Page 69 - Parliament

Demand for declaring HP crisis as disaster to be raised in Parl: Priyanka

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said that party MP from Mandi, Pratibha Singh, would raise in the special session of Parliament the demand for declaring the recent calamity in Himachal Pradesh a "national disaster". However, Gandhi said she was not sure if the party MP would be allowed to raise the demand during the session. A special session of Parliament will be held from September 18 to 22. We do not know what the session is about and whether she (Pratibha Singh) would be allowed to raise the issue or not but even if this does not happen, we should make a strong representation to the Centre on it and the Congress would fully support it, she told reporters during her visit to the Shiv temple site in Summer Hill here. Gandhi also met the families affected by the landslide. Twenty people were killed in the landslide at the Shiv temple on August 14. Three landslides had claimed 27 lives in Shimla city with Fagli and Krishnanagar slides claiming five and two ...

New dress code for Parliament staff kicks off row around BJP poll symbol

A new dress code with floral motif for Parliament staff kicked off a political row on Tuesday with the Congress dubbing it as "cheap" tactics to promote the ruling party's poll symbol. According to an internal circular issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the marshals, security staff and officials, chamber attendants and drivers have been issued new uniforms which they have to don once the new parliament building starts functioning. The 'bandhgala' suit of bureaucrats will be replaced with a magenta or deep pink Nehru jacket. The shirts for them will also have floral design. The employees will wear khaki-coloured pants. The new attire for the marshals in both houses of Parliament will now include Manipuri turbans. The Parliament Security Staff will be seen in army camouflage pattern fatigues instead of the blue safari suits. Women officers have been assigned bright coloured sarees with jackets to be worn during winters. The Congress accused the BJP of making the "Parliament a ...

Women Reservation Bill: What is it, and what is the political history?

Under the Women's Reservation Bill, 33 per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies will be reserved for women

LS staff to get new uniform with special session of Parliament from Sept 18

Instead of the safari suits, House Officers will now be seen wearing cream coloured mandarin collared shirts with pink lotus flower prints running vertically on them

Pralhad Joshi accuses Ramesh of twisting facts on constitutional provisions

Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday accused senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh of twisting facts about constitutional provisions and parliamentary procedures related to Parliament sessions. It is crucial to stop the spread of misinformation that scandalises Parliament and its procedures, the parliamentary affairs minister said in a rejoinder to Ramesh who had accused him of being "misleading" in his reply to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's letter to the prime minister. The Congress has been targeting the government for not disclosing the agenda of the five-day special session starting from September 18. Ramesh had claimed the agenda of every special session in the past was well known in advance and alleged that it was only the Modi government that "distorts" parliamentary conventions. Seeking to set the record straight, Joshi accused him of "falsely claiming" that the historic function in Parliament's Central Hall on June 30, 2017 for the GST roll out, was a Parliament ...

You are trying to politicise Parl functioning: Pralhad Joshi's to Sonia

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday accused Congress leader Sonia Gandhi of trying to politicise the functioning of Parliament and create unnecessary controversy. Joshi's response came after Gandhi wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to point out that no agenda was listed for the special Parliament session. She also proposed that nine issues, including violence in Manipur and price rise, be listed for discussion during the upcoming session. "It is very unfortunate that you are trying to politicise the functioning of Parliament, our temple of democracy, and create unnecessary controversy," the parliamentary affairs minister stated in his response to Gandhi. He said Parliament session has been convened from September 18 after following all established procedures. Political parties are never consulted in advance, Joshi added. On the issues listed by Gandhi for discussion in her letter to the prime minister, Joshi said they have already been discussed and answer

Only authorized minister should speak at G20: PM Modi at ministerial meet

The Chief Ministers invited for the dinner will also reach the Parliament House complex in their vehicles and will go from there by bus to the venue, they added

Parliament session likely to begin in old building from September 18

The upcoming Parliament session on September 18 is likely to begin in the old building and shift to the new structure the next day, officials said on Wednesday. According to officials, the shift to the new Parliament building will coincide with Ganesh Chaturthi, considered auspicious to make new beginnings. The 10-day long Ganesh festival begins on September 19. They said the agenda for the week-long session of Parliament is expected to be finalised after the G20 Leaders' Summit from September 9-10. The clarification comes amid opposition protest over 'no clarity' on the agenda for the upcoming Parliament session. The Congress had urged the Centre to maintain transparency and not keep the country in the dark over the agenda of the session. In a letter to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the central government has followed the relevant rules and procedures in convening the session of Parliament from September 18-22. Joshi sa

Special Parliament session to be conducted in new building from Sept 19

On September 5, the Congress said it would constructively participate in the special session of Parliament, but made it clear that it won't sit there only for 'Modi Chalisa'

