuesday morning

Culture Ministry has 4,919 posts lying vacant, govt tells Lok Sabha

As many as 4,919 posts are lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 13,865 which cover the Culture Ministry and its attached, subordinate and autonomous bodies, Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. Asked whether the ministry and other departments and bodies under its control have a "shortage of manpower" compared to sanctioned posts, he replied in the affirmative. "There are 4,919 posts lying vacant against the sanctioned strength of 13,865 which cover the ministry and its attached, subordinate and autonomous bodies. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has 3,696 centrally protected monuments in various states and Union Territories of the country. "ASI takes up maintenance and conservation work of these monuments and sites regularly, as per availability of resources. Upkeep of the monuments is a continuous process," he said. Reddy said, "There is no centrally protected monument/site which has been badly affected due to shortage of staff

UCO Bank, Bank of Maharashtra without chairpersons since April 2015

State-run UCO Bank and Bank of Maharashtra are working without chairpersons since April 2015, the Lok Sabha was told on Monday. Bank of India, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, and Indian Overseas Bank, also do not have chairpersons. The posts of chairpersons have been vacant in UCO Bank and Bank of Maharashtra since April 22, 2015, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The top post in Indian Bank has been vacant since August 2018, while Bank of India is without a chairperson since August 2020, Indian Overseas Bank since February 2020, and Central Bank of India since May 2021. The country has 12 public sector banks (PSBs). The provision to separate posts of chairpersons and managing directors in PSBs was made in April 2015. Subsequently, non-executive chairpersons have been appointed in nine banks, the minister said. The government, which appoints chairpersons of state-owned banks, has constituted Financial Services Institutions

Monsoon Session: Govt introduces National Dental Commission Bill in LS

The government on Monday introduced the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha. The National Dental Commission Bill seeks to repeal the Dentists Act, 1948 and proposes to set up National Dental Commission (NMC) to regulate dental education and the profession in the country. It also aims to make dental education affordable and make quality oral healthcare accessible. According to official sources, the composition of the dental commission will be similar to that of the National Medical Commission, which had replaced the Medical Council of India. The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 aims at setting up National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) and to repeal the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947. The Bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a national register

Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned for day amid protests by Opposition

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday amid unrelenting protests by opposition members for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur situation, even as Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured the House the government will discuss the issue. As the Lok Sabha reconvened at 2:30 pm after an earlier adjournment, sloganeering from the opposition benches continued and Speaker Om Birla tried to calm them down. Shah said he was unable to understand why the opposition was not allowing a discussion to take place as the government was ready for it. Earlier, the government transacted some legislative business, with three Bills introduced and one withdrawn amid the din. While the government withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, it introduced the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Rajendra Agrawal

Govt withdraws DNA Technology regulation bill, 2019 from Lok Sabha

The government on Monday withdrew the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 from Lok Sabha. Amid sloganeering by opposition members over the Manipur violence, Union Minister Jitendra Singh withdrew the Bill when the House reassembled at 12 noon after an earlier adjournment. The Bill seeks to regulate the use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) technology for the purposes of establishing the identity of certain categories of people, including victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, those missing and unidentified deceased. The Bill was introduced on July 8, 2019 and referred to the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change for examination. The report of the committee was laid in Lok Sabha on February 3, 2021.

Weakness behind support

Welfare spending is likely to increase

LIVE: LS adjourned for day amid opposition uproar over Manipur issue

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'INDIA' placards appear in LS for first time, Oppn to stage dharna on Mon

"INDIA" placards appeared in the Lok Sabha for the first time on Friday with members of the newly formed opposition alliance waving them as they pressed for a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Manipur. Members of the Congress and Left parties, among others, stormed into the well of the House carrying placards that read "INDIA wants reply, not silence", "INDIA wants PM to speak in Parliament". This was the first time placards carrying the name of the opposition alliance appeared in the Lok Sabha. "Manipur is burning, PM speak about it" read a placard waved by a Congress member in the well of the House. The opposition alliance is scheduled to stage a joint dharna near the Gandhi statue in Parliament complex on Monday. Twenty-six opposition parties on Tuesday announced an alliance to take on the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The opposition parties, including arch rivals such as Congress, Trinamool Congress and Left parties, have named the front .

Projected population of Muslims in 2023 to stand at 197.5 mn: Govt in LS

The projected population of Muslims in India in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore, the government has informed the Lok Sabha. In a written reply to a question by TMC MP Mala Roy in Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani said as per the Census 2011, Muslim population is 17.22 crore, which constitutes 14.2 per cent of the total population of the country. "As per the report of the Technical Group on Population Projections, July 2020, National Commission on Population, country's projected population in 2023 stands at 138.82 crore. Accordingly, applying the same proportion of 14.2 per cent, as was there in Census 2011, projected population of Muslims in 2023 would stand at 19.75 crore," Irani said. As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2021-22 conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, literacy rate of Muslims aged seven and above stands at 77.7 per cent and the labour force participation rate for all ages as per usual status stands at 35.1 pe