Page 15 - Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha MP's secy loses over Rs 1L after calling fake helpline number

According to the police, the victim was attempting to book a train ticket from Chennai to Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, through a mobile application

Centre spent over Rs 400 crore to contest court cases in last 10 years

The government has spent more than Rs 400 crore to contest court cases during the past 10 years, official data showed. The central government's Rs 66 crore expenditure on litigations in the 2023-24 financial year was over Rs 9 crore higher than the previous fiscal. The amount incurred on litigations has gone up since 2014-15, barring two fiscals when the Covid pandemic was at its peak, according to data shared by the government with the Lok Sabha in response to a question in the ongoing Budget session. In 2014-15, the cost incurred on litigations stood at Rs 26.64 crore while the expenditure for 2015-16 was Rs 37.43 crore. Between the 2014-15 and the 2023-24 financial years, the government spent more than Rs 409 crore on litigations. The government is working on a national litigation policy that seeks to expedite the resolution of pending cases. A draft of the proposed policy will go before the Union Cabinet for a final call. The policy has been drafted and redrafted for several

ONOE Bill upholds federal structure: Former law panel chief to House panel

Former Law Commission chairperson Justice (Retd.) Ritu Raj Awasthi on Tuesday is learnt to have told the joint committee of Parliament examining the 'one nation, one election' (ONOE) Bill that the proposed measure does not violate the basic structure doctrine on federalism and is not against the democratic principles of the Constitution. Justice Awasthi, who is now a member of anti-corruption watchdog Lokpal, is also learnt to have told the committee members that the bill, which lays down the legal framework to hold simultaneous polls to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, does not violate the right to vote for eligible citizens. Deposing before the panel as an expert, the former Karnataka High Court chief justice said that the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill had all the ingredients to hold simultaneous polls in the country. The law panel under his chairpersonship had prepared a draft report on simultaneous elections. He is learnt to have told the committee that the bill, ...

Parliamentary panel examining Income Tax Bill holds first meeting

The Finance Ministry on Monday briefed the members of a Select Committee of Lok Sabha on various aspects of the Income Tax Bill as the panel headed by BJP MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda held its first meeting. Sources said the finance secretary told the parliamentarians that the Bill will simplify the existing Act, enacted over six decades back, and make it more user-friendly. Lok Sabha sent the Bill to the committee on the request of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after she introduced it in the House in the first half of Parliament's Budget Session. Sitharaman had said the new I-T Bill will carry forward the spirit of "Nyaya" (justice) based on the concept of "trust first, scrutinise later". The Bill seeks to replace terminologies such as assessment year and previous year with the easier-to-understand tax year as part of a move to simplify language while removing provisos and explanations. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had constituted the 31-member Select Committee on February ...

USAID funded 7 projects worth $750 mn in India in FY24: FinMin report

Amid a raging political controversy over USAID's alleged role in influencing Indian elections, the latest annual report of the finance ministry has disclosed that the agency funded seven projects worth USD 750 million in 2023-24. "Currently, seven projects worth a total budget of USD 750 million (approx.) are being implemented by USAID in partnership with Government of India," as per the Finance Ministry annual report for 2023-24. For the financial year 2023-24, an obligation of a total of USD 97 million (about Rs 825 crore) has been made by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) under the seven projects, it said. The Department of Economic Affairs under the Finance Ministry which is the nodal department for bilateral funding arrangements has also shared the details of projects funded in 2023-24 in the report. During the year, no funding was made for enhancing voter turnout but to projects related to agriculture & food security programme; water, sanitation and hygiene

Income-Tax Bill empowers taxman to ask for access to electronic systems

Scrutinising crypto, other virtual digital assets may become easier

Select Committee of Lok Sabha to examine Income Tax Bill constituted

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday constituted a 31-member Select Committee of the lower house to examine the Income Tax Bill. To be headed by BJP's Baijayant Panda, the panel is mandated to submit its report by the first day of the next session. The ongoing Budget Session will conclude on April 4 and the Monsoon session could commence in the third or fourth week of July. While introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had urged Birla to refer the draft law to a Select Committee of the House. The much-anticipated Bill will replace terminologies such as "assessment year" and "previous year" with the easier-to-understand "tax year" as part of a move to simplify language while removing provisos and explanations.

