Page 28 - Rajya Sabha

States fined Rs 79 cr over non-compliance of solid waste mgmt rules: Govt

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed fines totalling Rs 79,098 crore on states and Union territories for non-compliance with municipal solid waste management rules and other environmental violations in 2022-23, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. According to the data provided by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Tamil Nadu faces the highest fine of Rs 15,419 crore, followed by Maharashtra (Rs 12,000 crore) and Madhya Pradesh (Rs 9,688 crore). The NGT directed Uttar Pradesh to pay Rs 5,000 crore, Bihar Rs 4,000 crore, Telangana Rs 3,800 crore, West Bengal Rs 3,500 crore, Karnataka Rs 3,400 crore and Delhi Rs 3,132 crore for not complying with the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and other environmental violations. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) monitors the water quality of aquatic resources at 4,703 locations in 28 states and eight Union territories under th

New criminal Bills mark end of colonial-era laws, watershed moment: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the passage of three criminal justice bills that will replace as many colonial-era acts as a watershed moment in India's history, and said it marked the beginning of a new era with laws centered on public service and welfare. "Through them, we have also bid goodbye to the outdated sections on sedition," he said on X after Parliament gave its nod to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam. These bills will replace the Indian Penal Code-1860, the Code of Criminal Procedure-1898 and the Indian Evidence Act of 1872, respectively. "These bills mark the end of colonial-era laws. A new era begins with laws centered on public service and welfare," the prime minister said. He added, "These transformative Bills are a testament to India's commitment to reform. They bring our legal, policing, and investigative systems into the modern era with a focus on technology and forensic science. .

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New criminal laws get Parliament nod, RS passes Bills with voice vote

Three new bills that seek to overhaul the colonial-era criminal laws, making punishments more stringent for crimes such as terrorism, lynching, and offences endangering national security, were approved by Parliament on Thursday. The bills were passed in the Rajya Sabha by voice vote. The Lok Sabha had approved these on Wednesday. The bills that repeal and replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act will usher in a new era in the criminal justice system, Home Minister Amit Shah said while replying to a debate in the Upper House of Parliament. The Bharatiya Nyaya (Second) Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha (Second) Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya (Second) Bills will now go to the president for her assent, upon which these will become laws. Just like in the Lok Sabha, the legislations were passed in the Rajya Sabha in the absence of most opposition MPs, who were suspended for unruly behaviour while pressing for a discussion on the December

Rajya Sabha takes up discussion on bills to replace IPC, CrPC, Evidence Act

The bills were moved for consideration and passing in the House by Home Minister Amit Shah

Need a Sebi-like regulator for social media platforms: BJP MP in RS

A SEBI-like regulatory body is needed for social media platforms to curb growing deepfakes and synthetic videos, BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi demanded in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, he said deepfake videos and synthetic videos are threatening democracy in the country. "There is a lot of disinformation... People don't have tools to verify," he said, adding women are soft targets of deepfakes. While an app is in circulation that can generate a nude picture of any fully dressed person, digitally altered faces of celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan are being used to promote betting platforms. "This is a new threat to democracy," Modi said, adding the government should ask social media companies to detect, remove, strengthen reporting and create public awareness about the new phenomenon. "Self regulation for social media is not sufficient. SEBI-like regulatory body needs to be set up for social media platforms," he added. While Anil Baluni of the BJ

Parliament winter session: Rajya Sabha passes Telecommunications Bill 2023

Parliament on Thursday passed a bill that seeks to allow the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security, and provide a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. The Telecommunications Bill, 2023, was approved by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote. It was passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday after a short debate. The Bill seeks to allow the government to temporarily take control of telecom services in the interest of national security, and provide a non-auction route for the allocation of satellite spectrum. It also allows the Centre to take possession of a telecom network in case of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety. Besides, it provides for stopping transmission and intercepting messages in case of public emergency, in the interest of the public, to prevent incitement for committing offence. According to the bill, the press messages of correspondents accredited to the Centre or state .

