Page 42 - Parliament

1st session of 18th Lok Sabha: Members take oath in Sanskrit, Hindi, Odia

The Lok Sabha witnessed a display of linguistic diversity on Monday, with the newly-elected MPs taking their oaths in English and Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Dogri, Bengali, Assamese and Odia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took his oath in Hindi amid slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" from the treasury benches. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Urban Development Minister ML Khattar were among those who took oath in Hindi. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the MP from Odisha's Sambalpur, took oath in Odia. As Pradhan proceeded to take his oath, members of the opposition raised "NEET, NEET" slogans, amid a controversy over alleged irregularities in competitive exams, including the medical entrance exam National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test Undergraduate (NEET-UG). Suresh Gopi, the first BJP MP to

INDIA bloc's show of unity in Parliament, raise call to save Constitution

INDIA bloc MPs gathered in the Parliament complex on Monday in a show of strength on the first day of the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, holding copies of the Constitution and raising slogans on "saving democracy". Opposition leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress' Sudip Bandyopadhyay, DMK's TR Baalu, among others assembled at the spot where the Gandhi statue once stood in the Parliament complex. Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also joined the MPs. Holding copies of the Constitution in their hands, they raised slogans such as "long live Constitution", "we will save Constitution", "save our democracy". Rahul Gandhi said they would not allow the Constitution to be "attacked" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. "This attack is not acceptable to us and that is why we held the Constitution and took oath," he said. "Our message is reaching the public and no power can touch the Constit

Who Is Bhartruhari Mahtab? BJP's pro-tem speaker who sparked controversy

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab was sworn in as the pro-tem Speaker by President Droupadi Murmu in the 18th Lok Sabha's first Parliament session on June 24

NEET row to Agnipath: Key issues in the first Lok Sabha session today

The Opposition is likely to corner the government for lapses in national examinations and the Agnipath scheme, among others, in the first session of the Lok Sabha for the Modi 3.0 govt

Positively looking forward for coordination to run Parliament, says Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday said he was positively looking forward to coordination to run Parliament, as the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha gets underway. In a post on X, Rijiju said he shall always be available to assist the members of Parliament as the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. "The First Session of the 18th Lok Sabha begins today, the 24th June, 2024. I welcome all the newly elected Hon'ble members. I shall be always available to assist the members as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. I'm positively looking forward to co-ordination to run the house," Rijiju said. The newly elected members of the Lok Sabha are set to take oath or make affirmation over the next two days before the Pro-tem Speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab and the panel of chairpersons. The new Lok Sabha will elect its Speaker on Wednesday. President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to address the joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, setting out the agenda o

18th Lok Sabha convenes on Monday: House test for govt amid exam row

It's rare for a special session to begin on a fractious note with NDA, Oppn bloc engaged in war of words over appointment of pro-tem Speaker. Archis Mohan writes

Paper leaks to pro tem Speaker issue: 18th LS set for combative 1st session

The war of words indicated that the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, which begins on Monday, is likely to be combative

Pak PM assures Bilawal Bhutto-led PPP of addressing its Budget concerns

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari that the government would take steps to address the key ally's reservations on multiple issues by forming a committee after tensions rose among ruling coalition partners over the budget. A delegation of the PPP headed by Bilawal on Thursday met Prime Minister Sharif to sort out differences over the budget which was presented in Parliament last week. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the federal budget on June 12 but the PPP, which is the major ally of the government, was not happy as it was not consulted when the budget was being prepared. As the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government lacks a majority, there is a genuine concern that the government may not be able to get the budget passed in Parliament if not supported by the PPP. Geo News reported that Sharif assured Bilawal Bhutto of taking steps to address the key concerns. The Dawn newspaper quoting sourc

BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab appointed pro-tem Speaker of Lok Sabha

Mahtab, a six-term Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP, had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) weeks before the Lok Sabha polls

Should MPs get a salary hike? Here is what other major countries do

They are paid less than elected representatives in other major nations

Sebi invites application to hire executive director on 3-year contract

Capital markets watchdog Sebi has started the process to recruit an executive director and invited applications to fill the vacancy. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has invited applications for the post until July 18. The appointment of executive director will be on a deputation or contractual basis, for a period of three years, the regulator said in a public notice issued last week. The candidate applying for the position is required to have at least 20 years of experience in dealing with problems related to the securities market or special knowledge or experience of law, investigation, finance, economics and accountancy, among others. At present, Sebi has 10 executive directors -- S V Muralidhar Rao, G.P. Garg, Pramod Rao, Biranchi Narayan Sahoo, B Rajendran, Ruchi Chojer, Manoj Kumar, Govindayapalli Ram Mohan Rao, G Babita Rayudu and V S Sundaresan. Earlier this month, Sebi initiated the process to hire 49 officers in different departments this year, a move

South Africa re-elects Cyril Ramaphosa as president; what happens next?

