Page 20 - Rajya Sabha

LS polls: As elections near, call for eco-friendly campaigning grow louder

As election campaigns started across the country, environmentalists demand that political parties take the digital and other non-conventional ways of electioneering to minimise the impact of non-biodegradable poll materials on nature. Political parties should rely mostly on social media to reach voters and shun flexes and plastic flags that litter streets once the polling is over and many a time reach waterbodies polluting them or block drains causing them to overflow. Parties blame the need for visibility factor in elections behind the use of those materials and promise to address the issue. Environmentalist Somendra Mohan Ghosh asked, Why can't we come out of campaigns by putting up flexes, plastic flags even in remote rural parts which create a non-biodegradable mess and put a strain on the environment? Shifting to the digital mode for election campaigning should not be a distant dream in the present age as mobile phones with internet are available even in remote areas of the ..

Rajinder Rana hints at more Congress MLAs joining BJP in Himachal Pradesh

More legislators are feeling suffocated in the Congress and would also show courage to leave the party in the coming days, said Rajinder Rana, one of the six disqualified MLAs who switched to the BJP on Saturday. The Congress rebels and three independent MLAs, who had voted in favour of the BJP in recently concluded Rajya Sabha polls, were given a rousing welcome by the BJP on their arrival here after joining the party in New Delhi. "More legislators are feeling suffocated in Congress and are in contact with us. They would also show courage to leave Congress in the coming days," Rana told reporters here. He blamed the Congress leadership for the "political disaster" in the hill state and claimed the state government 'is on a ventilator". The BJP workers and supporters of these leaders danced to the traditional folk tunes while welcoming them here on Saturday night. The three independents are Ashish Sharma (Hamirpur constituency), Hoshiyar Singh (Dehra) and K L Thakur (Nalagarh) ha

India's House delegation leaves for Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union

The delegation, attending the event scheduled between March 23 and 27, will raise issues like parliamentary diplomacy, and building bridges for peace and understanding

AAP's Sanjay Singh takes oath as RS Member of Parliament for 2nd term

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday administered oath to Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh after his re-election to the Upper House from Delhi for a second term. He was administered oath in Dhankhar's office in Parliament House in the presence of his mother and father, wife, and son and daughter. "Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to re-elected Member of Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh ji, in Parliament House today," the vice president's office said in a post on X while sharing pictures of the oath-taking. Singh, who is lodged in Tihar jail, was brought under a security cover, at the order of a local court. "The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that the accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely," the judge said in his order. Sanjay Singh was arrested by the .

We want Supreme Court-monitored Lok Sabha polls 2024: TMC's Derek O'Brien

The TMC party leader in Rajya Sabha wondered whether the BJP is so nervous of facing the people that it is turning the EC into "its party office"

Over 200K eligible people set to get e-vouchers under Vishwakarma scheme

The data sourced from the Vishwakarma portal shows that nearly 15 million people applied under the scheme

Sanjay Singh to be taken to Parl on March 19 for oath as RS MP: Delhi Court

A Delhi court has directed Tihar Jail officials to take Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who is arrested in the excise scam case, to Parliament on Tuesday to enable him to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member. Special Judge M K Nagpal directed the jail superintendent to ensure adequate security during Singh's movement. "The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely," the judge said. In an order passed on March 16, the judge said that during the visit Singh will not be permitted to use mobile phone or talk with any other accused, suspect or witness in this case, or in the connected case of the CBI. He shall also not be permitted to address the press or hold any public meeting, judge Nagpal said. However, he may be permitted to meet his counsel as well as his family members du

Do celebrities make good politicians?

