Page 20 - Parliament Winter Session

Winter Session: Indian Navy has shortage of 10,896 personnel, says govt

The Indian Navy is reeling under a shortage of 10,896 personnel including 1,777 officers, according to details provided by the defence ministry in Parliament on Friday. Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt also said 9,119 posts of sailors are lying vacant in the Navy as on October 31. He said the shortage in the officer-rank is 1,777. The sanctioned strength of officers and sailors in the Navy is 11,979 and 76,649. Bhatt said a total of 323 officers were recruited in 2021 while the number in 2022 was 386. In 2021, 5,547 sailors were inducted into the Navy. The number in 2022 was 5,171, he added. To a separate question, he said a technology development fund to provide financial assistance to Indian industries, startups as well as academic and scientific institutions for the development of defence and dual use technologies. The fund is also aimed at engaging the private industries especially MSMEs and startups to bring in the culture of de

Urea production rises to 284,950 tonne in 2022-23: Parliament informed

India's urea production has increased to 284.95 lakh tonnes last fiscal from 225.08 lakh tonnes in 2014-15, the government informed Lok Sabha on Friday. In written replies, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said the central government ensures adequate availability of urea to meet the requirements of states/Union Territories. To increase the availability of urea through indigenous sources, the Centre announced New Investment Policy (NIP) - 2012 to facilitate fresh investment in the urea sector and to make India self sufficient in the sector. "A total of 6 new urea units have been set up under NIP - 2012, which together have added 76.2 lakh tonnes per annum in the existing indigenous urea production capacity of the country. "In addition, Government of India also introduced the New Urea Policy (NUP)-2015 on 25th May, 2015 with one of the objectives of maximising indigenous urea production. As a result, the indigenous production of the country increased f

Crypto wrap: Cryptocurrency in Parliament; Bitcoin's surge to 18-month high

This week, in reply to a question in the Parliament in the ongoing Winter Session, the Centre revealed that as many as 28 Virtual Digital Assets service providers have registered themselves with FIU

Govt continuously taking initiatives to conclude trade pacts: RS told

The government is continuously taking initiatives to conclude trade agreements with key countries to expand its share in world commerce, Parliament was informed on Friday. These initiatives include bilateral meetings, stakeholder consultations, and the exchange of trade data, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Anupriya Patel said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. She also said a number of bilateral meetings have been held with the Eurasian Economic Union (EaEU) to discuss the trade agreement. Draft texts and terms of reference have been exchanged. "EaEU's trade data from January 2022 onwards, necessary to determine the scope of the agreement and potential gains from the agreement, is awaited from EaEU," she said, adding that "the government is continuously taking initiatives to conclude trade agreements with significant trade partners, including EaEU, with a view to expanding its share in world trade". In a separate reply, the minister said India's mobile phone exports h

Over 290,000 vacancies filled up in Railways in last 5 years till Sept 30

The requirement of manpower in different categories also differs based on changes in priorities and technology upgrades

There was no bulk data download: Govt on alleged CoWIN breach

Investigations into the reported data breach on the CoWIN portal have ascertained that there was no bulk data download from its beneficiary database, Union Minister for State for Health S P Singh Baghel told the Lok Sabha on Friday. The CoWIN portal of the Union health ministry already has adequate security measures and safeguards for data privacy with Web Application Firewall (WAF), Anti-DDoS and SSL/TLS (regular vulnerability assessment) identity and access management, the minister said in a written reply in the Lower House. The CoWIN portal is the repository of all data of people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. "There were media reports of apparent breach of CoWIN data of beneficiaries who have received Covid vaccination in the country. The matter was investigated and analysed by CERT-In under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and it was ascertained that there was no bulk data download from Co-WIN beneficiary database," Baghel said. In view of med

Over 26 million kids given measles vaccine between Apr 2022-Mar 2023: Govt

More than 2.63 crore children across the country received the first dose of measles containing vaccine (MCV) between April 2022 and March 2023, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Mandaviya was responding to a question on whether an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, as stated in a report by the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "While the World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes various reports on Immunisation, under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), data regarding Measles Containing Vaccines (MCV) administered free of cost to all eligible children is captured in the Health Management Information System (HMIS). "As per HMIS, a total of 2,63,63,270 children received 1st dose of MCV throughout the country against the estimated target of 2,63,84,580 children in the period between April 2022 to March 2023," Mandaviya said. Listing steps taken by the

