Page 29 - Rajya Sabha

Govt in process of clearing 112 names HC judges: Law Minister Meghwal

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Thursday told the Rajya Sabha that the government is in the process of filling up 112 vacant posts of High Court judges. Appointment of judges in higher judiciary is a collaborative and integrated process involving the executive and the judiciary. It requires consultation and approval from various constitutional authorities, he said during the Question Hour in the Upper House. Meghwal said the total sanctioned strength of high court judges is 1,114 out of which 790 posts are filled while 234 are vacant, he said. Different High Court Collegiums have recommended 292 names out of which, 110 have been appointed while 112 are in the process, the law minister added. He told the House that the sanctioned strength of judges in the Supreme Court is 34 and all of them are filled up as of now. Meghawal also mentioned that the Narendra Modi government raised the sanctioned strength of judges for both the High Courts and the Supreme Court. During the UP

Shah to move Bills on J-K in RS, discussion on economic situation to go on

The two bills were earlier passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday

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10 BJP MPs elected to assemblies quit Parl amid suspense over new roles

BJP had fielded 21 of its MPs in the Assembly polls - seven each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, four in Chhattisgarh, and three in Telangana

Internet connectivity in govt schools at 24.2% in 2021-22: MoS Education

Internet connectivity in government schools in India improved from 5.5 per cent in 2017-18 to 24.2 per cent in 2021-22, with Bihar, Mizoram, Odisha and Telangana being the only states with fewer than 10 per cent government schools having Internet connectivity. The information was shared was shared by Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi in a written reply to a question asked by the BJP's Dhananjay Bhimrao Mahadik in the Rajya Sabha. According to the Union Ministry of Education, apart from the Union Territories -- Puducherry and Chandigarh, which recorded 100 per cent Internet connectivity in government schools -- Delhi is the only state in the list. Other states with high Internet penetration in government schools are Kerala (94.6 per cent) and Gujarat (94.2 per cent). Rajasthan is the only other state where more than 50 per cent of government schools have Internet connectivity. The lowest in the rung are Bihar (5.9 per cent), Mizoram (6 per cent), Odisha (8.1 per

Ladakh introduced new tech for cultivation in harsh conditions: MHA

"This has considerably brought down the need of bringing vegetables from outside"

Govt to take serious note of dumping of lithium-ion battery waste: Gadkari

The government will take serious note of any report about ill effects of dumping lithium-ion battery waste on the environment and is promoting circular economy for recycling of various waste materials, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari told Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The issue of ill effect of lithium-ion battery waste dumping and on workers in manufacturing units of this storage system was raised by Congress member Ranjeet Ranjan during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha. In a supplementary question, Ranjan stated that there is a research report which highlights the ill effect on the health of workers involved in the process of manufacturing lithium-ion batteries. The report also shows that the dumping of these batteries after completing life cycle affects the environment and poisons earth and deteriorates soil fertility, she stated. In response, Gadkari said, "There is no such report or finding with us. If anything of such sort comes to our notice then we will .

228 agri credit societies applied for retail petrol/diesel dealership: Shah

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said in the Rajya Sabha that around 228 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) have so far applied for retail petrol/diesel dealership. Shah, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the government has allowed PACS to operate retail petrol/diesel outlets and LPG distributorships. In this regard, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has issued revised guidelines for selection of dealers for regular and rural retail outlets, as well as unified guidelines for selection of LPG distributorship, he said. As per the revised guidelines, PACS have been included under Combined Category 2 (CC-2) for retail petrol/ diesel dealership and Combined Category (CC) for LPG distributorship for which they can apply online as per the advertisements issued by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). Further, PACS have also been given one-time option to convert their wholesale consumer pumps into retail outlets, for which Ministry of Petroleum and Natural

RS to continue discussion on country's economy on Day 3 of Winter Session

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to table a statement showing the Supplementary Demands for Grants, 2023-24, sources said

Opposition members in Lok Sabha seek time-frame for assembly polls in J-K

During the debate, which was initiated by Congress member Amar Singh, several members also said that the government should restore the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir

Banks write off Rs 10.5 trn in 5 yrs, NPA recovery worth Rs 7.1 trn: FinMin

Banks have written off Rs 10.57 lakh crore during the last five financial years, of which Rs 5.52 lakh crore was in respect of loans pertaining to large industries, the government informed the Parliament on Tuesday. "As per RBI data, scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) have written off an aggregate loan amount of Rs 10.57 lakh crore during the last five financial years," Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. The scheduled commercial banks have also recovered Rs 7.15 lakh crore of non-performing assets (NPAs) during the five-year period. "Comprehensive steps have been taken to recover NPAs, enabled by which, SCBs have made an aggregate recovery of Rs 7,15,507 crore (RBI provisional data for FY 2022-23) in NPA accounts, including written-off loans, during the last five financial years," he said. In reply to a separate question, Karad said: "Scheduled commercial banks have written off an aggregate amount of Rs 5.52 lakh crore in resp

