Page 18 - Lok Sabha

'Amit Shah is mad, he should resign', says Lalu Yadav over Ambedkar issue

RJD leader Lalu Yadav slammed Union Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on BR Ambedkar; asked him to resign from politics

Govt to table motion for JPC on 'One Nation, One Election' in LS today

The motion in the Lok Sabha aims to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee for reviewing Bills related to 'One Nation, One Election' today. The panel will comprise 21 MPs from the Lower House

House panel pulls up IT ministry for failing to use semiconductor funds

A parliamentary panel has pulled up the Ministry of Electronics and IT for surrendering more than half the funds allocated for semiconductor and display manufacturing projects in 2023-24, according to a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. The Standing Committee on Communications and IT in the fourth report on demand for grants observed gradual decrease in allocation of funds from Budget Estimate (BE) 2021-22 to BE 2024-25 for Digital India Programme as well as underutilisation by the ministry over the years. The report said under Modified Programme for Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystem in India, during FY24, of the total allocation of Rs 1,503.36 crore the actual expenses as on March 31, 2024 indicates that the ministry could spend only Rs 681.11 crore, "surrendering a staggering 55 per cent of the allotted fund". "Surrendering of funds beyond 50 per cent allocated reflects improper planning by the ministry. The committee may be apprised of t

Blocked 18 OTT platforms for publishing obscene, vulgar content: Govt in LS

Government blocked 18 OTT platforms this year for publishing obscene and vulgar content, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. In a reply to a question by Shiv Sena-UBT member Anil Desai, Murugan said the IT Rules of 2021 cast specific due diligence obligations on intermediaries to make reasonable efforts by themselves against displaying or spreading obscene or pornographic content. The Rules also provide for a Code of Ethics for publishers of news and current affairs on digital media and publishers of online curated content (OTT platforms). "The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has taken action in coordination with various intermediaries, and blocked 18 OTT platforms on 14th March, 2024 for publishing obscene, vulgar, and, in some instances, pornographic content under these provisions," Murugan said. In a reply to a separate question, Murugan said the Code of Ethics for digital news publishers requires such publishers

Parliament highlights: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned after uproar over Shah's Ambedkar remarks

Parliament winter session 2024 highlights: The 'One Nation, One Election' Bill was tabled in the Lower House of the Parliament on Dec 17

Centre grants approval for 47 ethanol projects in Bihar for loan subsidies

A total of 47 projects from Bihar have been issued in-principle approvals for interest subvention on bank loans for establishing new or expanding existing distilleries, the government said on Wednesday. Currently, 22 ethanol distilleries - 8 molasses-based and 14 grain-based - are operational in Bihar, Minister of State for Food Nimuben Jayatibhai Bambhaniya said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The government is implementing the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme nationwide, with Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) selling petrol blended with ethanol. Under the programme, the government has set a target of 20 per cent ethanol blending with petrol by 2025-26. To boost ethanol production capacity and meet blending targets, the Centre has introduced various Ethanol Interest Subvention Schemes from 2018 to 2022. Under these schemes, 47 projects from Bihar have received in-principle approvals, she said. For each Ethanol Supply Year (ESY), OMCs invite bids from distilleries for etha

Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day amid Opposition protests

In a back and forth, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also hit out at the Opposition, alleging that it is instead Congress which has done conspiracy against B R Ambedkar, questioning their respect

ONOE Bill: Priyanka Gandhi among four Congress members to be on House panel

The BJP is considering the names of its seasoned MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Nishikant Dubey as nominees for the parliamentary panel that will scrutinise simultaneous poll bills, while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Manish Tewari are set to be among the Congress representatives, sources said. Sukhdeo Bhagat and Randeep Surjewala are the Congress' other choices for the joint committee of Parliament. Kalyan Banerjee and Saket Gokhale of the Trinamool Congress, Shrikant Shinde of the Shiv Sena, Sanjay Jha of the JD(U), and T M Selvaganapathi and P Wilson of the DMK are expected to be part of the panel which may have 31 members -- 21 from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. Sources said Anurag Thakur and P P Chaudhary are also being considered as the probable BJP choices for the panel in which the saffron party and its allies will be in a majority due to their numerical superiority in Parliament. The two 'One Nation One Election' (ONOE) bills, including one requiring an amendment in