India recorded over 234,000 dengue cases till Nov 30: Govt to Lok Sabha

India recorded 2,34,427 cases of dengue till November 30 this year, the government told Lok Sabha on Friday and underlined that the cases remain low every year from January to July whereas maximum cases are reported from August to December. In the current year, due to global climate change, the El Nino effect and unequal rainfall, increased vector density led to an increase in the number of dengue cases reported across the country, Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said in reply to a question. Baghel informed the House that 2,33,251 cases of dengue were reported in 2022 and 1,93,245 in 2021. Transmission of dengue happens round the year in many states. However, cases increase during monsoon and continue till the post-monsoon season due to the abundance of vector breeding sites, he said. "For dengue transmission, environmental factors namely rainfall, humidity and temperature are mainly responsible. In the current year, due to the global climate change, El Nino eff

Oppn leaders question LS panel report recommending Moitra's expulsion

Opposition INDIA bloc leaders on Friday questioned the Lok Sabha Ethics Panel recommendation for expelling Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, and accused the BJP-led government of doing "vendetta politics". The report was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday amid an uproar by opposition MPs who questioned the procedure followed by the panel and demanded a discussion on the report. "It is a new black day in the new House. A new black chapter is starting today," Congress' leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Danish Ali, who is a member of the ethics panel and was among those who staged a walkout protesting the nature of questions that were asked to Moitra by panel chief Vinod Kumar Sonkar, said the report was incomplete. "We believe the report is incomplete, because the deposition was not completed. Five MPs walked out and the report was adopted in two-and-a-half minutes. We want a discussion on this. The walkout by MPs was because they were ask

No 'spectacular announcements' in interim Budget, says FM Sitharaman

"Budget that will be announced will just be a vote on account because we will be in election mode, and elections will happen during the coming summer", the FM said

Winter session: Dept-related Parl Standing Committees to lay reports in RS

The House will also see Ministers making statements on the status of the implementation of various reports and several private members move for leave to introduce Bills

BJP MP Bidhuri regrets his objectionable remarks against BSP's Danish Ali

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri on Thursday expressed regret for his objectionable remarks against BSP's Danish Ali in a meeting of the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, which heard both leaders separately. Sources said Bidhuri in his deposition before the committee noted that senior BJP leader and Union minister Rajnath Singh had conveyed his regret in the House for his comments on September 21 when he was making a speech during a discussion on the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission. Bidhuri used some objectionable comments to target Ali, who was accused by several BJP leaders of using derogatory words for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provoke the South Delhi MP. As a row erupted in the House, Singh rose to convey his regrets. "I express regret if the opposition is hurt by the remarks made by the member," the Deputy Leader of the House in Lok Sabha said. With Bidhuri expressing regret, sources said, the committee was likely to bring closure to the matter and send its report to the ...

Ethics panel report on Moitra likely to be tabled in LS on Friday: Report

The report of the Ethics Committee which recommended the expulsion of TMC MP Mahua Moitra in a "cash-fore-query" case is likely to be tabled in Lok Sabha on Friday, parliamentary sources said. The report was earlier listed in the agenda of the lower house for December 4 but was not tabled. Various opposition members have insisted that there should be a discussion on the recommendations before a decision is taken on Moitra. "If the report is tabled, we would insist on a full-fledged discussion as the draft was adopted in two-and-a-half minutes," BSP MP Danish Ali told reporters on Thursday. The committee headed by Vinod Kumar Sonkar, at a meeting on November 9, adopted its report recommending Moitra's expulsion from Lok Sabha over the "cash-for-query" allegation. Six members of the panel, including Congress MP Preneet Kaur who had earlier been suspended from the party, voted in favour of the report. Four members of the panel belonging to opposition parties submitted dissent notes.

