Page 9 - Monsoon Session Of Parliament

It rained Bills this monsoon session of Parliament amid cloud of protests

The just-ended session also witnessed the debate on the first no-confidence motion of the 17th Lok Sabha

'Bharat Mata' not expunged from Rahul Gandhi's speech: Pralhad Joshi

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that words 'Bharat Mata' in his speech were expunged from Lok Sabha proceedings, claiming that he lacks understanding and seems to have "lost his mental balance". Speaking to reporters, the minister asserted that only some unparliamentary words and not 'Bharat Mata' were expunged from Gandhi's address during the no-confidence motion debate on Wednesday and accused opposition parties of creating ruckus and not letting debate on several key bills happen during the session for political reasons. Lok Sabha's productivity was 45 per cent and Rajya Sabha's 63 per cent during the session, large part of which was marred by the opposition's protest over the Manipur issue. Joshi said 22 bills were passed by Lok Sabha and 25 by Rajya Sabha, while 23 bills were passed by both Houses. Some bills passed by one House in previous sessions got the nod of another House in this session. Accusing the .

Rajya Sabha bids farewell to retiring members, recalls their contribution

The Rajya Sabha on Friday bid farewell to five members, including BJP leader Jugalsinh Lokhandwala who will retire on August 18, and recalled their contribution to the House. Out of the nine retiring members, four have been re-elected and the House will miss the presence of other five members, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said. Four members -- S Jaishankar of the BJP and three AITC members Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Derek O Brien and Dola Sen -- have been re-elected to the Upper House while the five retiring members are Jugalsinh Lokhandwala and Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya of the BJP, Sushmita Dev and Shanta Chhetri from the AITC and Pradip Bhattacharya from the Congress. "The five retiring members have made rich and significant contribution to the proceedings of the House during the course of their tenure. I am sure they would cherish the unique honour of their association with the House and will continue with their contribution to the nation at large," Dhankhar said. The chairman .

Govt tables bills in LS to end British-era laws of IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act

In a landmark move, Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday introduced three bills in Lok Sabha to replace colonial-era laws, asserting that the proposed laws will transform the country's criminal justice system and bring the spirit to protect the rights of the Indian citizen at the centre stage. Shah introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bill, 2023 that will replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively and said the changes were done to provide speedy justice and creating a legal system that keeps contemporary needs and aspirations of the people. The BNS Bill has provisions that seek to repeal sedition, and award maximum capital punishment for crimes such as mob lynching and rape of minors, the Home Minister said. The Bill also has provisions to provide first-time community service as one of the punishments for petty ...

Cong questions PM Modi's brevity on Manipur during no-trust motion speech

The Manipur unit of the Congress on Friday questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke for only three minutes on the strife-torn northeastern state out of the over two-hour long speech he delivered during the no-confidence motion in Parliament. Posing three questions before the prime minister on X, formerly known as Twitter, senior spokesperson of the state party unit Ningombam Bupenda Meitei also asked why the PM was silent on the territorial integrity of Manipur during the speech on Thursday. His third question was when he would visit Manipur. In his post on X, Meitei said, Dear Prime Minister @narendramodi, 1. Why did you speak for hardly 3 minutes out of 2 hrs & 12 minutes of your yesterday's speech in Lok Sabha on Manipur? 2. Why did you choose to be silent on territorial integrity of Manipur in Lok Sabha? 3. When are you coming to Manipur? Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday said the prime minister spoke for two hours during which he ...

Raghav Chadha suspended from RS for 'misconduct, contemptuous conduct'

AAP MP Raghav Chadha was on Friday suspended from Rajya Sabha for "gross violation of rule, misconduct, defiant attitude and contemptuous conduct", pending a report by the privileges committee. His suspension followed a motion moved by the Leader of House Piyush Goyal who sought action against the AAP leader for including names of four members of Upper House in a proposed select committee for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. The motion was passed by a voice vote.