Explained: 'One Nation One Election initiative', key reforms and challenges

The 'One Nation, One Election' is a bold initiative that promises cost savings and administrative efficiency but also raises concerns about its impact on federalism, representation, and practicality

Rs 14,131.6 crore recovered from Vijay Mallya's asset sales: FM Sitharaman

The Enforcement Directorate has restored assets worth Rs 22,280 crore to victims or rightful claimants from cases involving economic offences, the finance minister informed Lok Sabha

'One Nation, One Election' Bill: Key details on 31-member joint committee

One Nation, One Election: Once formed, the Joint Parliamentary Committee will have 90 days to submit its report, though this deadline can be extended if needed

They chant Nehru's name... Cong on Shah's remarks in Parliament on Ambedkar

The Congress leader also asserted that the first Constitutional Amendments in 1951 were brought to promote social reform

Cong MP moves adjournment motion in LS over Amit Shah's Ambedkar remarks

In his adjournment motion notice, Tagore accused Amit Shah of 'insulting' B R Ambedkar's legacy and 'hurting the sentiments of people'

Development will be unhindered for 5 years with ONOE in place: Mahajan

Former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Tuesday said that if parliamentary and state assembly elections are held simultaneously, then developmental works can happen without any hindrance for five years. Mahajan said this while advocating for the bill having provision of holding these elections simultaneously. Two bills that lay down the mechanism to hold simultaneous elections in the country were introduced in the Lok Sabha after a fiery 90-minute debate on Tuesday with the opposition terming the move as "dictatorial". Talking to reporters, Mahajan said, "If this bill becomes a law and comes into force, it will be a good thing because development work will be done without any hindrance for five years. All the governments of the country will be able to move forward with a concrete programme of development." "This bill has a long way to go, but it is a good thing that discussions have started on it," she said. The senior BJP leader said that this bill will not come into force ..

Came only to praise PM Modi: Kharge slams Amit Shah's speech in Parliament

Attacking the Home Minister further, Kharge said that Amit Shah had come to Parliament only to praise PM Modi and alleged that BJP is trying to divert people's attention

Govt introduces ONOP bills, says they will be referred to House panel

Meghwal introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill after a nearly 90-minute debate, followed by a division of votes. As many as 269 members voted in favour of the Bill and 198 against it

Simultaneous polls: Gains must be weighed against Constitutional concerns

The idea of holding simultaneous elections is not new for India. In fact, elections for many years after Independence were held simultaneously

Parliament highlights: Cong never worked for welfare of backward classes,we uplift them, says Shah

Parliament Winter Session updates: Following its introduction in the Lok Sabha, the "One Nation One Election" Bill is expected to be referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee

Sale of Shein products in India was never banned, Piyush Goyal tells LS

Sale of "branded products" from Chinese online fast fashion brand Shein was not banned, though its app was blocked on June 29, 2020, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Shein was one of the apps to be banned by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in June 2020 after tension with China escalated on the Himalayan borders. "Sale of Shein-branded products in India was not banned," Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. The country's leading retailer Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL) through its subsidiary RRL (Reliance Retail Ltd), has entered into a technology agreement with Roadget Business Pte Ltd, which owns Shein based in Singapore to develop an indigenous e-commerce retail platform, he said. This platform is intended to create a network of local manufacturers and suppliers who will manufacture products under the brand Shein and sell them domestically and globally. "It is expected that this will help in the ...

House panel asks DRDO to excel R-D warfare in hybrid, kinetic, non-kinetic

Underlining that the ongoing conflict in the international arena has revealed the "hazards of a hybrid warfare", a parliamentary panel has recommend that the DRDO should expand its R&D efforts to enhance combat readiness against any non-conventional warfare and security threats. In its report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the committee has noted "with concern that out of 55 projects, 23 were not completed within the stipulated time". "Although, 571 projects worth Rs 34161.58 cr have been successfully completed and closed during the last 10 years (1 Jan 2012 -- till date), with respect to projects which were partially successful or unsuccessful, eight such projects worth Rs 770.31 cr were stage closed during this period," the report said. The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence is titled -- 'Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/ Recommendations contained in the Forty-Second Report (17th Lok Sabha) of the Standing Committee on Defence on the ...