Page 25 - Parliament Winter Session

'3,000 raids on opposition leaders', says AAP's Sanjay Singh in RS

He alleged that the government agencies were deliberately harassing the opposition

India gold seizures hit three-year high after import duty increase

This was the largest amount since 2019, when 3,673 kilograms of gold was seized

Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav takes oath as Lok Sabha member

Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav, who was elected to Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh, on Monday took oath as a member of the House. After taking oath, Yadav touched the feet of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who was sitting in the front row of the opposition benches. Yadav greeted leaders of both opposition and treasury benches while going to take oath as well as after taking it. She took oath in Hindi. Her husband and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav was seen sitting in the visitors' gallery. Yadav won the Mainpuri Lok Sabha seat in a recently held by-election that was necessitated following the death of her father-in-law and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

BJP's Sushil Modi demands to 'phase out' 2,000 rupee notes in Rajya Sabha

A demand to gradually phase out 2,000 rupee currency notes was made in the Rajya Sabha on Monday with BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi saying citizens holding such banknotes should be given two years to deposit it. Raising the issue through a zero-hour mention, he said 2,000 rupee notes have vanished from most ATMs in the country and there are rumours that they may not be legal tender soon. "The government has to clarify on this," he said, adding the RBI stopped printing the 2,000 rupee currency notes 3 years back. The 2,000 rupee currency note along with a new 500 rupee note was introduced when the government overnight demonetised old 500 and 1000 rupee notes. "There was no logic of bringing a 2,000 rupee note when 1,000 rupee note circulation was stopped," he said and went on to cite examples of developed nations that do not have currency notes of higher denomination. He said 2,000 rupee notes are being hoarded and are often used in illegal trades such as that drugs, and money ...

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury demands discussion on internal security in LS

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday demanded a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the country's internal security situation. Speaking in the House, Chowdhury alleged that the security situation from Kashmir to Punjab has worsened and the number of terror camps has increased in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 377. "The law and order is worsening in the country so there should be a discussion (in the House) on internal security situation," Chowdhury said. Speaking during the Zero Hour, Harsimrat Kaur Badal (Shiromani Akali Dal) demanded that government consult farmers before proceeding with the amendments in the Electricity (amendment) Bill, 2022. She said the Government had given written assurances to the farmers following which they withdrew their year-long agitation in December 2021. "The Government has not acted on the written assurances given to farmers in December last year and the farmers are getting ready for further agitation," Badal said. Preneet Kaur (IN

Adjournment motion notice in LS to discuss judiciary-govt confrontation

Manish Tewari stated that such statements prima facie undermine the faith in our country's highest court and the justice system in general

YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy raises instant loan app fraud issue in RS

He said the police arrested only the Indian agents and the companies were operating from China, and were also working without permission of the RBI

Where is the confrontation with the judiciary possibly headed?

The SC had declared NJAC Act unconstitutional, arguing that the primacy of the judiciary in judicial appointments was embedded in the 'basic structure' of the Constitution

RS to discuss Bill seeking inclusion of Gonds in ST category in parts of UP

The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 28, 2022. It was passed in the Lok Sabha in April

1,000 Khelo India centres to open across India next year: Anurag Thakur

The minister said as compared to 2014, when the budget of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was Rs 1,219 crore, it had increased to 3,062 crore for the year 2022-23

More than 50 private member bills introduced in Lok Sabha on Dec 9

More than 50 private member bills, including the one seeking to revert to the old system of voting through ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs), were introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday. The bill to amend the Representation of the People Act, 1951 was introduced by BSP member Danish Ali. The other bills were related to shutdown of internet, loan waiver and prevention of mob lynching. DMK's Thamizhachi Thangapandian introduced a bill to provide for setting up of an effective system to prevent internet shutdown and procedural safeguards to bring greater transparency and accountability for the shutdown. Congress member Dean Kuriakose introduced a bill for setting up of a board for the identification of loans to be waived as a one-time measure in national interest within the country. E T Mohammed Basheer of the IUML introduced a bill to prevent mob lynching and provide adequate punishment for persons committing mob lynching with a view to instill a sense of fear a

4 bills introduced in Lok Sabha to revise ST lists in as many states

Four separate bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday to revise the lists of Scheduled Tribes in as many states. Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda introduced the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bills for Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill seeks to to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu. Similarly, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill aims to provide for inclusion of certain communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Himachal Pradesh. Another bill seeks to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka. The fourth bill aims to include certain communities in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Chhattisgarh. From time to time, the government brings such bills to give effect to modifications proposed by various states in relation to the ST list.

