Page 17 - Rajya Sabha

Sibal criticises Dhankhar's praise of RSS, says Chair should remain neutral

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday said Upper House Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's remarks that the RSS has "unimpeachable credentials" were contrary to tradition and that such an opinion can be expressed by a member but not by the Chair. Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said on X, "Dhankar ji: RSS as an 'organisation has unimpeachable credentials'. My take: Only his opinion with which others in the House may differ." "Since Dhankar ji represents the will of the House, such an opinion can be expressed by a member but not by the Chair. Contrary to tradition," the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said. During the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Samajwadi Party's Ramji Lal Suman said the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) affiliation was the criterion for the government in selecting the head of the National Testing Agency (NTA). At this point, Dhankhar ordered that the comments will not go on record. "I hereby rule that RSS is an organisation that has full constitutional right

Parliament updates: Budget proposes unflinching support to cooperative federalism, says FM in RS

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

'It serves nation': Rajya Sabha chairman rebuts SP leader over RSS remark

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman, Jagdeep Dhankhar, said RSS has full constitutional rights to participate in the development journey of this nation

Parliament highlights: Govt earned Rs 98,681 crore from LTCG tax in FY23, says minister

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news highlights: Here are the latest news updates related to the developments in the Parliament

Parliament updates: Delhi govt, MCD responsible for coaching centre deaths, says minister Khattar

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news: Catch all the news updates related to the developments in the Parliament here

Pvt member's bill listed in RS to ensure rights of workers in view of AI

Amid global concerns over how Artificial Intelligence may affect the workforce, Trinamool Congress MP Mausam Noor is batting for transparency in the use of AI technologies at the workplace to prevent biases, and discrimination in hiring, and promotions from taking place. The Workforce Rights (Artificial Intelligence) Bill, 2023, a private member bill listed by Noor in the Upper House, says as AI becomes increasingly integrated into the workplace, laws must adapt to protect the workers' rights. The bill spells out the rights of an employee in case AI is being used by the organisation. It says the government must ensure transparency in the use of AI technologies within the workplace and give employees the 'right to refuse' tasks or decisions solely based on AI-generated processes if they feel it violates their rights or ethical standards. It also seeks to provide adequate training and upskilling opportunities for employees affected by AI implementation, and protection of employee ...

Primary role of Parliament is to preserve Constitution: V-P Dhankhar

Vice-President further said that the present situation is worrying as indecent conduct is being used as a political weapon

MSP legal guarantee issue rocks Rajya Sabha; Cong-led Oppn stages protest

Opposition parties led by the Congress on Friday created a ruckus and obstructed proceedings in the Rajya Sabha, as they were not satisfied with Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's reply on providing a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) to farmers. The trouble began during Question Hour when Chouhan listed steps taken by the government for the welfare of farmers and spoke about the committee looking into strengthening the MSP system but stopped short of talking about a legal guarantee for crop support prices. Following the minister's remark, Congress MPs, including Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh, protested, saying that Chouhan's reply was incomplete. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar tried to diffuse the situation, saying the minister had given a detailed reply and if the members were not satisfied, they should use available avenues to seek answers. Dhankhar repeatedly asked the members to allow the proceedings to continue and also threatened to name .

RS rejects pvt bill making Guvs bound by advice of Council of Ministers

A private member bill seeking to make Governors constitutionally bound by the advice of the Council of Ministers of states was defeated in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, with treasury benches voting against the Bill brought by Kerala CPI (M) member John Brittas. The two sides clashed at the stage of introduction of the Bill, with the Opposition MPs saying Governors in non-BJP ruled states were acting against the elected governments. Deputy Chairman Harivansh put the motion for the introduction of the Bill to voice vote and declared it defeated. Brittas, however, insisted on a division. The motion was rejected with 56 members opposing it and 21 in favour of the introduction. Brittas sought to introduce The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (amendment of article 158) in the afternoon session of the Upper House. Introducing the bill, he said the legislation seeks to ensure the "constitutional responsibility of Governors towards the Council of Ministers in carrying out their functions b

