Page 6 - Parliament Winter Session

Govt tables One Nation, One Election Bill after 269-198 division vote

Government pushes forward controversial 'One Nation, One Election' Bills amid objections from the Opposition

NDA supports One Nation, One Election, calls separate polls as time waste

Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayanade noted that the continuous elections 'waste' the country's time and money and emphasised on the necessity of One Nation, One Election

How Priyanka Gandhi's Palestine bag reignited Israel-Gaza debate in India

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra faces criticism and praise after carrying a Palestine bag, sparking renewed discussions on the Israel-Gaza conflict

Concept of simultaneous polls not new to India, says govt in explainer

Ahead of the introduction of bills on holding simultaneous polls, the government Tuesday said the concept is not new to the country. Following the adoption of the Constitution, elections to the Lok Sabha and all state assemblies were conducted simultaneously from 1951 to 1967, it noted. The government said the first general elections to the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies were held together in 1951-52, a practice that continued for three subsequent general elections in 1957, 1962, and 1967. "However, this cycle of synchronised elections was disrupted in 1968 and 1969 due to the premature dissolution of some State Legislative Assemblies," an official explainer said. The Fourth Lok Sabha was also dissolved prematurely in 1970, with fresh elections held in 1971. Unlike the first, second, and third Lok Sabha, which completed their full five-year terms, the fifth Lok Sabha's term was extended until 1977 under Article 352 because of the declaration of Emergency. Since then, only a few Lo

Cong opposes 'One Nation, One Election' bill on concerns over federalism

The bill, which aims to implement the 'One Nation, One Election' proposal, is scheduled to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal today

Vijay Vasanth moves adjournment motion to discuss 'unemployment crisis'

Vasanth cited the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report and said there has been no substantial improvement in employment between July 2023 and June 2024

Bill on simultaneous polls: Cong mandates presence of its MPs in Lok Sabha

The Congress has issued a whip to its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in the House, with the constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday. Sources said a three-line whip has been issued to Congress Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in the House for Tuesday's "crucial proceedings", sources said. The party's Lok Sabha MPs will also hold a meeting at 10.30 AM to discuss Tuesday's business in the House at the Congress Parliamentary Party office in Parliament, they said. The constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously has been listed for introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. The Lok Sabha agenda said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election"

As of Nov 1, 438 projects report cost overrun of Rs 5.18 trillion: Govt

As many as 438 infrastructure projects with a total cost of Rs 150 crore or above have shown a 62 per cent cost overrun amounting to Rs 5.18 lakh crore, Parliament was informed on Monday. According to a written reply to the Rajya Sabha by Minister of State for Statistics & Programme Implementation Rao Inderjit Singh, the original total cost of these 438 projects increased to Rs 13.56 lakh crore from Rs 8.38 lakh crore. As on November 1, 2024, a total of 438 of 1,747 projects on the monitor of the ministry reported cost overrun of Rs 5.18 lakh crore, registering an increase of 61.82 per cent, according to the data shared by the minister showed. As reported by the project implementing agencies, the main reasons for the increase in cost of the projects are under-estimation of original cost, changes in rates of foreign exchange and statutory duties, spiralling land acquisition costs and shortage of skilled manpower/labour, the Minister said. Other reasons affecting the original cost ..

UPA synonymous to corruption, PM Modi enforces zero tolerance on graft: BJP

The BJP slammed the Congress on Monday over the alleged corruption during its rule, saying former prime minister Manmohan Singh considered graft a "compulsion of the coalition" while PM Narendra Modi believes in zero tolerance towards it. Participating in a discussion in the Lok Sabha on 'Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2024-25', BJP MP Sanjay Jaiswal said the opposition alleges the government is not doing justice to the non-BJP ruled states. But they should know that the government has given more than Rs 5 lakh crore to the states for centrally-sponsored schemes, he said. Jaiswal said the NDA government is giving to states what used to be the budget of India during the UPA government led by "so-called" economist prime minister Manmohan Singh. The BJP MP said the Modi government gave about Rs 4.5 lakh crore as a subsidy to the poor and farmers of the country in 2024-25, while in 2021-22 the government gave a subsidy of Rs 7.57 lakh crore. "During the UPA regime, when

Parliament session highlights: One Nation One Election Bill likely to be introduced on Dec 17 in LS

Parliament winter session 2024 updates: After Lok Sabha, two-day discussion on Constitution to begin in Rajya Sabha from today; catch all LIVE updates

LIC's unclaimed maturity amounts at Rs 881 cr in FY24: Govt tells LS

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) has unclaimed maturity amounts of Rs 880.93 crore in 2023-24, Parliament was informed on Monday. As many as 3,72,282 policyholders did not claim maturity benefits during FY2024, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. During the previous year, he said, the amount worth Rs 815.04 crore belonging to 3,73,329 policyholders remained unclaimed. As many as 10 death claims worth Rs 14 lakh remained unclaimed during 2023-24, he said. In order to reduce the Unclaimed and Outstanding Claims, LIC has undertaken several measures, including print media and digital media advertisement apart from radio jingles for policyholders to claim their due amounts. Outstanding amounts lying in unclaimed accounts are settled in favour of respective policyholders or claimants upon receipt of claim request, he said. Reminder letters are sent through ordinary/speed post as well as through email where available and also SMS are