INDIA bloc to hold protest march today over suspension of MPs from Parl

A total of 143 Opposition MPs have been suspended from both the Houses of Parliament over the past week

Has ruined Bengal's culture: BJP's Saumitra tears into TMC on mimicry row

The BJP Lok Sabha MP said, First, it was (TMC MLA) Akhil Giri who made an offensive remark against our President and now we have one of their MPs mimicking the mannerisms of our Vice President

Govt passes telecom, criminal bills as suspended MP count reaches 143

Dhankhar says mimicking him 'insult' to the post of V-P; President Murmu, and PM express solidarity

Centre to move SC again to get funds from Sahara Group to repay investors

The cooperation ministry has also launched a portal where investors can make an application to get their money stuck in societies

Over 17 mn ST students granted pre, post-matric scholarships in 5 yrs: Govt

The Centre awarded pre-matric scholarships to 1,03,34,708 (1.03 crore) Scheduled Tribe students during the past five years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Post-matric scholarships were granted to 68,74,363 (68.74 lakh) Scheduled Tribe (ST) students during this period. Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu told the Upper House that 11,925 Scheduled Tribe students received the national scholarship for higher education while 13,326 obtained the national fellowship for higher education in the past five years. The National Overseas Scholarship Scheme was extended to 170 students, he said. Pre-Matric Scholarship for ST Students covers those in classes 9-10 with an annual parental income below Rs 2.5 lakh. The contributions are 75 per cent from the Centre and 25 per cent from the state (90 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, for northeast and hill states). Post-Matric Scholarship for ST Students includes those in Class 11 and above and with an annual

Will not tolerate any insult to Parl, VP post: Dhankhar on mimicry row

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Wednesday said he will not tolerate any insult to Parliament and the post of vice president while expressing deep anguish over a TMC MP mimicking him in the parliament complex and a Congress MP recording the act. In the Rajya Sabha, the chairman said the act of mimicking him and its videography has caused an "insult" to the honour of the post of the vice president, the farmers and his own community. When the House met at 11.45 am after the third adjournment, Dhankhar expressed his anguish over Tuesday's incident and asked the Congress party, including Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, to ponder over it. "I am not bothered if anyone insults Jagdeep Dhankhar but I cannot bear that I could not protect the honour of my post. It is my duty to protect the honour of the House", Dhankhar said. "You cannot imagine what has happened. Such a big incident took place. The post was disrespected. The farmers' community was insulted. My community was ..

Om Birla meets RS Chairman, expresses anguish over mimicry incident

Banerjee had mimicked Vice President Dhankhar during the opposition's protest on the stairs of Parliament on Tuesday against the suspension of MPs, drawing strong condemnation from the ruling BJP

Mallikarjun Kharge as INDIA bloc PM face? Here's what leaders have to say

Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal proposed Mallikarjun Kharge's name as the INDIA bloc's prime ministerial candidate

Winter Session: After disruptions, suspensions, Parl to reconvene today

As the session resumes at Rajya Sabha, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move for leave to introduce a Bill to amend the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017

Winter Session: Lok Sabha clears 3 key Bills as 49 more Oppn MPs suspended

The Congress, which now has only nine MPs in the Lok Sabha that have not been suspended, termed it a "complete purge" to ensure the passage of "draconian bills" without any meaningful debate

About 20% of 510 mn Jan Dhan accounts inoperative: MoS finance informs RS

About 20 per cent of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts in the country are inoperative, the government said on Tuesday. As on December 6, of the total 10.34 crore inoperative PMJDY accounts, 4.93 crore belong to women, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. As per data received from banks, of the approximately 51.11 crore PMJDY accounts, around 20 per cent accounts were inoperative as on December 6, he said. The percentage of inoperative PMJDY accounts is similar to the percentage of overall inoperative accounts in the banking sector, he said. The deposited balance in the inoperative PMJDY accounts is around Rs 12,779 crore, which is around 6.12 per cent of the total deposited balance in PMJDY accounts, he said. This balance continues to earn interest at par with that applicable to operative accounts and can be claimed and withdrawn by depositors at any point of time after the account becomes operative again, he ...

Over 2.9k drugs found to be substandard in tests conducted in 2022-23: Govt

Out of the 89,729 drug samples tested between April 2022 and March 2023, 2,921 drugs were found to be "not of standard quality" while 422 were identified as spurious, the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday. In a written reply, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said 642 prosecutions were launched for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs, while 262 persons were arrested during the same period as per information received from drugs controllers of various states and Union territories. This excludes data from Rajasthan. Giving details of the previous year, Pawar said a total 88,844 samples were tested between April 2021 and March 2022 of which 2,545 were declared to be not of standard quality while 379 were found to be spurious. She said 592 prosecutions were launched for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs and 450 persons arrested during the same period. Responding to a question, Pawar said that in order to asse

Not good for democracy: Kharge on suspension of MPs from Parliament

The Congress chief said several MPs have tried to put forward their opinions so far in Parliament