Winter session: Sitharaman tears into Opposition's job-less growth claims

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday slammed Congress for launching 'Naam-ke-Vaste' schemes as she enumerated how meticulous implementation of the same new avataar under Modi government reached benefits to the needy and helped catapult India as the fastest-growing major economy. Replying to a discussion on the state of economy in the Rajya Sabha, she called out former finance minister P Chidambaram for "whimsical calculations" to show job-less growth, saying under Modi government working population ratio has increased, schemes like Mudra loan created self-employment, and 13.5 crore lifted out of "multidimensional poverty". Dismissing the North-South divide theory, she said profits and the resulting taxes by big companies in states like Tamil Nadu were a result of sales they make all over the country and not just the state where they are registered. And so it was wrong to say they contribute more to the taxes but get a lesser share than states in the North which do not have

Airlines advised to self-regulate on airfares: Scindia on price concerns

The Civil Aviation Ministry has discussions with airlines over the airfares and these were advised to self-regulate and keep passengers' interest in mind while fixing the fares, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday, asserting that the airfare is neither established nor regulated by the government. Scindia made the statement in response to a written question in the Lok Sabha about surge in airfares and steps taken by the government to address the issue. "As per prevailing regulations, airfare is neither established nor regulated by the government. The airline fare system runs in multiple levels (buckets or RBDs) which are in line with practice being followed globally. "The fares are fixed by airlines keeping in mind the market, demand, seasonality and other market forces. The airfare increases with increase in demand of seats as the lower fare buckets get sold out faster and move to higher fare buckets," he said. Scindia informed that the Ministry had consultation

Electricity demand grows 8.5% in Apr-Oct, supply rises 8.8%: Govt

The electricity demand increased 8.5 per cent to 9,82,233 units during April-October 2023, Parliament was informed on Thursday. The energy requirement was 9,05,443 units during the first seven months of 2022, Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The energy supply rose 8.8 per cent to 9,79,344 units during the period under review from 8,99,950 units in the year-ago period. In FY 2022-23, the electricity requirement was 9.6 per cent higher at 15,11,847 units over 13,79,812 units in FY 2021-22. The supply was 15,04,264 units, 9.5 per cent up from 13,74,024 units in FY22. The power generation during FY23 rose to 1,624.465 billion units (BUs) from 1,491.859 (BUs) in FY22. During April-October FY24, the generation was at 1,047.439 BUs. "The peak demand has gone up from 136 GW in 2013-14 to 243 GW in September 2023. We have been able to meet the increase in demand because we added 194 GW of capacity between 2014 to 2023," Si

403 Indian students died abroad since 2018, most in Canada: Govt tells RS

The government on Thursday said 403 Indian students have died abroad since 2018 due to various reasons including natural causes, accidents and medical conditions, with Canada accounting for the highest 91 fatalities among 34 nations. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that according to the information available with the ministry, 403 incidents of death of Indian students abroad have been reported since 2018. He said the heads of mission/post and senior officials visit universities and educational institutions for regular interactions with Indian students and their associations. According to data submitted by the ministry, Canada has reported 91 deaths of Indian students since 2018 followed by the United Kingdom (48), Russia (40), the United States (36), Australia (35), Ukraine (21), Germany (20), Cyprus (14), Italy and the Philippines (10 each). "The safety and security of Indian students abroad is one of the

122 YouTube-based news channels blocked since Dec 2021: Anurag Thakur

The Centre on Thursday said that since December 2021 it has issued directions to block 122 YouTube news channels for carrying content related to the "sovereignty and integrity" of the country. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, said the channels carried content that was violative of Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. "Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has, since December, 2021, issued directions for blocking from public access of 122 YouTube based news channels for carrying content violative of section 69A of IT Act, 2000, in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence relating to the above," he said. Thakur said that when it comes to electronic media, all private satellite television channels are required to adhere to the Programme ..

India's Q2 growth rate highest in world; fundamentals strong: FM Sitharaman

The finance minister also informed the Rajya Sabha that the manufacturing sector in India had registered its highest growth of 13.9 per cent in Q2FY24

Submit bids for green hydrogen, electrolyser mfg projects by Dec 12: Govt

The last date to submit bids for green hydrogen and electrolyser manufacturing projects under the government's SIGHT Scheme ends on December 12, Parliament was informed on Thursday. In January 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission (NGHM) with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore with an aim to make India a global hub for manufacturing this clean source of energy. The mission is expected to lead to development of 5 Million Metric Tons per annum of green hydrogen production capacity by 2030, New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said in Lok Sabha. "Request for selection (RfS) has also been issued for selection of green hydrogen producers for setting up production facilities of 4,50,000 tonnes for green hydrogen in India under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Scheme (Mode-1-Tranche-I) on July 10, 2023. Last date for submission of bids is December 12, 2023," he said. Singh further said that December 12, is also the last date