Our economy is fastest growing: FM Sitharaman during the no-trust debate

In just nine years, the economy rose and saw economic development due to the policies of BJP government,' Nirmala Sitharaman said in Lok Sabha

Govt expects to implement new data protection law within 10 months

The government is expecting to implement the Digital Personal Data Protection law within 10 months, Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill 2023 with a voice vote amid a walkout by opposition members over the Manipur issue. The Bill, which comes after six years of the Supreme Court declaring 'Right to Privacy' as a fundamental right, has provisions to curb the misuse of individuals' data by online platforms. "We have started work on implementation. This kind of legislation will require a 6-10 month kind of frame. We will take every step with proper checks and balances. It is a guesstimate. We might do it faster than that," Vaishnaw said. Elaborating on the principles, he said the data collected by the citizens should be used as per the law, only for the purpose for which it has been collected and the quantum of data should be limited to the requirement. Vaishnaw said citizens will have the

Rajya Sabha passes data protection law amid surveillance concerns

The new legislation comes after India withdrew a 2019 privacy bill that had alarmed tech companies like Facebook and Google with its proposals for stringent restrictions on cross-border data flows

Govt aims to control surface fire at 19 coal mines in Jharia by 2025-end

The government is aiming to control surface fire at 27 locations of 19 coal mines in Jharia, Jharkhand, by 2025-end, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Some coal mines of Jharia in Jharkhand have been burning for many years due to unscientific mining prior to the nationalisation of coal mines, Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. As per the Jharia Master Plan approved in 2009, it was estimated that about 37 MT of good quality prime coking coal has been destroyed due to fire, the minister noted. Coal India subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) is periodically conducting surveys through National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) Hyderabad for delineation of surface fire. As per the latest survey report done in the year 2020-21, the surface fire area has been reduced to 1.8 sq km spread over 27 locations, he said. "Out of these 27 locations, fire at 16 locations is being dealt with by operating fire dealing projects through excavation an

Monsoon Session: Lok Sabha adopts resolution appealing for peace in Manipur

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday adopted a resolution appealing for peace in Manipur, with NDA members enthusiastically supporting it in the presence of the opposition. As Home Minister Amit Shah concluded his intervention on the no-confidence motion in the House, he suggested that Speaker Om Birla read out a resolution appealing for peace in Manipur. The suggestion made by Shah, who spoke extensively on the Manipur situation in Lok Sabha, was supported by Deputy Leader of the House and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said first a draft of the resolution should be shared and it should be adopted in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday. Birla then read out the resolution which was adopted by the House.

Cabinet clears changes to laws to levy 28% GST on online gaming, casinos

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved changes to GST laws to levy a 28 per cent tax on the full face value of bets in online gaming, casinos and horse race clubs, sources said. The amendments to the Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) acts, which were approved by the GST Council last week, are likely to be introduced in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which will end on August 11. The GST Council in its 51st meeting on August 2 recommended amendments to the Schedule III of the CGST Act, 2017, to provide clarity on the taxation of supplies in casinos, horse racing and online gaming. The Council also recommended inserting a provision in the IGST Act, 2017, to impose GST liability on online money gaming provided by offshore entities. Such entities would be required to get GST registration in India. The amendments will also provide for blocking access to online gaming platforms located overseas in case of failure to comply with registration and tax payment ...

Bill to decriminalise offences in coastal aquaculture activities passed

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to decriminalise the offences committed in carrying out coastal aquaculture activities and ensure ease of doing business. The bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha by a voice vote on Wednesday. It was passed in the Lok Sabha on August 7. Replying to a debate on the bill in Rajya Sabha, Parshottam Rupala, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, said that India has benefitted from green revolution and white revolution. "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, India will have blue revolution which will take the fisherman community ahead," Rupala said. The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (Amendment) Bill also seeks to expand the scope, remove regulatory gaps and reduce the compliance burden without diluting environmental protection rules in the coastal areas. To decriminalise the offences, the bill seeks to remove the jail term of up to three years and impose only a .

Rahul Gandhi put across voice of India in Lok Sabha: Cong Prez Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday said Rahul Gandhi put across the voice of the people in Lok Sabha on the Manipur issue and asked whether the Modi government feels the suffering of the people or its politics is only aimed at getting votes. He alleged that the people of Manipur are suffering due to the "insensitivity" of the BJP. "Rahul Gandhi put across the voice of India in Lok Sabha today. Pandit Nehru had said - 'Bharat Mata' are the people of India only. Our brothers and sisters are facing violence in Manipur, they are suffering due to the insensitivity of the BJP. "Modi ji's ministers are talking here and there, but they are not telling how the violence happened, why it was allowed to spread, why the prime minister did not appeal for peace, why he did not go there and ask the people about their sorrows and pains," Kharge posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in Hindi. "Does the Modi government have nothing to do with the suffering of the people? Is all thei