7.3 million smart meters installed across country till Nov: Govt tells RS

Around 73 lakh smart prepaid meters have been installed across the country till November, according to the official data which also showed 'nil' installations in 11 states and two Union Territories. As per the data shared in the Parliament on Monday, around 73 lakh smart prepaid meters have been installed till November 29 in various states under the RDSS scheme. Around 25 crore smart prepaid metres are to be installed by March 2025 under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), launched in July 2021, at an outlay of Rs 3.3 lakh crore. Around 19.79 crore smart meters have been sanctioned and 72.97 lakh devices installed in various states as on November 29, Minister of State for Power Shripad Naik said in a reply to Rajya Sabha. As per the data shared by the minister, smart meter installations were 'nil' in states like Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Rajasthan and Punjab against the sanctioned number of devices in these states at 3 crore, 5.47 lakh, 1.42 crore and 87.84 lakh, ...

Cong raises conflict of interest allegations against Sebi chief in LS

The Congress on Monday levelled conflict of interest allegations against the SEBI chairperson Madhabi Buch and claimed that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's "failure" to act decisively on it has not only tarnished the credibility of the government but also jeopardised the financial governance framework. Attacking the government over the Adani issue during the discussion on the supplementary demands for grants in Lok Sabha, Congress MP K C Venugopal said a joint parliamentary committee must probe the entire matter. He alleged it is a government "by Adani, of Adani, for Adani". Venugopal said between 2017-2024, Buch allegedly received over Rs 16.4 crore from ICICI bank while serving as a Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) official regulating that bank. "This was five times her salary from SEBI, presenting a blatant conflict of interest," he said. She received rental income from entities linked to a firm under SEBI investigation, said Venugopal, who also heads the Pu

BJP prioritises electoral politics over governance: Kharge in RS debate

Congress President and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge accused BJP of twisting and distorting facts, as well as being against reservation

Cong 'anti-women', amended Constitution to help family: Sitharaman in RS

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the Congress party carried out major amendments to the Constitution to brazenly help the "family" and the "dynasty". She also termed the Congress party as "anti-women" for not passing the Women's Reservation Bill under pressure of its coalition partners. Initiating the discussion on the 'Glorious Journey of 75 Years of the Constitution of India' in the Rajya Sabha, the senior BJP leader said the economic policies of the previous Congress governments for about 50 years did not strengthen the Indian economy. "Each time the Congress brazenly (amended Constitution)... only to help the family, the dynasty... kept amending the Constitution," she said. Citing various amendments, including the 42nd Constitutional Amendment and one related to the Shah Bano case, the Finance Minister said none of the amendments passed the test of four criteria -- economic good, social intent, due process, and constitutional spirit. She said the amendments w

Priyanka Gandhi carries bag emblazoned with 'Palestine' to Parliament

In a show of support for the people of Palestine, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday carried a bag to Parliament that had "Palestine" emblazoned on it. The Congress general secretary has been raising her voice against Israel's actions in Gaza and expressing solidarity with Palestinians. Gandhi was seen carrying a handbag emblazoned with the word "Palestine" and Palestinian emblems, including a watermelon -- seen as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Abed Elrazeg Abu Jazer, Charge d'affaires of the Palestine Embassy in New Delhi, had last week called on Gandhi to congratulate the Congress leader on her recent election victory from Kerala's Wayanad. In June, Gandhi slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over what she had said were the Israel government's "genocidal actions" in Gaza, as she accused him and his government of "barbarism". The Congress general secretary's remarks had come after Netanyahu defended Israel's ongoing war in Gaza in a speech to the US ..

Congress govt prioritised dynasty over democracy: Sitharaman in RS debate

Opening the Rajya Sabha debate on Monday, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accused previous Congress-led central governments of suppressing freedom of speech

Bill on simultaneous elections likely to be introduced in LS on Dec 17

A constitutional amendment bill for holding Lok Sabha and assembly elections simultaneously is likely to be introduced in Parliament on Tuesday and could be referred to a joint committee of the two Houses. A top government functionary said the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, popularly being referred to as the Bill on "one nation, one election", was expected to be introduced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. After its introduction, Meghwal will request Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill to a Joint Committee of Parliament for wider consultations. The joint panel will be constituted on a pro-rata basis, based on the strength of MPs of various parties. As the largest party, the BJP will get chairmanship of the committee, besides several members, the functionary said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was a member of the high-level committee led by former president Ram Nath Kovind that recommended holding Lok Sabha, state assembly and

Amid no-confidence motion row, Rajya Sabha to debate Constitution today

Constitution debate: BJP President and Union Health Minister JP Nadda will start the discussion at 11 am today as the Upper House reconvenes, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah scheduled to respond

Highlights: Dixon Technologies, Vivo to set up electronic manufacturing JV

Catch all the latest happenings from around the world here