Page 19 - Parliament

News Highlights: India, Sri Lanka set to ink major defence pact during PM Modi's Colombo trip

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Highlights: We are reducing duty to become manufacturing hub for batteries, says Sitharaman

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Oppn leaders write to Speaker over 'disregard' for Parliamentary procedure

Opposition leaders voiced their concerns in their letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding what they described as the government's increasing disregard for parliamentary procedures & democratic norms

Parliament approves Finance Bill 2025, completes Budget FY26 exercise

The Rajya Sabha on Thursday returned the Finance Bill 2025 to the Lok Sabha, along with 35 government amendments, including one that abolishes a 6 per cent digital tax on online advertisements, thus completing the 2025-26 budgetary exercise that started on February 1. The House also returned the Appropriation Bill (3) with a voice vote. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had moved the two bills in the House. The Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill on March 25 and passed the Appropriation Bill on March 21. Replying to the debate later in the evening, she said the tendency of the finance ministry would be to exercise caution and not let go of revenues. "But, here we wanted to use this opportunity to show our respect for Indian taxpayer. We have moved towards setting Rs 12 lakh as threshold up to which no one will have to pay any tax," Sitharaman said. The Union Budget 2025-26 envisages a total expenditure of Rs 50.65 lakh crore, an increase of 7.4 per cent ov

Release CSE-Prelims answer key immediately after exam: Parl panel to UPSC

A Parliamentary Committee on Thursday suggested release of answer key by the UPSC immediately after the civil services preliminary examination to enhance credibility, fairness and candidate's confidence. The civil services examination is conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in three stages -- prelims, mains and interview -- to select officers of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others. The Commission informed the panel that it publishes the preliminary examination answer key only after completing the entire selection process. "This delays candidates' ability to challenge potential errors before advancing to the next stage, undermining transparency and fairness. Such a practice can demoralise candidates and raise concerns about the validity of the examination," said the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in its 145th

Telcos support Parl panel recommendation of merging IT & Telecom ministries

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology made the suggestion to merge the three allied ministries in its report tabled in the Lok Sabha last week

Rahul says he's never allowed to speak in Parl as INDIA bloc meets Speaker

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed he is "never allowed" to speak in Parliament, as a host of INDIA bloc leaders met Speaker Om Birla to raise the issue of the Congress leader being denied the opportunity to speak in the House the previous day. "I am never allowed to speak brother...I don't know what they are scared of," Gandhi told reporters on the Parliament complex on Thursday when asked about his allegations the House was being run "non-democratically". His latest charge come on a day several opposition leaders met Speaker Birla over Gandhi being denied the opportunity to speak in the House on Wednesday. They also flagged an alleged "politicisation" of the institution of Speaker. Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said an INDIA bloc delegation comprising leaders from the Congress, SP, TMC, DMK, Kerala Congress, RJD, IUML, RLP and the MDMK, met the Speaker during Zero Hour. "We have given a letter, which was signed by many .

RS chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejects privilege notice against Amit Shah

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday rejected a privilege notice against Union Home Minister Amit Shah after he cited a 1948 government press release to authenticate his statement that a Congress leader was part of the management of Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had moved the notice against Shah for "casting aspersions" on Congress Parliamentary Party head Sonia Gandhi. Dhankhar said Shah had, after making certain remarks while replying to a debate on the Disaster Management Bill, 2024 in Rajya Sabha on March 25, agreed to authenticate his statement. The minister, he said, cited a press statement issued by the Press Information Bureau of the Government of India on January 24, 1998, wherein the then prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had announced starting of the PMNRF which was to be managed by a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, president of the Indian National Congress and certain other people. "I have .

