Page 34 - Rajya Sabha

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

Dhankhar reconstitutes panel of vice-chairpersons with 50% women MPs

Dhankhar made the announcement regarding the reconstituted panel in the Upper House on the first day of the Winter Session of the Parliament

Manmohan, Nadda to retire by April; RS may wear new look after state polls

The BJP holds 28 of the 59 seats. Of the 58 seats, a dozen will fall vacant in the election-bound Telangana (3), Rajasthan (3), Madhya Pradesh (5) and Chhattisgarh (1)

Parl panel reports on bills to replace criminal laws submitted to Dhankhar

Reports on the three bills which seek to replace the criminal and procedural laws were submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday. The Vice President's Secretariat posted on X that chairman of the standing committee on home Brij Lal called on Dhankhar in Parliament and handed over the three reports. Soon after Home Minister Amit Shah had introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bills in Lok Sabha in August, he had urged the Speaker to refer the measures to the standing committee for threadbare examination. Shah had described the current set of laws guiding the criminal jurisprudence as a colonial legacy, a reference to their British Raj provenance, and asserted that they focussed on punishment while the proposed laws give primacy to justice. The standing committee on Home, which comes under the Rajya Sabha secretariat, was given three months to examine the bills which seek to replace the Indian Penal

Chadha seeks early meet with RS chair to tender 'unconditional' apology

Chadha said that he has sought the meeting appointment in pursuant to order of the Supreme Court which said that it hopes the Chairman would take a sympathetic view of the matter

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SC asks MP Raghav Chadha to tender unconditional apology to RS chairperson

The Supreme Court on Friday asked suspended AAP lawmaker Raghav Chadha to tender an unconditional apology to Rajya Sabha chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar on the select committee issue, and hoped that he would take a sympathetic view of the matter. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to apprise it of the developments in the matter after the Diwali vacation. The CJI said the lawmaker will have to meet the Rajya Sabha chairperson to tender an unconditional apology on the issue. The vice president, in turn, may take a sympathetic view of the entire matter and take further steps in this regard. Chadha has been under suspension since August 11 after some MPs, a majority from the ruling BJP, accused him of adding their names to a motion without their consent. The motion sought constitution of a select committee to examine the contentious Delhi Services Bill. It was alleged that the Rajya Sabha MP f

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SC to hear Raghav Chadha's plea challenging suspension from Rajya Sabha

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha challenging his indefinite suspension from the Rajya Sabha. A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud had on October 16 sought a response from the Rajya Sabha Secretariat on Chadha's plea. The apex court had also sought assistance of Attorney General R Venkataramani in adjudicating the issue. The bench had taken note of the submissions of senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi and lawyer Shadan Farasat, representing Chadha, that the suspension cannot extend beyond the particular session during which the decision to suspend the member was made. The top court had also taken note of Dwivedi's submissions that the case raised an "important national issue" and noted as many as seven issues for adjudication. "Whether by an admixture of a resolution of the House and an order of the Chairperson under Rules 256 and 266, there is any jurisdiction to suspend a Member of Parliament ..

Divided world can't resolve challenges: India at Inter-Parliamentary Union

Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, Dr Sasmit Patra was speaking at at the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly at Luanda, Angola

AAP's Raghav Chadha thanks Delhi HC after it sets aside order on bungalow

After the breather, Chadha said he wished to thank the high court from the "bottom of his heart" for helping him in the fight to save the Constitution

Income Tax searches premises linked to RJD Rajya Sabha MP in Bihar

Income Tax sleuths on Wednesday raided premises linked to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha MP Ahmad Ashfaque Karim at multiple locations in Bihar on Wednesday. The MP is the main trustee and the founder chancellor of Katihar-based Al Karim University, Bihar. Officials were tightlipped about the raids. It may be recalled that the probe agency had earlier raided the premises of Karim in connection with the land for job scam involving RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his family members. A statement by the department said, "Patna directorate started the search action at Al Karim Educational Trust, which runs and manages Al Karim University and Katihar Medical College. Main office of the trust is in Patna. The trust also runs a school of paramedical and allied health sciences, school of information technology and management. Main trustee is Ahmad Ashfaque Karim, who is the founder chancellor of Al Karim University and also a sitting MP of Rajya Sabha". "Teams are searching their offic