Page 40 - Rajya Sabha

National e-Vidhan Application: What is it and why is it significant?

NeVA is transforming all state legislatures into digital Vidhan Sabha systems, allowing them to conduct all government business on the digital platform

Political spin to Parliament building inauguration as Oppn plans boycott

Nineteen parties, including Congress, Left and TMC say inauguration "undignified", insults the high office of the President; BJD, TDP, YSR Congress, and Bahujan Samaj party to attend

Have to ensure that bill on Delhi services is not passed in RS: Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said he will be meeting leaders of various political parties to ensure that a bill related to Centre's ordinance nullifying the Supreme Court order on services matters is not passed in the Rajya Sabha. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced that it will hold a "maha rally" at Ramlila Maidan here on June 11 against the "black ordinance". "Today, I am starting my journey around the country for the rights of the people of Delhi. The Supreme Court had passed a judgement giving justice to the people of Delhi. The Centre snatched away those rights by bringing the ordinance," Kejriwal said. "When this comes in the Rajya Sabha, it has to be ensured that it not passed. I will meet the leaders of all political parties and ask for support," he added. Kejriwal is expected to meet his West Bengal counterpart and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata on Tuesday. The AAP on Monday sought support of all non-BJP parties in defeating in the Rajya Sabh

Rs 200 cr spent on salaries, facilities for RS MPs in last 2 years: RTI

Around Rs 200 crore was spent on salaries, allowances and facilities for Rajya Sabha MPs over the last two years with around Rs 63 crore spent on their travel alone, according to an RTI reply. In 2021-22, in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, the exchequer spent over Rs 97 crore on Rajya Sabha members. The amount includes Rs 28.5 crore on domestic travel and Rs 1.28 crore on international travel. Salaries amounted to Rs 57.6 crore, medical bills of Rs 17 lakh and office expenses of Rs 7.5 crore. It also spent Rs 1.2 crore on information technology assistance to the MPs. In the 2021-23, Rs 100 crore was spent in total which included Rs 33 crore in domestic and foreign travel expenses, according to the reply by Rajya Sabha Secretariat to a query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Madhya Pradesh-based Chander Shekhar Gaur. The Rajya Sabha Secretariat has said that during 2022-23, Rs 58.5 crore was spent on the salaries of members, while Rs 30.9 crore on domestic

Need to debate if OPS will create economic crisis: RS deputy chairman

Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Monday underscored the potential economic ramification of going back to the old pension scheme (OPS) that was shelved by the National Democratic Alliance government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee nearly two decades ago. The talk of restoring the OPS for the sake of power is on. Society should debate whether such moves would create an economic crisis in the country akin to Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he said at a lecture series on Challenges in New Era. Harivansh said that the NDA government led by Vajpayee scrapped the OPS on April 1, 2004, and introduced the National Pension Scheme (NPS). Under the OPS, an employee gets 50 per cent of the last drawn monthly salary as pension as against the NPS which is a market-linked scheme. Now, for the sake of power, there is talk of reverting to OPS because government employees are organised, and thus, they form a significant vote bank, he said. The five states that have restored the OPS have been burdened

RS chairman should be impartial, not always praising govt: Cong on Dhankhar

The Congress on Monday hit back at Jagdeep Dhankhar over his remarks that people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, saying the Rajya Sabha chairman should be impartial and not always praise the government. Speaking at a World Homeopathy Day function here, Dhankhar said as India lays the foundation for the centenary of its independence in 2047, every attempt that seeks to attack the country's dignity should be blunted. He said people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, in an apparent reference to a row over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks made during a recent visit to the United Kingdom. Responding to Vice President Dhankhar's tweet advising that people should leave their "political spectacle" behind while embarking on a foreign visit, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet in Hindi, "First you give this advice to those who started this practice in 2015. Then give

Parliament adjourns: Budget session a near-washout amid Oppn protests

MPs of the Congress and DMK, mostly dressed in black, ignored the speaker's pleas and continued their protests

Govt blames Oppn for logjam in Parliament as productivity dives in Houses

The government on Thursday blamed the Opposition for the virtual washout of the second half of Parliament's Budget Session, saying the ruling BJP was ready to drop its demand, a likely reference to its insistence on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's apology, if opposition parties reciprocated its gesture on their stand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adani issue. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal told reporters after the session concluded that the government wanted a discussion on the Finance Bill before it was passed. "We were ready to give up our stand. But they should have also given up their stand. We had a strong stand," he said, without directly referring to the BJP stand. He noted that Speaker Om Birla had called a meeting to defuse the logjam, but the Opposition stuck to its stand. Meghwal said the productivity of Lok Sabha was 34 per cent and of Rajya Sabha 24.4 per cent during the session, which had begun on January 31. Overall