In letter to PM, Sonia Gandhi lists issues for debate in special session

Gandhi said that the session has been convened without any consultation with other political parties

Prez's G20 invite triggers 'India' vs 'Bharat' debate on country's name

Congress Lok Sabha member Shashi Tharoor said there couldn't be any constitutional objection to calling India 'Bharat'

After six years, Sonia to write to PM again on Women's Reservation Bill

There is speculation that the government could bring the Bill during the session to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies

Not going to sit in Parliament for 'Modi chalisa': Cong on special session

The Congress on Tuesday said it will constructively participate in the upcoming special session of Parliament convened from September 18 to 22, but made it clear that it won't sit there only for "Modi chalisa" and want that issues of public concern be also raised during the five-day sitting. The party's stance was decided at a strategy group meeting chaired by Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, where leaders of the Congress in both Houses were also present. The interaction came ahead of the dinner meeting convened by Kharge at his residence for floor leaders of other parties of the INDIA alliance of the opposition. Leaders of various parties attended the dinner meeting. Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh told reporters that it is for the first time that the government has not taken the opposition parties into confidence and not discussed the agenda for the upcoming session. He asserted that it is impossib

Presentation on CAG's 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' report made to Parl's PAC

A presentation of the recent CAG report on the 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' was made at a meeting of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee headed by Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday, sources said. The audit report on the implementation of Phase-I of the 'Bharatmala Pariyojana' highway projects triggered a political row with opposition parties alleging corruption in the process of awarding the project. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry, however, has said the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG) findings that the cost was exorbitant are misplaced as it did not factor in the actual cost. The sources said at the PAC's meeting on Tuesday, there was a presentation on the CAG report, which was tabled in Parliament on August 10. The PAC is a committee of selected MPs that audits the revenue and expenditure of the government, and its primary function is to examine a report of the CAG after it is tabled in Parliament. During the meeting, they said, opposition members

House panel on chemicals and fertilisers on 4-day visit to Andaman

A team of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers arrived here on Tuesday on a four-day visit to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said. The team is headed by Lok Sabha MP CN Annadurai and comprises Arun Kumar Sagar, Sanjeev Kumar Singari, Indra Hang Subba, GC Chandrashekhar, and Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, among others. After their arrival, the team members visited the National Memorial Cellular Jail and paid tributes to freedom fighters. Later, they went to Swaraj Dweep (formerly Havelock Island) and held discussions with representatives of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals on the safe usage of insecticides and pesticides in the archipelago. On Wednesday, the panel members will hold meetings with officials of the Department of Fertilisers, Madras Fertiliser Limited (MFL) and Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT) on the availability and distribution of fertilisers in the Union territory. They will also hold discussions with ...

K Kavitha urges all parties to unite and pass the Women's Reservation Bill

Emphasising the importance of inclusivity in our democracy, she asserted that increased women's representation is not a matter of exclusivity but a means to build a more balanced political landscape

Women to get proper representation in Parliament, assemblies soon: Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday that the day is not far when women will get proper representation in Parliament and legislative assemblies through a constitutional amendment. Dhankhar said this while participating in a dialogue programme on the topic of "Women's Participation in Nation Building" with the students of the Maharani Mahavidyalaya, affiliated to the Rajasthan University, here. Interacting with the girl students, the vice-president said the sky is the limit for women as they are creating new models of success in every field, including administration, Army and in the corporate world. He asked women to take their own decisions and become financially self-reliant. "Do not copy men, they are not better than you, keep yourselves original," he added. Dhankhar gave three mantras to the girl students -- never get stressed as nothing is achieved by that, never be afraid of failure and if a good idea comes to your mind, implement it on the ground. He appealed to ..

Shah, house panel on official language meet Prez Murmu; submit report

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with the members of the committee of parliament on official language, on Monday called on President Droupadi Murmu and handed over 12th volume of the report of the panel to her. Since independence till 2014, nine volumes of report of the committee were submitted and since 2019, three volumes have been approved. These volumes have been prepared subject-wise and the theme of 12th volume is 'Simplification'. "Today, called on Hon'ble President Smt. Droupadi Murmu along with the members of the Committee of Parliament on Official Language and handed over the 12th volume of the report of the committee on official language to her. Also, discussed on making the official language more popular," Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi. Over 15 MPs and Union Ministers of State for Home Ajay Mishra and Nisith Pramanik were also present at the meeting. The 12th volument of the report of the committee of parliament on official language was approved on August 4 at the 38th

Sonia Gandhi calls Congress Parliamentary Strategy group meeting tomorrow

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also called a meeting of MPs of the INDIA alliance to discuss the strategy for the special parliamentary session

Special session of Parliament: Are election nerves setting in?

'Fruitful discussion' failed completely in the recently ended monsoon session. Will the special session discuss only 'special issues' that will initiate a celebratory consensus?