Parliament session updates: FM says Congress-ruled states not spending their funds on capex

Parliament news updates: Catch all the news developments related to proceedings in the Parliament here

Govt lists Income-Tax Bill, 2025 for introduction in Lok Sabha on Feb 13

The government has listed a bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to income-tax for introduction in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. According to the agenda circulated by the Lok Sabha secretariat on Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will introduce the Income-Tax Bill, 2025. The much-anticipated Bill will replace terminologies like assessment and previous year with easier to understand 'tax year' as part of move to simplify language while removing provisos and explanations.

Govt plans Rs 5 lakh fine, up to 5 yr jail for illegal entry under new bill

Stricter measures for foreign nationals entering India are part of the Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha

'Targeted Budget, focused on rich, big people': Akhilesh Yadav in Lok Sabha

The SP chief also said that the budget does not reflect a roadmap to making the country a developed nation

Budget Session highlights: Govt using 99% borrowings for capex, which is 4.3% of GDP, says FM

Parliament Budget Session: Catch all the Parliament updates here

Translation services extended to 6 new languages in Parliament: Om Birla

Translation services were available in 10 languages including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu, in addition to Hindi and English

Delhi HC lists Engineer Rashid's bail plea on Feb 24 after SC clarification

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday listed for hearing on February 24 a plea by jailed MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh alias Engineer Rashid on the issue of lack of a forum to decide his bail plea in a terror funding case. Justice Vikas Mahajan deferred the hearing after he was informed by the counsel for the high court administration that the Supreme Court on Monday clarified that the NIA court dealing with the case could hear the bail plea. Rashid had moved the high court earlier, alleging he did not have a remedy after the NIA court dealing with his bail application left him in a limbo after his election to the Lok Sabha last year on account of it not being a special MP/MLA court. As an interim relief, Rashid was on Monday allowed a two-day custody parole to attend the ongoing Parliament session on February 11 and 13. In view of the development in the top court, Justice Mahajan on Tuesday orally asked Rashid's lawyer to approach the NIA court for bail. The MP's counsel, however, urged the c

Cong MPs give notice for adjournment in LS over price rise, Manipur crisis

In his notice, Vijay Kumar said that the continuous rise in the prices of essential goods, especially milk, vegetables, cooking oils, and other daily-use items is affecting millions of citizens

Draft UGC norms empower universities in faculty selection, says Pradhan

In a written response to a parliamentary question, Pradhan stated that the draft regulations aim to foster innovation, inclusivity, flexibility, and dynamism in higher education

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over treatment of Indians deported from US

Congress MP Manish Tewari claimed that, according to US estimates, approximately 725,000 undocumented Indians reside in the United States, with 24,000 currently held in detention facilities

Cong MP moves adjournment motion over arrest of 14 fishermen by SL Navy

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also pointed out that it is not an 'isolated incident' as in recent weeks, the Sri Lankan Navy has detained Indian fishermen on several occasions

Hope to introduce new income tax bill in Lok Sabha next week: FM Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said she is likely to introduce the new income tax bill, which will replace the six-decade-old I-T Act, in the Lok Sabha in the coming week. After introduction in the Upper House, the bill will be sent to a parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the bill on Friday. "Yesterday, the Cabinet cleared the New Income Tax proposal, I hope to have it introduced in the Lok Sabha in the coming week. Post that it will go to a committee," Sitharaman said a media briefing after addressing the post-Budget customary meeting with the central board of directors of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The bill will again go to the Cabinet after the parliamentary committee gives its recommendations on it. After Cabinet approval, it will again be introduced in Parliament. "I still have three critical stages to pass through," Sitharaman said to the query regarding rollout of the new

Fixed ceiling, retail prices to ensure affordable cancer drugs: Govt in LS

In response to a parliamentary query, the ministry said that the Department of Pharmaceuticals, through the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA)