Rajya Sabha

Pvt Members' Bills return to spotlight, even as history shows rare success

Despite rarely becoming law, these have left a lasting imprint on India's legislative journey

Parliament Winter Session Highlights: Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha adjourned sine die amid Oppn protest

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Disruptions unbecoming of MPs, says RS Chairman as Winter session ends

Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Friday strongly disapproved of disruptions by Opposition members during the passage of the rural employment guarantee bill (G RAM G), terming the conduct "unbecoming of Members of Parliament", and urged them to introspect and refrain from such behaviour in future. Radhakrishnan read out a synopsis of the legislative and other business transacted during the 15-day sitting of the Winter session before adjourning the proceedings sine die. Adjourned sine die (Latin for without a day') means suspending a parliamentary session indefinitely, without setting a specific date to reconvene. It's used when legislative bodies end a session without naming a future date for reassembly. The Winter session of Parliament started on December 1. "Disruption created during yesterday's sitting by the Opposition Members by shouting slogans, displaying placards, disrupting the Minister replying to the discussion, tearing up papers and throwing them in the well of

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Rajya Sabha discusses new Nuclear Bill- SHANTI, Lok Sabha adjourned

Parliament Winter Session LIVE updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Govt incentives must prioritise EVs, not hybrids, says Parliament panel

A Rajya Sabha panel has urged the Centre to focus subsidies and tax benefits on 'genuine' zero-emission vehicles, while warning that hybrids remain fossil-fuel dependent and E20 may hurt older cars

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Rajya Sabha reconvenes, Bills laid on table

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: India mother of democracy, says Nadda, urges respect for EC on SIR

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: Dharmendra Pradhan introduces Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Parliament Winter Session HIGHLIGHTS: RS adjourns for the day, to meet at 11 am on Friday

Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: Stay tuned as discussion on electoral reforms is set continue in Rajya Sabha after the Opposition staged a walkout from both houses on Wednesday

BJP MP urges govt to ensure standardised, transparent medical billing

BJP MP K Laxman on Thursday urged the government to ensure transparent and standardised medical billing, as he raised concerns over "exploitation practices" by private hospitals. Raising the issue in the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Laxman said in the absence of norms, many families are pushed into hardship due to medical bills. "There is a rise in exploitative practices by certain private corporate hospitals. Reports from patients, civil society and consumer bodies point to a disturbing pattern of unnecessary diagnostic tests, unwanted prolonged hospital stays with no clinical justification, and opaque billing processes," Laxman said. "Absence of transparent norms leaves people with little choice, pushing many families into hardship. Reports highlight they charge Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 as OPD, which is not covered under schemes like Ayushman Bharat," he said. The BJP MP urged the government to take steps to ensure transparent billing. "I urge the government to ensure transparent .

Congress didn't give due respect to Vande Mataram, says Nadda in RS

Union minister and BJP President J P Nadda on Thursday tore into the Opposition Congress, accusing the party of being opportunistic and not according due respect to the national song Vande Mataram. Concluding the debate on Vande Mataram in the Rajya Sabha, Nadda asserted that the government does not want to tarnish the image of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and that its only intention was to set the historical records straight. "Vande Mataram did not receive the due respect that it deserved... those in power at that time (government) were responsible for that situation," he said. Nadda, who is also the Leader of the House, said Congress has always been opportunistic and cites the Nehruvian age to take credit when the situation suits the party. However, Congress does not take responsibility when the situation is adverse and seeks to put the blame on others, he alleged. Nadda also mentioned that the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, does not have any provi

Shift Parliament sessions out of polluted Delhi, BJD MP urges government

BJD Rajya Sabha member Manas Ranjan Mangaraj on Thursday appealed to the government to relocate Parliament's Winter and Budget sessions out of Delhi until air quality improves, calling the capital's annual pollution crisis a "man-made disaster". Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Mangaraj, who hails from Odisha, drew parallels between his state's efficient response to natural calamities and the need for similar urgency in addressing Delhi's air pollution. "Coming from Odisha, a state that fights cyclones, floods and natural calamities with unmatched discipline, I know what a crisis looks like. But what troubles me is... Delhi," he said. The MP highlighted the daily exposure to toxic air faced by members, parliamentary officers, drivers, sanitation workers, and security personnel who keep the House functioning. "We cannot ignore their suffering. We cannot pretend this is normal," he said, adding that holding crucial parliamentary sessions during peak pollution months puts lives at .

Parliament Winter Session HIGHLIGHTS: Vote chori biggest anti-national act, says Rahul Gandhi

Parliament Winter Session HIGHLIGHTS day 7: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Division of Vande Mataram song led to partition of India: Amit Shah

The division of 'Vande Mataram' song for "politics of appeasement" led to partition of India, Home Minister Amit Shah said in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, as he slammed Opposition for linking the debate on 150 years of the national song with the upcoming West Bengal elections. Initiating the debate in the House, Shah said Vande Mataram was the "mantra" that awakened India's cultural nationalism, and remains as relevant today as it was during the freedom struggle. He stressed that the song will remain relevant in the days to come as well, in taking the country towards Viksit Bharat. Shah also attacked Congress for questioning the need for a debate on Vande Mataram, and accused first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru of "dividing" the poem and limiting it to two stanzas. "Yesterday some MPs in the Lok Sabha questioned what is the need to discuss Vande Mataram. The need for discussion...was as relevant when the song was written, during the freedom movement, today, and will be as relevant

No conclusive data links deaths exclusively to air pollution: MoS Health

There is no conclusive data available in the country to establish a direct correlation of death/disease exclusively due to air pollution, Minister of State for Health, Prataprao Jadhav, told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases, Jadhav said in a written reply. The health effects of air pollution are a synergistic manifestation of factors, which include food habits, occupational habits, socioeconomic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc., of the individuals. The government of India has taken several steps to address air pollution issues, he said. The National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) has been implemented with an objective to create awareness, capacity building, health sector preparedness and response and partnerships related activities on climate sensitive health issues since 2019, according to the reply. Under NPCCHH, the government of India has develope

Govt to curb IndiGo's winter schedule, reassign slots: Aviation Minister

The Civil Aviation Minister made these remarks hours after he warned of strict action against IndiGo following days of chaos led by the massive number of flight cancellations

Congress likely to field Gogoi, Priyanka during Vande Mataram debate in LS

Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deepender Hooda and A Bimol Akoijam are likely to be among the party's speakers during the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in Lok Sabha on Monday, party sources said. The party is also likely to field Praniti Shinde, Prashant Padole, Chamala Reddy and Jyotsana Mahant during the debate, they said on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will initiate the debate on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in the Lok Sabha on December 8 while Home Minister Amit Shah will begin the discussion in the Rajya Sabha on December 9. According to sources, Prime Minister Modi will initiate the debate on the national song at noon in the Lower House while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several other ministers will also participate in the day-long debate. The last speaker in the Lok Sabha debate will be someone from the ruling BJP, they said. A meeting of the Union Cabinet, chaired by Modi on October

Parliament Winter Session LIVE: FM moves Health Security se National Security Cess Bill in Lok Sabha

Parliament Winter Session Day 4 LIVE Updates: Follow all the latest updates from Parliament as government and opposition debate key issues

Sitharaman to move Health and National Security Cess Bill in LS today

Earlier on Wednesday, the Lok Sabha passed a Bill aimed at increasing excise duty on tobacco products and their manufacturing after a discussion

Parliament clears Manipur GST Amendment Bill; FM explains key reforms

Parliament clears the Manipur GST amendment, aligning the state with national GST reforms, including track-and-trace, simplified voucher rules, clarified definitions and uniform appeal procedures