Page 36 - Parliament

Modi's body language, confidence changed after Parl poll results: Rahul

Striking an emotional chord with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Thursday said he considers himself their soldier in New Delhi, and added his doors are always open for party workers -- "the lions of the Congress". Taking a dig at the prime minister, Gandhi said Modi's body language and confidence have drastically changed after the parliamentary poll results. "You know my relationship with you. It is not a political connection. It is a relationship of love and that of my family's background. My family comes from your state," the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha told Congress workers here. He was addressing them on the second and concluding day of his visit to poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir. "So, you should always feel that you have a sepoy in Delhi. I am your sepoy. Whatever you need, my doors are always open for you," he said. "You only have to give me an order, and I will be present before you," Gandhi said amid amid huge applause. Flanked by Con

Parliament panel on Waqf meets, Oppn MPs oppose proposed amendments

BJP members of the committee appreciated the proposed amendments, particularly the one that seeks to give representation to Muslim women in Waqf boards

First meet of Parliament joint committee panel on Waqf Bill underway

Parliament's Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill met here for the first time on Thursday where officials from the minority affairs and law ministries are briefing them about the various amendments proposed in the draft law. The 31-member committee, headed by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, has been tasked by the Lok Sabha to scrutinise the contentious bill, which has drawn protests from the opposition parties and Muslim organisations. The representatives from the minority affairs ministry were expected to brief the committee on the "amendments proposed on the Bill", the Lok Sabha secretariat said. The JPC will discuss the bill threadbare and also the concerns over it, Pal said ahead of the meeting, adding that voices of different stakeholders will be heard by the committee "We will discuss all the 44 amendments and bring a good and comprehensive Bill by next session," he said. Pal said the committee will call various Muslim bodies representing different sects to hear their ...

Improve skills to avoid mistakes in bill drafting: LM Meghwal to officials

Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Wednesday stressed the need to have strong communication skills, especially in his ministry as he cited mistakes in the draft women's reservation bill which resulted in officials sitting past midnight to rectify the flaws. He said communication skills have a major role in the legislative department which helps ministries draft bills, ordinances and key policy documents. Small mistakes in the application of commas and full stops can create problems, he said. "We saw this in Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's reservation bill). There were so many mistakes. We had to make officials sit late in the night... perhaps till 2 am... this is not what was said, how did you reach such a conclusion (such issues were pointed out)... you have to understand and learn the communication part more," he told a gathering of legislative department officials. He was addressing officials after a motivational speech delivered by an expert. Responding to certain ...

Draft personal data protection rules likely in a month: Ashwini Vaishnaw

On the draft broadcasting bill, the Minister said that the government will have a fresh look, with much wider consultation

Women's reservation in Parliament, assemblies will empower them: MP CM

The move to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and the state assemblies will greatly empower them, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday. Speaking to PTI, he said the government was committed to working for women's welfare and hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the legislation providing women 33 per cent reservation in elected bodies. "The role of women in public welfare works has increased. PM Modi has given 33 pc reservation to women in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas. It is a big decision. The world will see the power of Indian democracy. India will continue to grow under the leadership of Modi ji," Yadav said. Incidentally, on Saturday, the India unit of the UNICEF appreciated Yadav's initiative to provide sanitary napkins to schoolgirls in a bid to to promote menstrual health among adolescents. "The government had announced plans to provide sanitary pads to girls studying in high school and high secondary. I am thankful as the government

First meeting of Parl joint committee on Waqf Bill to be held on Aug 22

The first meeting of the Parliament's joint committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill will be held next week. The committee, chaired by BJP member Jagdambika Pal, will meet representatives of the ministries of minority affairs, and law and justice on August 22, a notice from the Lok Sabha secretariat said. The representatives from the minority affairs ministry are also expected to brief the committee on the "amendments proposed on the Bill", the secretariat said. The Bill is the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government aimed at reforming the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised portal. It proposes several reforms, including establishing a Central Waqf Council alongside state Waqf Boards with representation to Muslim women and non-Muslim representatives. A contentious provision of the Bill is the proposal to designate the district collector as the primary authority in determining whether a property is classified as Waqf or government land. The

Key parliamentary panels constituted, Congress' KC Venugopal to head PAC

Key parliamentary panels, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that will be headed by Congress' K C Venugopal, have been constituted. BJP's Sanjay Jaiswal will head the Committee on Estimates while his party colleague Baijayant Panda will chair the Committee on Public Undertakings. The Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Public Undertakings (CoPU) and Committee on Estimates are the key financial committees of Parliament tasked with keeping a watch on the government's accounts and the functioning of public undertakings. The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued a bulletin on Friday announcing the constitution of parliamentary committees. The three committees have a tenure of one year and have members from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. They are elected by the two Houses. Besides, there are other department-related standing committees which keep an eye on various Union ministries and departments. The Committees on the welfare of Other Backward Classes as also for the welfare o

