Page 2 - Rajya Sabha

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

Parliament Winter Session highlights: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day amid Oppn protest against SIR

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

MPs raise Anganwadi upgrades, Bhojpuri academy, pollution concerns in RS

Members of Parliament on Tuesday raised issues ranging from modernisation of Anganwadi kitchens and establishment of a Bhojpuri literary academy to the growing air pollution crisis during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha. Rekha Sharma (BJP) demanded a national programme for modernising Anganwadi nutrition kitchens, proposing upgrades including stainless steel utensils and food storage, clean preparation counters, safe drinking water units and exhaust systems for ventilation. While acknowledging the Anganwadi network as one of India's proudest social welfare achievements, she said nutrition kitchens require modernisation to meet today's needs. Sharma stressed the importance of millet-based nutrition menus and urged states yet to adopt this practice, to follow the example of those already implementing it. She also called for integration of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for supply of nutritious food and strengthening of digital monitoring and growth tracking systems in Anganwadis. Kunwar Ratan

Winter Session of Parliament begins today: Check key bills, dates here

The three-week-long session follows the overwhelming victory of the BJP-led NDA in the Bihar Assembly elections

Govt open to talks on electoral reforms as Opposition pushes for SIR

On a tense opening day of the Winter Session, the government said it was willing to discuss electoral reforms and SIR after Opposition-led disruptions

Three National Conference leaders from J&K take oath as Rajya Sabha MPs

The three recently elected MPs from Jammu and Kashmir on Monday took oath as members of the Upper House. National Conference leaders -- Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan, Sajjad Ahmed Kichloo and party treasurer Gurwinder Singh Oberoi took oath as Rajya Sabha members at the start of Parliament's Winter Session. While Kichloo took the oath in Urdu, Oberoi did the same in Punjabi. Ramzan took the oath in Kashmiri. After the oath, the three leaders exchanged pleasantries with Chairman C P Radhakrishnan and greeted other leaders present in the House. Last month, the National Conference won three Rajya Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP won the fourth seat in the elections.