Page 7 - Lok Sabha

Rooftop solar plant to be installed in 10 mn households by 2026-27: Govt

Rooftop solar plants will be installed in one crore households across the country by 2026-27 under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY), Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Joshi also said that the central government has taken several initiatives and has been implementing various schemes and programmes for promotion and development of renewable energy in the country. "The government launched PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana (PM-SGMBY) in February, 2024 for installing rooftop solar for one crore households by 2026-27 across all states and UTs in the country," he said during the Question House. The minister said the government has also been implementing Pradhan Mantri-Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme across all states and UTs of the country. Under the scheme, capacities are allocated based on demand received and progress shown by the states and UTs, he said. Joshi said as per study on ...

Cong seeks govt's help for release of Catholic nuns jailed in Chhattisgarh

Congress members from Kerala in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday demanded government intervention for release of two Catholic nuns jailed for alleged human trafficking and forced religious conversion in Chhattisgarh. Nuns Preethi Merry and Vandana Francis along with Sukaman Mandavi were arrested at the Durg railway station in the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh on July 25 following a complaint by a local Bajrang Dal functionary, who accused them of forcibly converting three girls from Narayanpur and trafficking them. Raising the matter during Zero Hour, Congress members K C Venugopal and K Suresh said the incident is "deeply disturbing and shocking" as the nuns are innocent and were doing social work by providing palliative care for cancer patients. Venugopal said the nuns were manhandled and "falsely accused" of religious conversion and human trafficking by Bajrang Dal members. The two nuns were stopped at the Durg railway station while they were travelling to Agra. "These two nuns are in jail .

Parliament Highlights: Op Sindoor showed India knows how to protect its sovereignty, says Rajnath

Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to open discussion on Operation Sindoor in Rajya Sabha today. Follow live updates on the debate and proceedings here

Govt left them on God's will: Priyanka corners Centre over Pahalgam attack

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi blamed the Centre for the Pahalgam terror attack, citing lack of security. She questioned the Prime Minister, home minister, and intelligence agencies in Lok Sabha

Amit Shah slams Chidambaram for 'clean chit' to Pakistan in Pahalgam attack

Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday accused P Chidambaram, a previous incumbent of the ministry, of giving a "clean chit" to Pakistan in the Pahalgam terror attack, asserting that it amounted to questioning India's attack on terror facilities in the country. Shah lashed out at the senior Congress leader as informed Lok Sabha during a discussion on the terror strike and Operation Sindoor that three terrorists killed by security forces in Kashmir on Monday were behind the horrific Pahalgam incident. He said the government had proof of the three being from Pakistan, including that the voter numbers of two of them. He added that they carried chocolates made in Pakistan, turning up the heat on the former home minister. The Congress leader, a Rajya Sabha member, Shah said, raised the questions when Parliament was to begin this discussion. "Whom do you want to save? What will you gain by shielding Pakistan?" In an interview, Chidambaram had raised questions on the claim that the terrorists

3 terrorists killed in Op Mahadev linked to Pahalgam attack: Amit Shah

Speaking on Operation Mahadev on the floor of the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said the killed terrorists have been identified as Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran

Lok Sabha sees Question Hour proceed smoothly after 6 days of disruption

Lok Sabha on Tuesday witnessed smooth functioning of the Question Hour for the first time since the beginning of the Monsoon session on July 21. The House has been witnessing repeated disruptions over the Opposition's demand for a debate on electoral roll revision in Bihar and Operation Sindoor. While the debate on Operation Sindoor commenced in the House on Monday, the Opposition disrupted the first half of the day demanding an assurance from the government that a discussion on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar will be held after that. Tuesday was the first time in six days that the House could take up the Question Hour without disruptions. Speaker Om Birla has been insisting that members should participate in the Question Hour as issues related to key ministries are taken up and the government is held accountable.

'Halted trade but play cricket': Owaisi questions govt over India-Pak match

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said his conscience won't permit him to watch the September 14 India-Pakistan Asia Cup match

PM Modi, Amit Shah to address Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor today

The Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam

Parliament Highlights: Retaliation by Army forced Pakistan to bow down, says Rajnath Singh

Monsoon Session Highlights: Top leaders from NDA and INDIA bloc to face off in Parliament over Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Follow live updates on the debate and proceedings here

No Modi-Trump call took place, Jaishankar clarifies on Operation Sindoor

EAM S Jaishankar defends Operation Sindoor and highlights India's diplomatic wins against Pakistan-backed terror groups and China's influence in Parliament