Newly elected Thai PM Paetongtarn faces challenge of reviving economy

The fall of Srettha after less than a year in office will be a stark reminder of the kind of hostility Paetongtarn could face

Thai Parliament set to choose new PM, Thaksin's daughter likely nominee

Thailand's Parliament convened to select a new prime minister Friday with the youngest daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra expected to be nominated. The vote would come two days after a court removed the last prime minister over an ethics violation. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, is the leader of the Pheu Thai party. She does not hold an elected office, which the law doesn't require of prime ministerial candidates. The parliament also does not require her to be present at the vote. If Paetongtarn is approved in Parliament's vote, she will become Thailand's second female prime minister and the country's third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her father and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra. She will also become the country's youngest leader. Thaksin was the first Thai politician ever to win an overall majority of seats. He is one of Thailand's most popular but divisive political figures and was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He is widely seen as a de facto

Jairam Ramesh calls for review of Great Nicobar Island project by panels

Asserting that the mega infra project in Great Nicobar Island is a "grave threat" to the natural ecosystem, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has urged Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to suspend all clearances accorded to the project and called for its thorough and impartial review, including by the parliamentary committees concerned. In a letter to Yadav, former environment minister Ramesh said the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change must fulfil its dharma, and not allow itself to be reduced to becoming a project proponent, especially when the project has decidedly "disastrous" human, social and ecological consequences. "You may recall our recent exchange in the Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. The Union Government's proposed Rs. 72,000 crore 'Mega Infra Project' in Great Nicobar Island is a grave threat to Great Nicobar Island's tribal communities and natural ecosystem," Ramesh said. The project can have "catastrophic ecological and human consequences" and has be

No concept of national disaster in govt rules: UPA's reply in Parliament

Government sources on Saturday cited a 2013 reply in Parliament by a Congress-led UPA government minister to emphasise that no concept of "national disaster" exists under the rules of the central government. The clarification came amid a demand, including from Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, that the landslide tragedy in Kerala's Wayanad be declared a national disaster. The then minister of state for home and Congress MP from Kerala Mullappally Ramachandran had told the Lok Sabha in 2013 in a reply to a question that "there is no provision to declare a natural disaster as a national disaster", the sources noted. The reply stated that the government of India adjudges a calamity of severe nature on case-to-case basis, taking into account its intensity and magnitude, level of relief assistance, capacity of the state government to tackle the problem, and alternatives and flexibility available within the plan to provide succour and relief etc. The priority is immedia

11 Bills introduced, 3 passed as Budget session of Parliament concludes

LS devoted 27 hrs and 19 minutes to discuss the Union Budget against the allotted 20 hrs

Waqf Bill referred to joint committee of Parliament amid Opposition uproar

Oppn says move aims at targeting Muslims

News updates: PM Modi to visit landslide-affected sites in Kerala's Wayanad on Aug 10

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Waqf (Amendment) Bill: Opposition vs Government

On August 8, the Centre introduced the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 in the Lok Sabha. A war of words broke out between opposition MPs and ruling NDA MPs. Watch the video to know who said what.

Govt proposes JPC scrutiny over controversial Waqf (Amendment) Bill

Opposition parties have criticised the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, calling it an attack on the Constitution, religious freedoms, and the federal structure of India

Oppn leaders protest on Parliament premises, seek crop MSP for farmers

Opposition leaders on Thursday held a protest on the Parliament premises, demanding that farmers' crops be bought at MSP and justice ensured for them. MPs from parties such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) - Sharadchandra Pawar, and the Shiv Sena (UBT), among others, protested on the steps leading to the Makar Dwar of Parliament. The MPs wore a garland of vegetables and raised slogans such as "Kisan ko phasal pe MSP do" and "Kisan pe anyay bandh karo". "The manner in which the BJP has given minimum support price to TDP (Telugu Desam Party) and JD(U), it should also ensure MSP (minimum support price) for farmers and that is why we are protesting," Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said. The export ban on onion farmers of Maharashtra should be lifted. Innumerable requests have been made to the Centre but to no avail, she said. The protesting MPs said justice for farmers was their objective and they would keep raising

Parliament highlights: Avg processing time of ITR reduced from 93 days in 2013 to 10 now, says FM

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news updates: Here are the news updates on the developments in the Parliament

Rising dog bites: BJP MP urges committee to address 'atmosphere of terror'

BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Ghaziabad, Atul Garg, said that 3.05 million people in India have been bitten by dogs, with 286 fatalities resulting from these bites