NMC allowed foreign medical graduates from Ukraine to complete course: Govt

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has allowed foreign medical graduates (FMGs) from the war-hit Ukraine to complete their remaining medical course from different countries as a one-time opportunity, the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday. Considering the hardships faced by medical students who returned to the country due to the war in Ukraine, the NMC has devised a scheme as a part of which Indian students who were in the last year of their undergraduate medicine course and have subsequently completed their studies and granted certificate of completion of course/degree on or before June 30, 2022, are permitted to appear in FMG examination, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. After qualifying the FMG examination, such foreign medical graduates are required to undergo compulsory rotating medical internship (CRMI) for a period of two years enabling them for registration. "The NMC has conveyed No-objection to the Academic Mobility Program offered

PSBs get back Rs 15,183 cr following ED action under PMLA: Sitharaman

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated assets worth Rs 15,186.64 crore under the stringent prevention of money laundering law and almost all of these have been restituted to public sector banks, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Replying to supplementary questions in the Rajya Sabha, the minister said specific actions through various legal provisions are being taken against defaulters and as a result, "huge monies" are going back to the banks. Sitharaman informed the House that as of March 31, 2023, legal suits were filed for recovery against 13,978 loan accounts, action under the SARFAESI Act has been initiated in 11,483 cases, FIRs have been filed in 5,674 cases, and an aggregate amount of Rs 33,801 crore has been recovered. "As of December 1, 2023, assets amounting to Rs 15,186.64 crores under the PMLA have been confiscated by the ED out of which Rs 15,183.77 crores have been restituted to the Public Sector Banks," she said. Chair

Rajya Sabha to discuss country's economy on Day 2 of Winter Session

Earlier, on Monday, the first day of the Winter Session of Parliament saw two Bills being passed, with the Rajya Sabha also deciding to discontinue the suspension of AAP MP Raghav Chadha

BJP's victory may not be enough to get Rajya Sabha majority by next year

The BJP's victory in the assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh may not be enough for the ruling party to increase its strength in the Rajya Sabha so as to get a majority by next year. Next year, 69 Rajya Sabha seats will fall vacant, including 56 in April ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. The Upper House of Parliament has 239 members. Currently, the BJP is the single-largest party with 94 seats, followed by Congress with 30 seats and Trinamool Congress with 13 seats. While the BJP is likely to retain 30 seats, which will fall vacant in April next year, the Congress will retain its seats and get an additional two from Telangana, which it wrested from the BRS in assembly polls held along with that of the other three states. Prominent among those who would retire in April are former prime minster Manmohan Singh from Rajasthan, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav from Rajasthan, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from Madhya Pradesh and Minister of State ...

RS passes Post Office Bill to amend 125-year-old Indian Post Office Act

The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed the Post Office Bill, 2023 that seeks to repeal the 125-year-old Indian Post Office Act and consolidate and amend the law relating to post offices in the country. According to the proposed legislation, "the central government may, by notification, empower any officer to intercept, open or detain any item in the interest of the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign states, public order, emergency or public safety, or upon the occurrence of any contravention of any of the provisions of any law for the time being in force". Replying to the discussion for the consideration of the Bill in the Upper House of Parliament, Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw explained the provision for interception. "In a society which is as complex and diverse, and times which are as difficult as they are, it is very important that interception is done. This kind of a provision is kept for national security," he said. The Bill was introduced in the Raj

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RS panel holds Raghav Chadha guilty for misleading facts, ends suspension

The Privileges Committee of Rajya Sabha on Monday held AAP MP Raghav Chadha guilty of presenting misleading facts to the media and was allowed to attend the House proceedings after his suspension was ended through a motion. Chadha was also held guilty of adding names of members in the proposed select panel without their consent. A motion to end his suspension was moved in the house by BJP member GVL Narasimha Rao, which was adopted by a voice vote, that said his suspension so far is "sufficient punishment" for him. Ahead of the motion, Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said, "the committee after deep and thoughtful consideration finds Raghav Chadha finds guilty of both the charges." "Charge one (is) that he intentionally and deliberately presented misleading facts to the media, misinterpreted proceedings of the council, resulting in affront to the authority of Chairman Rajya Sabha and engaged in outrageous defiance of the resolutions of the house and directives of the honourabl

Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chadha's Rajya Sabha membership revoked

The membership of Chadha was suspended during the Monsoon session of Parliament, was revoked after a motion moved by BJP Member of Parliament GVL Narsimha Rao

CPI (M) raises Silkyara tunnel incident in Rajya Sabha, demands fair probe

CPI (M) Member of Parliament P V Sivadasan in Rajya Sabha on Monday raised the issue of collapse of Uttrakhand's Silkyara tunnel and demanded an inquiry into the incident alleging that safety measures were not implemented by the company concerned. A part of the Uttarkashi tunnel -- around 200 metres from the entrance -- had collapsed on November 12 trapping 41 workers. A rescue team pulled out all trapped workers on November 28 in a multi-agency operation that hovered between hope and despair for almost 17 days. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, Sivadasan termed the incident very painful and accused the tunnelling company of violating all security measures, rules and norms. "...transparent and fair inquiry is very necessary," said the MP from Communist Party of India - Marxist. Silkyara was the not the sole incident and such events have happened before in the area, he said. Ajay Pratap Singh of BJP said Sivadasan may have his own views on the incident, but the