Two smaller parties, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance, are also part of the pact

Pak highlights critical risks to Budget 2024-25 in statement to Parliament

Pakistan's cash-strapped government has highlighted almost a dozen critical risks to next year's budget and medium-term outlook, including lower than estimated economic growth, unexpected climatic or natural disasters as well as continuing poor performance of state-owned entities. In a written statement on the fiscal risks submitted to Parliament, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Secretary Imdadullah Bosal said a combination of three risks higher than the estimated interest rate, lower than non-tax revenue collection and higher subsidies had the most significant impact on fiscal variables across the board. "The combination of reduced revenues, increased expenditure on subsidies, and potential financing needs due to higher interest rates lead to substantial fiscal deficit and higher debt stock, the Dawn newspaper quoted the statement as saying on Monday. It underscored the interconnectedness of fiscal policy and the need for comprehensive approaches to address fiscal ...

Vice President Dhankhar inaugurates 'Prerna Sthal' in Parliament complex

Rajya Sabha chairperson and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Sunday inaugurated the 'Prerna Sthal' in the Parliament complex which now houses statues of national icons and freedom fighters that were earlier at different places on the premises. The 'Prerna Sthal' will inspire and motivate people, Dhankhar said, amid criticism by the Congress over the removal of the statues from their original places. The Congress on Sunday claimed the decision to relocate the statues within the Parliament premises was taken by the ruling regime "unilaterally". Its sole objective was to not have the statues of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar, which have been traditional sites of democratic protests, right next to where the Parliament actually meets, it alleged. Referring to the contribution of leaders in shaping the country, Dhankhar said he had never imagined that he would be able to offer tributes to great personalities in a such a way by inaugurating the 'Prerna Sthal'. "Imagine the contributio

Om Birla discusses statue relocation in Parliament with stakeholders

Statues of freedom fighters and national icons spread across the Parliament complex have been relocated to a new enclosure on its premises, Prerna Sthal, following discussions with different stakeholders, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said on Sunday. The relocation of the statues, he said, were done as part of a landscaping and beautification exercise. Addressing reporters here, Birla also asserted that discussions were held from time to time with different stakeholders on the relocation of statues as such decisions were within the purview of the Office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. "None of the statues have been removed, they have been relocated. There is no need to indulge in politics on this," the outgoing speaker said when asked about the opposition criticism on the relocation of the statues. "From time to time, I have been discussing these issues with different stakeholders. People were of the view that having these statues at one place will help disseminate information about their .

Three new criminal laws come into force on July 1. Here is what will change

The three criminal laws will replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872

First session of 18th Lok Sabha to start from June 24, says Kiren Rijiju

During the first three days of the session, the newly elected leaders will take their oaths or affirm their membership in the Lok Sabha

No queer representation in 2024 Lok Sabha, 108 MPs vocal on LGBTQIA+ issues

In the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, all three transgender candidates lost their security deposits for not securing one-sixth of the total valid votes

Delhi police files chargesheet against 6 in parliament security breach case

All the arrested accused have also been produced before the court as their Judicial Custody was ended. The court also extended the judicial custody of all the six accused till July 15

Gandhi, Ambedkar statues relocated to ensure Oppn can't hold protests: Cong

The Congress on Friday alleged that statues of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Chhatrapati Shivaji among others have been relocated within Parliament premises to ensure that Opposition parties cannot hold democratic protests, and said such "stunts" cannot save Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "unstable government" from falling. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh termed the Lok Sabha secretariat's explanation for relocating the statues as "wholly bogus", and said there has been no discussion with any political party on the matter. In a statement, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said Thursday that due to their location at different places in the Parliament premises, visitors were not able to see these statues conveniently. "For this reason, all these statues are being respectfully installed in a grand 'Prerna Sthal' in Parliament House premises. This 'Prerna Sthal' is being developed in such a way that the visitors coming to visit the Parliament complex view the statues of these great