The trend of celebrities joining politics in India first began in the 1960s, when thespian Prithviraj Kapoor was nominated to the Rajya Sabha

Took risk when I gave Narayana Rs 10,000 to start Infosys: Sudha Murty

Recently sworn-in Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty on Friday recalled how she gave her husband NR Narayana Murthy Rs 10,000 as seed capital to start IT company Infosys but chose to keep Rs 250 from her savings kitty as she thought she was taking a "risk" because of his previously failed venture. The 73-year old engineer-turned-philanthropist recounted that in 1981 when her husband told her that he wanted to start a software company, she had argued that both already had well-paying jobs. Murthy had assured her that he would not proceed without her approval, she said speaking at India Today conclave. I had Rs 10,250 in my savings. I saved Rs 250 for myself and gave him the rest because he failed in his earlier venture Softronics, so I took a risk, she said. Murthy told her to brace for a bumpy ride for the next three years, she said recounting the early days of the Indian IT services giant. My life drastically changed when he started Infosys, it was a responsibility, a commitment, she sai

Sibal demands investigation into electoral bonds, calls it 'big scam'

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday described the electoral bonds scheme as a "very big scam" and demanded that a special investigation team (SIT) be set up with court-appointed officials to probe the alleged quid pro quo and wrongdoings under it. Sibal, a senior advocate who is leading the arguments for the petitioners in a case in the Supreme Court against electoral bonds, alleged at a press conference here that the scheme was "illegal" and aimed at enriching a political party in such a manner that no other political party can compete with it. His remarks came a day after the Election Commission (EC) put up the data on electoral bonds on its website. Attacking the BJP-led Centre over the issue, Sibal said, "The person who started this scheme was our former finance minister (Arun Jaitley) and he thought that in this manner, no political party would be able to compete with us (BJP) and he was proven right. The one who has money can play the game." The Rajya Sabha MP said it has to

Former Infosys Foundation Chairperson Sudha Murty takes oath as RS member

Engineer-turned-philanthropist Sudha Murty on Thursday took oath as Rajya Sabha MP in the presence of her husband N R Narayana Murthy. Murty took the oath in Kannada. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar administered the oath in his chamber in Parliament House. He also congratulated Murty and her husband after the oath-taking function. Leader of the House Piyush Goyal was also present on the occasion. "Hon'ble Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to the newly nominated member of Rajya Sabha, Smt. Sudha Murty, in Parliament House today," his office said in a post on X, while sharing a video of the function. Murty, 73, the former chairperson of Infosys Foundation and the author of several books, mostly for children, was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on International Women's Day last Friday. She is also renowned for her contribution to Kannada and English literature and is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar,

Ex-President Pratibha Patil hospitalised in Pune, condition stable

Former President Pratibha Patil has been admitted to a hospital in Maharashtra's Pune city for the treatment of fever and chest infection and her condition is stable, officials of the medical facility said on Thursday. Patil, 89, was admitted to the Bharati Hospital here on Wednesday. "Former President Pratibha Patil was admitted to the hospital last night. She is having fever along with some infection in the chest. Her health condition is stable. She is under treatment and is being monitored closely," a senior official from the hospital said. Patil was the first woman to serve as the President of India. She held the top constitutional post from 2007 to 2012.

LS polls: Will do away with 'secular' in Preamble, says Karnataka BJP MP

Six years since Anantkumar Hegde said the BJP would change the Constitution to do away with the word "secular" in its preamble, the BJP MP on Sunday reiterated it, exhorting the public to ensure two-thirds majority for the saffron party in Lok Sabha to amend the country's founding document. The BJP needs a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament to amend the Constitution and "set right distortions and unnecessary additions made to it by the Congress", Hedge said, addressing a gathering here, going on to explain the numbers required to amend the preamble of the Constitution. The party would also need to come to power in more than 20 States for this, the six-time Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka said. "If the Constitution has to be amended -- the Congress fundamentally distorted the Constitution by forcefully filling unnecessary things in it, especially by bringing in laws that were aimed at suppressing the Hindu society -- if all of this has to be changed it is not possible with