About 41.8 mn hospital admissions worth Rs 489 bn authorised under AB-PMJAY

Approximately 4.18 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 48,934.9 crore have been authorised under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) through a network of 26,267 empanelled healthcare providers, including 11,700 private hospitals till December 4, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The percentage of hospital admissions authorised in the private sector by count and amount are 57 per cent and 67 per cent, respectively, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. On whether the government was aware that people were not able to avail of benefits under AB-PMJAY due to the apathy of private hospitals, Pawar said healthcare providers could not deny treatment to genuine beneficiaries according to the terms and conditions of empanelment. In case of denial of treatment by the empanelled hospital, beneficiaries can lodge grievances on the designated web portal or mobile application of Central Grievance Redressal Management System, she .

Chirag Paswan raises issue of 'rising' crimes against Dalits in Bihar in LS

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Friday raised in Lok Sabha the issue of alleged rise in crimes, especially against Dalits, in Bihar and said Parliament can't be mum when the state government is maintaining "silence". The Jamui MP noted that a woman and her five-year-old daughter were burnt alive in Arwal after their house was set ablaze by people accused by the mother of trying to sexually assault her. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Paswan said the culprits were angry with her, a member of the Paswan community, for complaining to police and alleged that the local administration was hand in glove with them. He said a Paswan woman was gang-raped and killed in Begusarai as he hit out at the state government for its "silence". While acknowledging that law and order is a state subject, he said the Centre should act on its own and order a CBI probe as the people of Bihar are angry at the JD(U)-RJD-Congress government's alleged lack of action. The Lok Sabh

Analyse pvt studies, data before referring to them while rasing issues: VP

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday urged members to analyse private studies or data before referring to them while raising any issue, saying such studies can be based on inadequate data or dictated by interests of others. Dhankhar said this during Question Hour when Union Minister Piyush Goyal was replying to a supplementary query on India's 107th ranking in the Global Hunger Index 2022. KC(M) MP Jose K Mani said India's rank was 107 among 121 countries. Neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are ahead of India in the index and only Afghanistan is behind, he noted. Though the government has continuously questioned the methodology used in the index, the prevalence of hunger and poverty in the country is well seen, he said. "Has the government found out the reason behind this mismatch?" he asked. Goyal replied that as regard the hunger index, the name itself is a misnomer. Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana (PMGKAY) under whic

'500%' improvement in passport services under Modi govt: MoS Muraleedharan

Passport services in the country have improved by "500 per cent" ever since the Modi government came to power in 2014, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said on Friday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been continuously working to speed up issuance of passports, the minister said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour. He also said that as many as 32 million Indians or Indian origin people live abroad and the Ministry of External Affairs has been rendering services to all of them. "Passport services have improved very much in the last eight years, I would say 500 per cent. The number of offices which process passport applications was 110 before 2014 and the number now stands at above 550," Muraleedharan said. He said the MEA is working continuously to speed up passport issuance and meet high or seasonal demand for passports by taking various steps including organising special drives or melas on weekends. Since June, a total of 234 passport melas hav

3,936 Indian fishermen, 468 boats taken in foreign custody in 5 yrs: Centre

'Indian fishermen were generally apprehended by countries on charges of allegedly fishing in their territorial waters'

3 controversial issues to be tabled as private members bill in Rajya Sabha

Three controversial issues will be introduced as private members bill in the Rajya Sabha on Friday

FM to present statement on demands for grants for current fiscal in LS

She will also present a statement showing excess demands for grants for 2019-20 in the Lower House

Manish Tewari gives adjournment notice in LS on face-off with judiciary

Amid the ongoing friction on the issue of appointment of judges, the Supreme Court told the Centre that Collegium system was the "law of the land", which should be followed