Bill to set up national agency to fund research across universities passes

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill 2023 to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on Monday. It was passed by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha in just 40 minutes after being taken up for consideration and passage. Only six members participated in the debate as the Opposition had earlier walked out of the House. Replying to the discussion for consideration and passage of the Bill, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh termed it "history in the making" and said it is going to have long-term outcomes. As Opposition members were not present in the Upper House during the discussion and passage of the Bill, Singh said the government was looking forward to having more constructive inputs from them as well. Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Sujit Kumar of the BJD said: "The hope is that this Bill - NRF 2023 - will bring about an integrated, holis

Over 42% teaching posts for quota candidates in central universities vacant

More than 42 per cent teaching posts reserved for OBC, SC and ST candidates in 45 central universities are lying vacant, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. According to data shared by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a written reply, 7,033 posts are sanctioned for Other Backward Classes (OBC), Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates in central universities and out of these, 3,007 posts are vacant. While 46 per cent posts (1665) for OBC are vacant, the vacant positions for SC and ST are 37 and 44 per cent respectively, it stated. "A total of 517 posts for the three categories have been filled in 2023 so far," Pradhan said. Among the positions filled in 2023, maximum are for the OBC category (285) followed by the SC (150) and the ST (82) categories, respectively.

Toy exports up 60% to $326 mn from FY19-FY23: MoS informs Parliament

India's toy exports increased 60 per cent from USD 203.46 million in 2018-19 to USD 325.72 million in 2022-23, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Import on the other hand dipped 57 per cent from USD 371.69 million in 2018-19 to USD 158.70 million in 2022-23, according to data provided by Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash. He said the government has taken proactive steps to promote domestic toy industry. "As a result of various steps taken by the government, the volume of import of toys into the Indian market has shown a consistently decreasing trend," he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. In a separate reply, he said the total number of industries registered under the ministry from January 1991 to July 31, 2023 is 1,10,525. Replying to a question on Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said ONDC has launched a Feet on Street (FoS) programme, involving 90 FoS resources, to support the network participa

Parliament: 2 synonyms of Mahar community added to Chhattisgarh's SC list

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to add two synonyms for the Mahar community in Chhattisgarh to the state's list of Scheduled Castes. The bill was passed by a voice vote in the Upper House. It has already been passed by the Lok Sabha in the ongoing Monsoon session. The bill seeks to add "Mahara" and "Mahra" as synonyms of the Mahar community. Replying to a discussion on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Virendra Kumar urged for its passage. The proposed legislation will help expand the benefits of government schemes and benefits meant for Scheduled Castes in the state to around two lakh more people, he said.

Standing Committee on Economic Statistics renamed: MoS tells Parliament

The government on Wednesday said Standing Committee on Economic Statistics has been renamed as Standing Committee on Statistics. The committee will advise Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on all surveys. "The government has formed various committees after the year 1947...including Standing Committee on Economic Statistics (SCES)," Minister of State for Statistics Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. He further said SCES was renamed as Standing Committee on Statistics (SCoS), which was constituted vide a MoSPI order dated July 13, 2023. SCoS will review the extant framework and address the issues raised from time to time on the subject/results/methodology, etc related to all surveys as brought before SCoS by MoSPI. It will advise on survey methodology including sampling frame, sampling design, survey instruments, etc and to finalize tabulation plan of surveys. It will also aid finalization of survey results. The panel will provide gui

Govt says no plan formulated to phase out old coal-based power plants

The government on Tuesday said it has not formulated any plan to phase out old coal-based thermal power plants in the country. India has set an ambitious energy transition programme, which includes having 500 GW of renewable energy capacity, by 2030. "No Sir, Central Electricity Authority vide an advisory dated January 20, 2023 suggested that no retirement or repurposing of coal-based power stations will be done before 2030 considering the expected energy demand scenario and availability of capacity in future," Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. He was replying to a question on whether the government has formulated any plan to phase out the old coal-based thermal power plants in the country, including in Odisha. Singh said that operators of thermal power plants were also advised implementation of Renovations & Modernisation (R&M) and Life Extension (LE) of their units for running up to 2030 and beyond or operating in two-shift mode to facilitate ..