Linking of Aadhaar details with voter ID card yet to start: Rijiju in RS

Linking Aadhaar details with the voter identity card has not started yet, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday while noting that the exercise was "process driven" and no target or timelines have been given for the proposed linkage. In a written reply, he also asserted that the names of those who do not link their Aadhaar details with the voters' list will not be struck off the electoral rolls. Section 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, as amended by the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, provides for the electoral registration officers to require the existing or prospective elector to provide the Aadhaar number for establishing identity on a voluntary basis. The Election Commission had launched the programme to collect the Aadhaar number of existing and prospective electors on a voluntary basis from August 1, 2O22 in all the states and union territories. "Linking of Aadhaar is process driven and no targets or timelines have been given for .

Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die, second leg of Budget Session concludes

Rajya Sabha was on Thursday adjourned sine die, ending the four-week-long second leg of the Budget session, during which treasury and opposition members locked horns over Rahul Gandhi's "democracy" remark and the Adani issue. When Rajya Sabha reassembled at 2 pm after an adjournment in the morning session, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar informed that the suspension of Congress MP Rajani Ashokrao Patil for filming proceedings of the House has been extended beyond the Budget Session based on the privileges committee's recommendations. Before that DMK's Tiruchi Siva and Congress' Shaktisinh Gohil sought clarity over the implications of Dhankhar's Wednesday decision to reject Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge's objection to Rajya Sabha discussing a statement of Gandhi. The chairman, however, was firm on his decision. Amid protest by opposition members over the suspension issue, Dhankhar read out his valedictory remarks and adjourned Rajya Sabha sine die (for indefinite period). Earlie

Lok Sabha functioned for 45 hours, Rajya Sabha 31 hours this Budget Session

Parliament could function much less than the planned duration with daily protests and frequent adjournments disrupting the second half of the Budget Session, data compiled by a think tank showed. According to it, the Lok Sabha functioned for over 45 hours against a scheduled duration of 133.6 hours while the Rajya Sabha worked for over 31 hours out of 130 hours. This translates to Lok Sabha functioning for around 34.28 per cent of its scheduled duration and 24 per cent for the Rajya Sabha, the PRS Legislative Research said. Both Houses witnessed repeated adjournments of the Question Hour throughout the Session. The Lok Sabha could take questions for 4.32 hours while the figure for Rajya Sabha was worse at 1.85 hours for the entire Budget Session. In his concluding remarks, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the House held discussions on the General Budget for 14.45 hours, and 145 MPs participated in it. Discussions on the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address were held for 13 ho

'RS chairman allowed subversion of standing committee's basic function'

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Thursday wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar over the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, being sent to a joint committee, alleging that this was an "open and shut case" of his allowing the government to deliberately circumvent the standing committee concerned. Ramesh alleged that Dhankhar had allowed the "subversion of the Standing Committee's basic function". His letter to Dhankhar over the issue, the second in just over a week, came in response to a letter dated April 5 from Ranjit Punhani, Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, asking him to "state the exact premise" for his objection to the reference of the Bill to the joint committee. Ramesh heads the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change. "This is an extraordinary request given, I have met you personally and also written to you on my objections. I have already informed you that the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bil

Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 pm amid sloganeering by Oppn

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday as MPs from the Congress and other opposition parties created a ruckus in the House, demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into fraud allegations against the Adani Group. Opposition MPs started raising slogans as the listed papers were laid on the table of the House at the start of the day's proceedings. Several Congress MPs were dressed in black as a mark of protest. Sloganeering increased as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he has received a notice from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge under Rule 267 of Rajya Sabha for suspension of the scheduled business of the day. Amid the din, the Chairman adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Parliament clears amendments to competition law without any discussion

Parliament on Monday cleared the amendments to the competition law that will pave the way for promoting the ease of doing business as well as enhance the framework to deter entities from indulging in unfair business practices. Reduction of CCI's assessment time frame for combinations to 150 days from the date of filing the notice, introduction of a settlement and commitments framework and imposition of penalties on erring entities based on their global turnover are among the key features of the Competition (Amendment) Bill. The bill has been approved by Parliament nearly eight months after its introduction in Lok Sabha, which gave its nod on March 29. The bill was also referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, which tabled its report in Parliament on December 13 last year. Rajya Sabha approved the bill on Monday after Lok Sabha cleared the same on March 29. Amid din, both the Houses passed the bill without any discussion. Corporate Affairs and Finance Minister ...

