Page 13 - Rajya Sabha

No land given to Waqf board by Centre since 2019, govt tells in Rajya Sabha

No land has been provided by the Central government to the Waqf Board since 2019, the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry told Rajya Sabha on Monday. In a written reply to a question about the total area of land provided to the Waqf Board by the Central and state governments from 2019 till date, MoS Tokhan Sahu said land is a state subject and hence, no data of land provided by the state governments is available with the ministry. He, however, said as far as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is concerned, no land has been provided to the Waqf Board by the Government of India since 2019. In August, the government introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and referred it to a joint parliamentary committee after a heated debate. The government asserted the proposed law did not intend to interfere with the functioning of mosques while the opposition called it targeting of Muslims and an attack on the Constitution. Last week, Jagdambika Pal, the chairman of the joint parliamenta

All must unite to neutralise the evolving 'deep state': Dhankar in RS

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said forces within or outside India cannot be allowed to "sacrilege our unity, integrity and sovereignty", and asserted that all must unite to neutralise the evolving "deep state", amid uproar in the House over BJP's allegations of Congress leaders colluding with billionaire investor George Soros to destabilise the country. "We cannot afford to overlook such kind of evil designs", he said, adding that the 1.4 billion Indians are "extremely concerned". All divisive forces that are pernicious to the concept of Bharat and have sinister designs to run down "our democracy, to bring down our progress and to impede our economic upsurge have to be defeated by us", he told the members after repeated disruptions in the House. While the ruling BJP members demanded a discussion on the alleged Congress-Soros links, terming it as an issue of national security, the opposition MPs claimed it was the ruling party's plan to divert attention from the ...

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm as NDA MPs raise Congress-George Soros link

Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday as members of the treasury benches accused top Congress leaders of colluding with billionaire investor George Soros to destabilise the country and demanded a discussion on the issue. The Upper House witnessed two adjournments during the pre-lunch session as the claims triggered protests from opposition members. Soon after a brief first adjournment during Zero Hour, Leader of the House J P Nadda said BJP members were agitated over an issue that involved Congress leaders and wanted a discussion. "All our members are agitated over reports against certain leaders of the opposition. Our leaders are keen to hold a discussion on the issue," he said. This prompted several ruling party members to allege that top Congress leadership had links with Soros. They demanded that the issue be discussed in the House as it is connected to national security. Several MPs of the BJP and other NDA allies raised the issue and demanded an .

Rajya Sabha: Rs 500 notes found at Abhishek M Singhvi's seat, probe on

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi has denied knowledge of the currency notes allegedly found in a routine check, investigation underway

Farmers protest suspended, currency notes under Rajya Sabha MP's seat, MPC & more

Over 100 protesting farmers suspended their 'Delhi Chalo' march today after a standoff with the police at the Shambhu border, during which several farmers were injured by tear gas shelling.

Laws required to end toxic work culture in pvt sector, says TMC MP Gokhale

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Friday urged the government to frame laws to ensure that employees in private sector have good working conditions, as he highlighted recent incidents of professionals dying allegedly due to work-related stress. Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Gokhale referred to the deaths of Anna Sebastian, who allegedly died due to extreme work pressure, and Satish Nandgaonkar, a journalist who suffered a heart attack, allegedly due to a toxic work environment. "After these two shocking incidents, there has been a groundswell of complaints on social media, with people in the private sector saying that there is often a toxic work culture, where employees are made to work long hours and are subjected to insults. A lot of this is happening in the private sector," he said. "We are talking about private companies. Bengal means business; we have more than 4.5 lakh active companies, and the IT sector alone employs more than 2.6 lakh people. So

Rajya Sabha: Wad of currency notes found from Abhishek Manu Singhvi's seat

On December 6, a stack of currency notes was discovered during a routine security check in the Rajya Sabha under the seat of a Member of Parliament.

Political business: Fadnavis' Maha return, Sukhbir Badal dodges death

Devendra Fadnavis' return to Maharashtra throne, assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal in Punjab and more in this week's political news wrap

Parliament session highlights: Congress lead Opposition walkout in RS over farmers issue

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

Rajya Sabha passes Bill seeking to replace 100-year-old Boiler Act

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday took up a discussion on The Boilers Bill, 2024, which seeks to repeal over 100 years old the Boilers Act, 1923, to provide for the regulation of boilers, safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam-boilers and uniformity in registration. Union Minister Piyush Goyal moved the bill to the House for consideration and passing. The bill was moved amid some uproar by opposition members, who were protesting and demanding that they be allowed clarifications on the statement of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on recent relations with China. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, however, disallowed any clarifications that led to opposition protests and later a walkout. Moving the bill, Goyal said it will help ensure regulation of boilers, ensure the safety of life and property of persons from the danger of explosions of steam-boilers and for bringing uniformity in registration and inspection during manufacture, erection and use of ..

