Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said urban local bodies (ULBs) should function on the lines of Parliament with regular Question Hour and Zero Hour to raise issues concerning citizens. He was addressing the first National Level Conference of Urban Local Bodies in States and Union Territories. "I am pained to hear about meetings of ULBs getting adjourned amid pandemonium and key agenda such as budget getting approved without any discussion," Birla said. ULBs should also function on the lines of the Lok Sabha and state assemblies and find solutions to civic issues through regular debate and discussion in Question Hour and Zero Hour, he said. Birla also said parliamentary proceedings, which were drowned in ruckus in the earlier Lok Sabhas, were witnessing fewer disruptions in the current Lok Sabha due to the efforts of leaders of all political parties. "Changes were witnessed in the 18th Lok Sabha, when political parties agreed to allow the House to function to raise issues of
The upcoming Monsoon session will be the first Parliament session following Operation Sindoor, which was launched by India on May 7 in response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam
The Monsoon session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and continue till August 21, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday. "The Hon'ble President of India has approved the proposal of the Government to convene the Monsoon Session of Parliament from 21st July to 21st August, 2025. In view of the Independence Day celebrations, there will be no sittings on the 13th and 14th of August," Rijiju said in a post on X. Earlier, the session was to conclude on August 12, but now it has been extended by a week.
The Delhi High Court today granted bail to Neelam Azad and Mahesh Kumawat on a ₹50,000 bond and two sureties each, after they challenged a trial court order that had earlier denied them bail
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra and top bank officials to appear before finance panel on July 10 as part of its ongoing review of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed concern over the current political scenario in the country, saying today's political atmosphere is not favourable for Indian democracy and social health. Speaking at 'Sneh Milan Samaroh' organised by the Rajasthan Pragatisheel Manch at the Constitution Club in Jaipur, Dhankhar said the intensity and tone of political exchanges today were detrimental to the democratic and social fabric of the nation. The vice president said he does not come under pressure and does not pressure anyone. "The environment and temperature of politics today are neither suitable for our democracy nor in tune with our ancient civilisational values. Political rivals are not enemies. Enemies may exist across borders but there should be none within the country," the vice president said. He called for greater decorum in legislative conduct, cautioning that public disenchantment with the conduct of lawmakers inside legislatures could erode faith in democratic .
India opens its Air India crash investigation to a UN aviation expert as an observer, while Parliament seeks answers from Boeing and aviation officials over safety concerns
Chief Justice B R Gavai said the legislature, executive, and judiciary all work under the Constitution-not above it-as debate brews over Parliament's powers and the judiciary's role in lawmaking
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government survived an attempt to dissolve parliament early Thursday morning, with most of his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners joining him in voting against a bill that would have forced them to register for military service while the country is at war. The vote was the most serious challenge to Netanyahu's government since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, the biggest security failure in Israel's history and the trigger for the ongoing war in Gaza. The bill's failure means that no other bill to dissolve Knesset can be submitted for at least six months, shoring up Netanyahu's embattled coalition. The ultra-Orthodox parties are furious that the government has failed to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service. The issue has long divided the Jewish Israeli public, especially during the 20-month war in the Gaza Strip. Israel's opposition had hoped that the public anger over the exemptions would help topple the ...
Monsoon Session from July 21 to August 12 set to address Operation Sindoor, border tensions, and an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma
The Centre is expected to table an amendment Bill in the monsoon session as a parliamentary panel examines the Code amid concerns flagged by the Supreme Court
The Centre will launch the 'Umeed' portal on June 6 to register and manage Waqf properties, aiming for transparency, better regulation, and digital tracking across Indian states
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed MPs on the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor on May 19. Watch the video to know the key highlights.
A haka performed by Maori MPs in protest of a proposed bill led to suspended Parliament proceedings in New Zealand and disciplinary action against the lawmakers
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a parliamentary committee on Monday that the conflict between India and Pakistan was always in the conventional domain, and there was no nuclear signalling by the neighbouring country, sources said. The sources said Misri reiterated the government's stand that the decision to stop military actions was taken at a bilateral level, as some opposition members questioned US President Donald Trump's repeated assertions about his administration's role in stopping the conflict. Some MPs, the sources said, asked if Pakistan used Chinese platforms in the conflict. Misri said it did not matter as India hammered Pakistani air bases. The meeting of Parliament's Standing Committee on External Affairs, chaired by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was attended by a number of lawmakers, including the TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, the Congress' Rajeev Shukla and Deepender Hooda, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, and the BJP's Aparajita Sarangi and Arun Govil. The meeting comes
Senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Sunday reiterated the opposition party's demand for convening a special session of Parliament, which he said would send a message of unity in India's fight against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism to the world. He also demanded the government's "clarification" on facts regarding the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and the "ceasefire" announcement. Pilot was speaking to reporters after visiting the family of Dinesh Mirania, a Raipur-based businessman who was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam on April 22. Addressing the media, he said that though a "ceasefire" has been announced, the government should clarify whether it was assured that Pakistan will not carry out any misadventure in future. "We want the forces responsible for such incidents (Pahalgam attack) to be destroyed forever. A ceasefire has been declared for now, but there should have been credible assurances (to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future)," Pilot said.
Seventeen Members of Parliament, including Bhartruhari Mahtab and Ravi Kishan, and two Parliamentary Standing Committees, have been selected for the Sansad Ratna Award 2025. The awards, instituted by the Prime Point Foundation, are given to MPs for their contribution to Parliament. The awardees were selected by the Jury Committee, chaired by Hansraj Ahir, Chairman of the National Commission for Backwards Classes (NCBC). Mahtab, Supriya Sule (NCP-SP), N K Premachandran (RSP) and Shrirang Appa Barne will receive the awards for 'Outstanding and Consistent Contribution to Parliamentary Democracy". These four Members of Parliament were top performers during the 16th and 17th Lok Sabha and continue doing so in their present tenure as well, a statement from the Prime Point Foundation said. The other awardees are Smita Wagh (BJP), Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena UBT), Naresh Ganpat Mhaske (Shiv Sena), Varsha Gaikwad (Congress), Medha Kulkarni (BJP), Praveen Patel (BJP), Ravi Kishan (BJP), Nishika
Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging clarity on ceasefire talks with Pakistan
A parliamentary panel has sought details from two key ministries overseeing information flow on the action they have planned against social media platforms and influencers who "seem to be working against national interest", following the Pahalgam terror attack. The parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, has noted that some social media influencers and platforms in the country seem to be working against national interest, which is likely to incite violence, sources said. The committee, in a communication to the ministries of Information and Broadcasting and Electronics and Information Technology, has sought details of the "contemplated action to ban such platforms under IT Act, 2000 and Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021". The letter, the sources said, has been sent to the secretaries of the two ministries and they have been asked
A Parliamentary panel has sought detailed information from regulator CCI and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs on various aspects of competition in relation to the digital markets, including those pertaining to the digital competition bill, according to sources. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, which is looking into the 'Evolving Role of Competition Commission of India in the Economy, particularly the Digital Landscape', had a meeting on April 28. Following the meeting, the panel, headed by headed by BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab, has sought more details on various aspects of competition in the digital markets, Competition Commission of India (CCI) and the actions taken by the watchdog. Among other topics, the sources said the committee has asked about whether the ongoing India-US bilateral trade negotiations has any bearing on the progress of the digital competition bill. The draft Digital Competition Bill 2024 seeks to put in place several obligations for large ..