Send leaders empowered to take decisions for all-party meetings: Om Birla

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday urged leaders of political parties to send representatives who are empowered to take decisions to meetings for finalising the agenda for Parliament. Birla's remarks came as the opposition members sought an assurance from the government on discussion on the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar after the conclusion of the debate on Operation Sindoor. The opposition members were in the Well of the House, raising slogans and seeking an assurance before the Lok Sabha took up the discussion on Operation Sindoor. Birla said that at the all-party meeting chaired by him last week, all leaders sought a discussion on Operation Sindoor, which was agreed to, and 16 hours were allocated for the same. "There is something called commitment. Leaders of all parties had sought a discussion on Operation Sindoor and now you are in the Well of the House raising other issues," he said, addressing opposition members. "You can't demand a discussion on any issue from th

Lok Sabha adjourned till 1 pm amid Opposition protests on Bihar's SIR

The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 1 pm on Monday amid opposition protests on revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, delaying the start of the discussion on Operation Sindoor. Opposition members were in the well of the Lok Sabha, raising slogans on the special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, when the House reconvened at noon for the discussion on Operation Sindoor. "There is something called commitment. Leaders of all parties had sought a discussion on Operation Sindoor and now you are in the well of the House raising other issues," Speaker Om Birla said while addressing opposition members. "If you want a discussion on Operation Sindoor, you will have to go back to your seats. You can't demand a discussion on any issue from the Well of the House. The House runs as per rules of procedure," Birla said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari among others were present in the House at the time. Defence Minister Singh is scheduled to initiate the special

Lok Sabha to hold special discussion on 'Operation Sindoor' today

A fiery debate on the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor is expected to unfold in Parliament, between top leaders from the ruling alliance and the Opposition

Bihar voter list revision continues to rock Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha

The Upper House, which has been witnessing protests by opposition MPs over the SIR exercise, saw the first adjournment shortly after meeting at 11 am, when it was adjourned till noon

Lok Sabha to run smoothly from Monday as Om Birla meets party leaders

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday convened a meeting of senior leaders of political parties, where it was decided that the House will function smoothly from Monday onwards, parliamentary sources said. Amid repeated disruptions for the last five days, Birla told leaders that he wanted the House to have meaningful discussions and pushed for decorum during Question Hour, they said. It was decided that the House will function smoothly from Monday, the sources said. Lok Sabha will take up a discussion on 'Operation Sindoor' on Monday, they added. The opposition has been raking up issues such as special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, US President Donald Trump's claim on India-Pakistan 'ceasefire' and the Pahalgam terror attack since the Monsoon session commenced on July 21.

95.1% rural households have access to toilets: Govt tells Lok Sabha

According to a government survey, about 95.1 per cent of rural households have access to toilets, 92.7 per cent have arrangements to dispose of organic waste and 78.7 per cent have systems in place for greywater disposal, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna said on Thursday. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, the minister quoted findings from the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023-24 conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which covered 17,304 villages across 729 districts in the country. The survey included feedback from 2,60,059 households and 85,901 public places such as schools, anganwadis, health centres and markets. In terms of waste segregation, only 39.9 per cent households reported segregating waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories, it said. At the village level, 45 per cent have exclusive or shared vehicles to collect and transport solid waste, and 29.4 per cent have designated sheds for storage and segregation. For plastic waste

Swiss firm's pollution rankings misleading: Govt tells Parliament

The government on Thursday questioned the credibility of a global report that ranked India among the world's most polluted countries, saying the rankings could be "misleading" due to limitations in data sources and methodology. Replying to an unstarred question by Congress MP Pramod Tiwari in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the IQAir report published in March 2024 ranks countries based on average PM2.5 concentrations. "However, it must be noted that only 38 per cent of the data sources used in the report are from government agencies. The remaining 62 per cent are from other agencies and include data generated using low-cost sensors," Singh said in his written reply. He said that such sensors are not approved for regulatory use and can produce data with a significant degree of error or uncertainty. "The data from a variety of monitors and sources, especially low-cost sensors, may have inaccuracies. Moreover, the report uses ...

Highlights: From semiconductors to cybersecurity, we shall create the future together, says PM Modi

Today's news highlights: Catch all the latest news developments here

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm following Oppn protests against SIR in Bihar

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Thursday following Opposition protests over the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar. This is the fourth consecutive day that the Question Hour has been disrupted since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. As soon as the House met for the day, various Opposition members wanted to raise the issue of the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and also shouted slogans. Some of the members were in the Well of the House and also displayed placards. Speaker Om Birla asked the protesting members to go back to their seats and assured that as per rules they will be given opportunities to raise issues. He mentioned the name of senior Congress leader K C Venugopal and said it was not the culture of his party to indulge in sloganeering in the House. Birla repeatedly mentioned that sloganeering and display of placards is not in accordance with the dignity of the House and wondered what kind of message such actions will send out. As t