Will discuss de-escalation with China in coming days: Jaishankar tells RS

Peace and tranquility in border areas is a pre-requisite for the development of bilateral ties with China and the two side will be discussing de-escalation and effective management of activities in these areas in the coming days, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday while making a statement on India-China relations in the Rajya Sabha. A brief uproar was also witnessed following the statement and Opposition MPs walked out of the House after Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, disallowed them from seeking some clarifications. Jaishankar, while making a statement on "Recent Developments in India's Relations with China", also said disengagement has now been achieved in full in eastern Ladakh through a step-by-step process, culminating in Depsang and Demchok. He had earlier made an identical statement in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. Jaishankar, in his statement, said India was and remains very clear that the three key principles must be observed in all circumstances, he said ...

Rajya Sabha passes bill to boost investment in oil and gas exploration

Aims to de-link petroleum operations from mining, renewable projects at oilfields

Parliament updates: Lok Sabha passes The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

Health coverage for all above 70 is to address their challenges, RS told

The aim of expanding health coverage to all aged 70 years and above under the Ayushman Bharat scheme is to address the distinct challenges faced by senior citizens and to reduce the economic vulnerabilities of this group, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Responding to a question, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that on October 29, 2024, the government expanded Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to provide free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh per year to all aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. "The aim of this expansion is to address the distinct challenges faced by senior citizens, including limited access to affordable healthcare and a significant disease burden. Many elderly individuals suffer from chronic illnesses and disabilities, highlighting the urgent need for targeted healthcare interventions," he said. The initiative also strives to reduce the economic vulnerabilities of this group, as a ...

High-stakes Constitution debate set for Parliament’s winter session

On December 2, both houses of the Parliament agreed to hold discussions on the Indian Constitution. The opposition pushed for this debate to mark 75 years since the adoption of the Constitution.

Rajya Sabha passes bill to boost investment in oil and gas exploration

The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill that seeks to amend existing law governing exploration and production of oil and gas, and delink petroleum operations from mining operations to boost investment in the sector. The Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, introduced in the Rajya Sabha in August this year, was passed by a voice vote. Replying to the debate on the bill, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the oil and gas sector involves high investment and long gestation period. "We need oil and gas sector 20 more years. We need to bring this legislation here to provide a win-win confidence not only to our own operators but also to foreign investors so that they can come and do business here with view to benefit everyone," Puri said. He said policy stability, dispute resolution and sharing of infrastructure , especially for small players are new provisions in the bill. He also explained the point of helium raised by members, saying that mineral oils

CPI submits breach of privilege motion in RS against Ashwini Vaishnaw

CPI floor leader in Rajya Sabha P Sandosh Kumar on Monday submitted a breach of privilege motion against Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, accusing him of misleading the House by providing figures contradictory to the ministry's own data submitted earlier to the House. According to a statement issued by the CPI, the ministry, in response to a question raised by CPI MP P P Suneer on safety of railway workers, provided the number of 65 deaths and 569 injuries from 2014-15 to 2023-24, a period of 10 years. However, in an earlier reply in Rajya Sabha on December 8, 2023, the ministry said that 361 railway workers died due to train accidents during maintenance work on rail tracks in the last five years (from 2019-20 to 27.11.2023), the statement said. The CPI said the ministry's reply on Monday sharply contradict the figures provided by it earlier in the Rajya Sabha. The party said in a sub-question of the raised question, Suneer had asked for the zone-wise details of the number of dea

Parliament session highlights: LS, RS adjourned after protests over Adani issue, Sambhal violence

Parliament winter session news highlights: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

Govt, Oppn work to break impasse in Parliament; Constitution debate likely

The government and opposition parties have come close to reaching an agreement to break the impasse in Parliament with a discussion on the Constitution to mark its 75th year of adoption likely to take place in the coming days, sources said. The Samajwadi Party may also be allowed to raise the Sambhal issue and the Trinamool Congress happenings in Bangladesh in the Lok Sabha, they said. The opposition wants an official announcement of dates for the discussion on the Constitution before agreeing to the resumption of regular parliamentary proceedings, they added. "We are hopeful that Parliament will begin its work from Tuesday. Positive talks have happened," a source said. However, there is little possibility of any specific discussion on the Adani issue, sources added, noting that opposition members may touch on it during other debates. The Congress has been persistent in raising the issue of the indictment of US prosecutors of Adani Group chairperson Gautam Adani and other company

Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned till Dec 3 amid opposition ruckus

Both Houses were adjourned for the day after they reconvening at 12 noon following adjournments since the sessions began at 11 am