Explore possibility to table Shah Commission report: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday asked the government to explore the possibility of placing an authentic copy of the Shah Commission report on Emergency excesses on the table of the House, as it had investigated the "darkest period of democracy". The Shah Commission report relates to atrocities committed during the Emergency imposed in 1975. During the Zero Hour, Dhankhar asked the government to take note of the issue raised by Deepak Prakash, a BJP MP from Jharkhand, regarding the matter relating to the Shah Commission report. "The government must examine the possibility of having the authentic report (of Shah Commission) and place it on the table of the House for the benefit of the members and public at large," he said. The Shah Commission was set up to investigate the 'darkest period of democracy' and the report relates to atrocities committed during the Emergency imposed in 1975, he noted. Earlier raising the issue, Prakash said, the Shah Commission, which was s

Parliament updates: There's undeclared emergency in country, says Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news: Catch all the news updates related to the developments in the Parliament here

Parliament highlights: Not possible to name every state in budget, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha news: Catch all the news updates related to the developments in the Parliament here

Govt does not realise erasing diversity is anti-historical move: Sibal

In a sharp attack at the BJP-led government, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Monday said the present establishment does not realise that erasing diversity is an "anti-historical" move and will lead to tensions. Delivering the 4th Memorial Lecture in honour of M P Veerendra Kumar, Sibal talked about the idea of India and its evolution at length. "Why do we talk about the idea of India? It is because most of us do not understand the birth of this great nation. If you ask me, a nation is comprised of so many facets which are embedded in its history. Unless you understand the history of a nation and its genesis over centuries, you will never be able to understand what the nation is all about," Sibal said. "In order to understand what a country stands for you must understand how it evolved over centuries and once you understand that, you realize what India is all about," the former Congress leader said. The idea of India has evolved over centuries, he asserted. "Why is it that we are suc

Out of 913 assurances by MPs in Parl, 583 implemented, 330 pending: Govt

The total number of assurances given by Ministers in Parliament stood at 913 during the last three calendar years, of which 583 have been implemented and 330 are pending, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs L Murugan said in Rajya Sabha on Monday. Replying to supplementary questions in the Upper House, Murugan said some of the assurances have not been implemented because of the need for change in policies and amendments. "The total assurances given were 913 in the last three years. The total implemented assurances in the last three years have been 583. Pending is 330," he said. The minister said assurances are required to be fulfilled within a period of three months from the date of assurance. However, some of the assurances could not be implemented on time and extensions were sought from the assurance committee. Total number of assurances in the 253rd session of Parliament stood at 120. There were 105 assurances in 254th session, 25 assurances in 255th, 221 assurances in

Rulings by chair not to be criticised, MPs reminded ahead of Parl session

Rulings given by the chair should not be criticised directly or indirectly in or outside the House and members should not raise slogans, including "Vande Mataram" and "Jai Hind", MPs have been reminded ahead of the Parliament session beginning Monday. The members have also been reminded that displaying "exhibits" on the floor of the House is "not in order". The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has come out with excerpts from the "Handbook for Members of Rajya Sabha", drawing the attention of the members to parliamentary customs and conventions and parliamentary etiquette. The excerpts were published in a Rajya Sabha bulletin issued on July 15. The session begins on July 22 and is slated to conclude on August 12. "The decorum and the seriousness of the proceedings of the House require that there should be no 'thanks', 'thank you', 'Jai Hind', 'Vande Mataram' or any other slogans raised in the House," the bulletin said. It noted that rulings are given by the chair according to the precedent

Finance Bill apart, govt to move 5 new Bills in the Budget Session

Beginning Monday, session to have 16 sittings before concluding on Aug 12

PM Modi wants to finish AAP, says Sanjay Singh on CM Kejriwal's arrest

AAP leaders claimed that the interim bail order proved that the agencies and the government had made a false case in the alleged excise policy scam

'Humbling moment': Economist NK Singh receives LSE Honorary Fellowship

The awarding of an Honorary Fellowship acknowledges and celebrates those who have made an exceptional contribution to LSE and its global community

Reforms not a bad word, states must not shy away, says PM Modi in RS

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, wanted to intervene but was not allowed, leading to the opposition MPs staging a walkout

Watch: Sudha Murty's first speech in Rajya Sabha

Watch: Sudha Murty's first speech in Rajya Sabha