Competition Bill Amendments passed in Rajya Sabha without discussion

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday after passing the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023 without discussion amid uproar by opposition members over the Adani issue. Soon after the Upper House reassembled at 2 pm, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar greeted the members on the occasion of Rajya Sabha Day and urged them to participate in discussion, dialogue and deliberations instead of indulging in disruptions. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman then moved the the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2023 for consideration and passage amid slogan-shouting by Opposition members. Dhankhar put the Bill to voice vote even as the Opposition members continued slogan shouting and passed it before adjourning the House for the day. The House will now meet on Wednesday. The bill, which was passed on March 29 by Lok Sabha, provides for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to impose penalties on entities based on their global turnover instead of the current practice of considering

Parliament passes antitrust legislation on overseas mergers & acquisitions

The legislation was approved by the upper house of parliament on Monday. The lower house had ratified it last week. The bill will need a sign off from the president

After PM's 'supari to dent my image' remark, Sibal says let us know names

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that some people have given 'supari (contract)' to dent his image, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday urged the PM to name them and said "let us prosecute them". Addressing a gathering at Rani Kamalapati railway station in Bhopal after flagging off a Vande Bharat Express train, Modi had said that some people are hellbent to sully his image and they have given a "supari" (contract) for this purpose, colluding with certain people sitting in India and also outside the country. Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said, "Modi ji's charge: 'They have given a contract to..peoplesome within the country and some..,outside the country to dig Modi's grave'. Please let us know the names of these: 1) individuals 2) institutions or 3) countries." "This cannot be a state secret. Let us prosecute them," Sibal said. In his remarks, Modi had said, "There are some people in our country who have been determined since 2014, spoken publicly and declared their

472 prisoners sentenced to death as on Dec 31, 2021: Centre to Rajya Sabha

As many as 472 prisoners lodged in different jails across the country were sentenced to death and waiting for the next course of action as on December 31, 2021, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra also said that death sentence of 290 other prisoners have been commuted to life imprisonment. The highest number of convicts (total 67), who were awarded death penalty, were lodged in Uttar Pradesh, followed by 46 in Bihar, 44 in Maharashtra, 39 in Madhya Pradesh, 37 in West Bengal, 31 in Jharkhand and 27 in Karnataka, he said replying to a written question. The minister said among the 290 prisoners whose death sentence have been commuted to life imprisonment, 46 were in jails in Madhya Pradesh, 35 in Maharashtra, 32 in Uttar Pradesh, 30 in Bihar, 19 each in Karnataka and West Bengal and 18 in Gujarat.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till Monday amid Oppn uproar over Adani issue

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till Monday amid uproar with Opposition members raising slogans demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. Soon after the Upper House reassembled at 2 pm, following an adjournment in the pre-lunch session, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar gave the floor to Secretary General PC Mody to inform the members about a message from Lok Sabha that the Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 has been passed and laid a copy of the bill amid slogan shouting by the opposition MPs. The chairman then took up the motion for nomination to the Joint Committee on the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023 and asked Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to move it. Yadav moved the motion to nominate Rajya Sabha members Ashok Bajpai, Anil Baluni, Samir Oraon and CM Ramesh (all BJP), Jawhar Sircar (AITC), Prashanta Nanda (BJD), Hishey Lachungpa (SDF), Birendra Prasad Baishya (AGP) in the committee besides two members to be nominated by the chairman. A

Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 pm amid opposition ruckus

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Wednesday within minutes of assembling as opposition MPs kept raising slogans demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group. MPs of the Congress and other parties, several of them dressed in black, started raising slogans such as "Modi-Adani Bhai Bhai" as soon as Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar took his seat. Amid slogan shouting, listed papers were tabled in the House. Members from opposition parties also raised slogans demanding a probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) into allegations of corporate fraud and stock price manipulations against the Adani Group of Companies. After the laying of papers, Dhankhar said he has received eight notices under Rule 267 of the House for suspension of listed business and take the matters mentioned in the notices. However, as slogans continued, he adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm. The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022, and The Constit