11 Himachal MLAs move to U'khand, Union minister says Sukhu govt will fall

Six Himachal Pradesh Congress MLAs who voted against party nominee Abhishek Manu Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha elections, along with three Independent lawmakers, have shifted to a hotel in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand amid an ongoing rebellion against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. Two BJP MLAs Vikram Thakur and Trilok Jamwal from Himachal Pradesh were accompanying the legislators, who arrived in Rishikesh from Haryana's Panchkula by a chartered flight late on Friday and checked into Hotel Taj. Congress MLAs Sudhir Sharma, Rajinder Rana, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhuttu, Ravindra Thakur and Chaitanya Sharma have since been disqualified for defying the party whip on the state budget. They have approached the Supreme Court for relief in the matter. Three Independent MLAs Hoshiar Singh, KL Thakur and Ashish Sharma were also with them when they arrived. The Congress currently has 34 MLAs in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly while the BJP has 25. The three Independent MLAs had als

Anti-national narratives, tendencies should be dismantled: VP Dhankhar

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said anti-national narratives in the current times also resound from Indian legislature and the youth have the responsibility to neutralise these tendencies which are working against the country's interest. Addressing the naming ceremony of Shri Ram College of Commerce's multipurpose stadium after late finance minister Arun Jaitley, Dhankhar said, "Some anti-national narratives are also present in the most sacred place of democracy today which is the Indian legislature. There are certain sections which give us worry. We must understand nationalism is not an option. It requires 100 per cent commitment." "Young people must neutralise these tendencies working against the internet of the country," he added. Dhankhar urged the corporates to subscribe and contribute to the economic nationalism of the country and help India emerge as a global leader. Praising the late BJP leader Jaitley, the Vice President said that he was loved and accepted by

Cong leader Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Rajukhedi to join BJP ahead of LS polls

Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri and ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi will join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday morning, party sources said. Pachouri, who was close to the Gandhi family, was Union minister of state for defence (defence production and supplies), and also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party. Rajukhedi, a prominent tribal leader, was elected as an MP from Dhar (Scheduled Tribes) seat on the Congress ticket for three terms. In 1990, he was elected as a BJP MLA, but later joined the Congress, the sources said.

RS nomination coming on Women's Day was a double surprise: Sudha Murty

The announcement of her nomination to the Rajya Sabha was a double surprise as it came on Women's Day, philanthropist and author Sudha Murty said on Friday. The former Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, the philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Infosys, said that she has never sought the position and had "absolutely no idea" why the government chose to nominate her. "It came on Women's Day and that's a double surprise. I am very happy. I am grateful to our Prime Minister," Murty, who is currently on a visit to Thailand, told PTI over phone. On her role as a member of the Upper House, the wife of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy said, "I have to see what are the things...what I can do. This is a new area to me. So, I have to first sit and study and then I will be able to do it." She said she was pleasantly surprised by the announcement.

Sudha Murty holds about Rs 5,600 crore worth of stocks in Infosys

Sudha Murty, who was on Friday nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President, holds a 0.83 per cent stake in IT bellwether Infosys which at current prices is worth close to Rs 5,600 crore. The 73-year-old philanthropist is the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. She is the chairperson of the Murty Trust and has authored several books. According to the latest shareholding filed by Infosys with the BSE, she holds 3.45 crore shares of the company. At the last closing price of Rs 1,616.95 on the BSE, Murty's holding in Infosys is currently worth Rs 5,586.66 crore. Her husband Narayana Murthy owns 1.66 crore equity shares that are worth Rs 2,691 crore. Sudha Murty, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and Padma Bhushan in January this year, is also the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. While Padma Shri is the country's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Bhushan is the second-highest civilian honour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning took to the

Sudha Murty nominated to Rajya Sabha, PM says 'testament to Nari Shakti'

Rajya Sabha updates: Sudha Murty is an Indian educator, author, philanthropist, and former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation

Sudha Murty nominated to RS, PM lauds her contribution in diverse fields

Philanthropist and author Sudha Murty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding her contribution in diverse fields. Modi asserted in a post on X that her presence in the Upper House is a powerful testament to "Nari Shakti" (women power), exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping the nation's destiny. Wishing her a fruitful tenure, he said, "I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring." Murty, wife of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, is also the chairperson of the Murty Trust and has authored several books. The 73-year-old, whose nomination comes on International Women's Day, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Padma Bhushan in 2023.