Page 22 - Lok Sabha

Parliament session highlights: Congress lead Opposition walkout in RS over farmers issue

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

Changes in Whistle Blowers Protection Act not part of current session: Govt

The changes proposed in the Whistle Blowers Protection Act are not part of the approved legislative business of the current session of Parliament, the government said on Wednesday. The Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014 was notified on May 12, 2014. In terms of provision of sub-section (3) of section 1 of the law, the provisions of the Act shall come into force on such date as the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, appoint, the government said. No such notification has been made by the government for the reason that the Act requires amendments aimed at safeguarding against disclosures affecting sovereignty and integrity of India, security of the state, etc., before it is brought into force, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply. To make these amendments to the Act, the government introduced the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 in the Lok Sabha on May 11, 2015 which was passed by Lok Sabha on Ma

Explained: Banking Reforms Amendment Bill 2024. What is in it for you?

The Lok Sabha has approved the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which amends multiple laws, including the Banking Regulation Act and RBI Act. Watch the video to know why it matters

Members should refrain from interjecting till permitted: LS speaker

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said ministers should give up the habit of responding to members during the Question Hour till permitted by the Chair. This came after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav made a comment while Union minister Pralhad Joshi was replying to a question on solar energy and Union minister Piyush Goyal responded to the Kannauj MP. Goyal earlier served as power minister. Joshi, who holds the New and Renewable Energy portfolio, was responding to supplementaries related to Pradhan Mantri-Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY). Birla said ministers should not reply to members till they are allowed by the Chair. Later, the speaker also asked members to keep their questions and answers short. He made the comments when Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia was responding to questions about BSNL. Scindia was also asked to keep his reply short. Members and ministers should keep their questions and answers crisp and to the point so that more members

Railways gives Rs 56,993 cr subsidy on tickets every year: Ashwini Vaishnaw

A total subsidy of Rs 56,993 crore is given every year by the Indian Railways to all categories of passengers, with a 46 per cent rebate on every ticket, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. Replying to multiple questions in the Lok Sabha on restoring discounts given to various categories of train passengers, he said if the price of a ticket is Rs 100, then the railways charges just Rs 54 for it -- a discount of 46 per cent. "A total of Rs 56,993 crore subsidy is given every year by the Indian Railways to all classes of passengers," Vaishnaw said during the Question Hour. Replying to another question on rapid train service, he said the railways has already started such a service -- Namo Bharat Rapid Rail -- between Bhuj and Ahmedabad and the satisfaction level of passengers is extremely high due to its superior service. Officials said Namo Bharat Rapid Rail has improved intercity connectivity by covering the 359-kilometre distance between Bhuj and Ahmedabad in 5 hou

Gaurav Gogoi files adjournment motion seeking discussion on Adani issue

The motion notice filed by Congress MP Gogoi calls for an urgent discussion on the 'silence' of the Solar Energy Corporation of India

Lok Sabha seat allotment sparks discontent; INDIA allies blame Congress

Members of Parliament from both NDA and Opposition parties have expressed dissatisfaction with the Lok Sabha seating arrangement, feeling that it does not reflect their seniority or political stature

Bill to push banking reforms, strengthen governance gets Lok Sabha nod

Proposes up to 4 successive nominations by bank a/c holders

LS passes banking laws amendment Bill allowing 4 nominees in bank accounts

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which allows bank account holders to have up to four nominees in their accounts. Another proposed change relates to redefining 'substantial interest' for directorships, which could increase to Rs 2 crore instead of the current limit of Rs 5 lakh, which was fixed almost six decades ago. The Bill piloted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was approved by a voice vote. Replying to the debate on the Bill, Sitharaman said depositors will have the option of successive or simultaneous nomination facility, while locker holders will have only successive nomination. She also said that since 2014, the Government and the RBI have been extremely cautious, so that banks remain stable. "The intention is to keep our banks safe, stable, healthy, and after 10 years you are seeing the outcome," Sitharaman said. The bill proposes to increase the tenure of directors (excluding the chairman and whole-time director) in coopera

Parliament updates: Lok Sabha passes The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

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

High-stakes Constitution debate set for Parliament’s winter session

On December 2, both houses of the Parliament agreed to hold discussions on the Indian Constitution. The opposition pushed for this debate to mark 75 years since the adoption of the Constitution.