LoP is very important position in our Parliamentary tradition: Gaurav Gogoi

Emphasising the LoP's crucial role in parliamentary tradition, Gogoi said such actions raise concerns about fairness in legislative proceedings

Mass protests erupt outside Israel Parliament before key judicial vote

Tens of thousands of Israelis flocked to Jerusalem on Wednesday to protest a bill that would change the way judges are selected. It's the latest in a series of anti-government demonstrations that have rocked the country in recent weeks. The proposed bill is up for a final vote overnight and is expected to pass. Critics say the changes would dangerously politicise the process of judicial appointments. An earlier version of the bill was a cornerstone of the sweeping overhaul of the judiciary launched by Prime Minister Netanyahu's government in early 2023. That process touched off months of mass protests that only ground to a halt after the October 7 attack triggered the war in Gaza. Israelis have taken to the streets for several days to protest the government's failure to secure a deal to free hostages held in Gaza and its recent moves to fire top legal and security officials, which many view as further steps that threaten the balance of powers in Israel.

Highlights: RBI releases Monetary Policy Committee meeting calendar for FY26

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'Speaker did not let me speak': Rahul Gandhi hits out at Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla | Parliament

Lok Sabha LoP and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, " I don't know what is going on...I requested him to let me speak but he (Speaker) just ran away.

5.6 mn public grievances redressed during Nov 2022-Feb 2025: Jitendra Singh

As on February 28, 2025, there exists a pendency of 59,946 public grievances cases in ministries/departments of the Government of India, he said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha

Parliamentary standing committee raps MoRTH over quality of highways

Alleges inadequate enforcement against errant contractors

Highlights: More than 114 detained in connection to Nagpur violence so far

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Parl panel proposes inter-ministerial task force for women's tourism safety

A parliamentary panel has recommended establishing an 'Inter-Ministerial Women's Tourism Safety Task Force' to develop comprehensive safety protocols, monitoring mechanisms and emergency response systems specifically designed for women tourists. In its report presented in Parliament on Tuesday, the committee has acknowledged that environmental sustainability must transition from an "auxiliary consideration to a core principle" in tourism development, and to institutionalise this approach, it has recommended developing the 'National Sustainable Tourism Certification System' with clearly defined parameters for ecological impact, resource efficiency, and community engagement. The report -- 'Demands for Grants (2025-26) of Ministry of Tourism' -- is by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. In the report, the Committee says that it views with "grave concern" the reduction in allocations and negative recoveries recorded under the 'Safe

Rs 858 cr pollution control fund unused due to lack of approval: Parl panel

The budgetary allocation of Rs 858 crore for pollution control in 2024-25 remains unutilized due to lack of approval from the Union Environment Ministry for the continuation of the scheme, a parliamentary panel has said in its report. In the report tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change said air pollution has assumed "gigantic proportions", affecting not just Delhi but many other cities. "In such a scenario, the committee is shocked to note that amount to the tune of Rs 858 crore allocated for 'Control of Pollution', which is 27.44 per cent of the annual revised allocation of the ministry, remains unutilized since the approval for continuation of Control of Pollution Scheme till 2025-26 is awaited," the 31-member panel headed by BJP Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita said. "At a time when the ministry is required to address the grave and critical challenge of

Formulate national heat plan amid high temp worry this summer: Parl panel

On climate change, the committee said it is a global concern and India, being among the most populous countries, needs to be especially vigilant

Parliament passes new bill to improve disaster response across states

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 to strengthen the efficient working of the national and state disaster management authorities. The government also stressed that the legislation will help states in handling all disasters in a better way. The Rajya Sabha cleared the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill 2024 to amend the Disaster Management Act of 2005 by a voice vote. Several amendments moved by Opposition members were negated by the House. The government said states faced difficulties in implementing the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The proposed amendments are based on the difficulties flagged by states and suggestions given by them. The Bill seeks to specify the roles and responsibilities of various organisations involved in disaster management and ensure synergy and uniformity in response. The discussion also saw a significant focus on the government's response to the disaster in Wayanad, with several opposition members accusing the

Who pays Members of Parliament more: India, Pakistan, or Bangladesh?

With significant parliamentary changes occurring, how do these neighbouring countries compare in their compensations to their lawmakers