Galwan disrupted decades of LAC peace; next aim de-escalation: Jaishankar

While diplomatic engagement has improved relations, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar emphasised the need for a fair settlement to normalise ties between the nations

Lok Sabha will be convened on Sunday, warns Om Birla amid House disruptions

The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Nov 25 and is set to continue until Dec 20, has faced significant disruptions due to Opposition protests

6 million new job cards issued under MGNREGS every year, Centre tells LS

Sixty lakh new job cards are issued under the MGNREGS on average every year and the government has no role in the deletion of the job cards which is done based on various parameters, the Centre said on Tuesday. Minister of State for Rural Development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani told the Lok Sabha that 57 per cent of the rural development budget is allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and asserted that Aadhaar-seeding of the cards enhances transparency. He was responding to Congress leader K C Venugopal, who claimed that the names of 10.43 crore MGNREGS workers have been deleted in the last four years. Venugopal also wanted to know whether the deletions were linked to the Aadhaar-seeding requirement. "Ninety-nine per cent of all job card holders have Aadhaar seeding. Aadhaar seeding is nothing but to increase transparency. It is not an obstacle," the minister said during the Question Hour. According to Pemmasani, the deletion of job car

Oppn MPs, Rahul Gandhi, stage walkout in Lok Sabha over Sambhal violence

Almost the entire opposition in the Lok Sabha, including Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday staged a brief walkout from the House over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal. As soon as the House assembled to take up the Question Hour, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav rose from his seat and raised the issue, seeking Speaker Om Birla's permission to speak on the subject. "This is a very serious matter. Five people have lost their lives," Yadav was heard saying. As the Speaker said members could raise the issue in the Zero Hour, Yadav and his party colleagues started to walk out in protest. Some SP members, meanwhile, rushed to the Well, raising slogans. While the SP members were protesting in the Well of the House, DMK member A Raja was seen exhorting other opposition members, including those from the Congress, to rise from their seats and join the SP protest. NCP and Shiv Sena-UBT members stood up in support of the Samajwadi Party MPs. Some of the

Govt introduces Coastal Shipping Bill in Lok Sabha amid noisy protests

A Bill that seeks to promote coastal trade and encourage the participation of Indian-flagged vessels owned and operated by Indian citizens for national security and commercial needs was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal introduced the Bill amid noisy protests by opposition members over the recent violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal and the Adani issue. Sandhya Ray, who was chairing the proceedings, asked Congress members Manish Tewari and Gaurav Gogoi to speak but they refused, saying that the House was not in order. Opposition members are allowed to speak on Bills if they wish to oppose it at the introduction stage itself. The Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, was later introduced following a voice vote amid the din. The Bill is among the five new measures planned for introduction by the government in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.

Parliament session highlights: LS, RS adjourned after protests over Adani issue, Sambhal violence

Parliament winter session news highlights: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

SBI planning to open 500 new branches across India in FY25: MoS Finance

The State Bank of India (SBI) is planning to open 500 new branches across India during the current financial year, Parliament was informed on Monday. Of this, 135 new branches have already been opened till October 31, 2024, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Currently, the endeavour of the government is to ensure availability of a banking outlet (bank branch/business correspondent/ India Post Payments Bank) within 5 kilometres of all inhabited villages in the country, he said. Availability of banking outlets is monitored by a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based app, namely, Jan Dhan Darshak (JDD) app, he said. To another question regarding shortage of staff in SBI, Chaudhary said, public sector banks (PSBs) including SBI are board governed commercial entities. The requirement of manpower in each PSB is determined by the respective PSB keeping in view various factors which include, inter-alia, business requirement, spread

Govt, Oppn work to break impasse in Parliament; Constitution debate likely

The government and opposition parties have come close to reaching an agreement to break the impasse in Parliament with a discussion on the Constitution to mark its 75th year of adoption likely to take place in the coming days, sources said. The Samajwadi Party may also be allowed to raise the Sambhal issue and the Trinamool Congress happenings in Bangladesh in the Lok Sabha, they said. The opposition wants an official announcement of dates for the discussion on the Constitution before agreeing to the resumption of regular parliamentary proceedings, they added. "We are hopeful that Parliament will begin its work from Tuesday. Positive talks have happened," a source said. However, there is little possibility of any specific discussion on the Adani issue, sources added, noting that opposition members may touch on it during other debates. The Congress has been persistent in raising the issue of the indictment of US prosecutors of Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani and other company

Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned till Dec 3 amid opposition ruckus

Both Houses were adjourned for the day after they reconvening at 12 noon following adjournments since the sessions began at 11 am