Page 5 - Rajya Sabha

Around 489 road projects delayed due to land and clearance issues: Gadkari

As many as 489 road projects, which were originally scheduled for completion by March 2025, are pending due to delays in land acquisition, forest/wildlife clearances and railway approvals, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the government is making all efforts to resolve the pending issues in close coordination with state governments and other stakeholders to complete these projects. Gadkari said cost overrun has been incurred in some of the delayed projects due to various factors like enhanced cost of compensation for land and structures, price escalation, Goods & Services Tax (GST) impact, additional VUPs/PUPs on public demand or otherwise, change in General Arrangement Drawing (GAD)/design for Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) to meet the Railway standards, etc. If projects are inordinately delayed due to some reasons and further progress under the ongoing ...

Jan Aushadhi outlets saved ₹38,000 crore for citizens in 11 years: Govt

Jan Aushadi outlets have saved about Rs 38,000 crore for the citizens over the last 11 years, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Anupriya Patel said 16,912 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) have been opened across the country till June 30, 2025. "As a result of the scheme, in the last 11 years, estimated savings of about Rs 38,000 crore have accrued to citizens in comparison to the prices of branded medicines," the minister stated. The scheme has contributed significantly to the sharp reduction in out-of-pocket expenditure by households from 62.6 per cent of total health expenditure in 2014-15 to 39.4 per cent in 2021-22 as per the National Health Accounts Estimates, she added. "With a view to further expand reach to jan aushadhi medicine and thereby reduce out-of-pocket expenditure, the government has set a target to open 25,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras by March 2027," Patel said. The outlets cover 2,11

Parliament Highlights: Op Sindoor showed India knows how to protect its sovereignty, says Rajnath

Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is set to open discussion on Operation Sindoor in Rajya Sabha today. Follow live updates on the debate and proceedings here

Op Sindoor debate: Nadda apologises to Kharge over 'mental balance' remark

The Rajya Sabha witnessed heated exchanges between the Opposition and treasury benches after Leader of the House J P Nadda made some objectionable remarks against Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that he later withdrew and apologised. Rising soon after Kharge spoke over one hour during the discussion on Operation Sindoor and the Pahalgam terror attack, Nadda first accused him of "losing his mental balance" as he made some remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nadda demanded that Kharge's remarks on the Prime Minister be expunged from the records as they were made in a "flow of emotions". However, Kharge as well as Opposition benches made strong objections to Nadda's "mental balance" remark and demanded an apology. Kharge also said that Nadda is one of the ministers in the NDA government whom he respected, but said it was a matter of shame that he made such remarks against him and demanded his apology. Nadda soon got up to say that he has already withdrawn his wo

India ready to help Pakistan act against terrorism, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said if Pakistan cannot take action against terrorism on its soil, India is ready to help the neighbouring country as Indian forces are capable of fighting terror on the other side of the border as well. Initiating a special discussion on Operation Sindoor in the Rajya Sabha, Singh said three terrorists involved in the Pahalgam attack have been eliminated by Indian forces. He further said that Operation Sindoor India's response to the Pahalgam attack -- has been suspended, and can be resumed anytime if Pakistan indulges in terror activities in India again. "India wants terrorism to end in the whole world, including Pakistan. I would advise Pakistan, if you are not able to take action against terrorism, take help from India, we are ready to help. Our forces are capable of fighting terror on this side of the border, as well as on the other side, this has been proved by Operation Sindoor," he said. "If Pakistan commits any terror incidents in

3 terrorists killed in Op Mahadev linked to Pahalgam attack: Amit Shah

Speaking on Operation Mahadev on the floor of the Lok Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah said the killed terrorists have been identified as Suleiman, Afghan, and Jibran

Parliament Highlights: Retaliation by Army forced Pakistan to bow down, says Rajnath Singh

Monsoon Session Highlights: Top leaders from NDA and INDIA bloc to face off in Parliament over Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor. Follow live updates on the debate and proceedings here

RS adjourned for day as Oppn protest continues over Bihar's SIR issue

The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice on Monday as Opposition protests over various issues, including electoral rolls revision in Bihar, continued to rock the House. As soon as the House reassembled for the Question Hour at 12 noon, various Opposition MPs were on their feet and Sushmita Dev (TMC) trooped into the Well, and sought to raise various issues. As the din continued, the proceedings were adjourned again till 2 pm. During the morning session (Zero Hour), Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he has received 26 notices under Rule 267 demanding discussion on various issues including Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and alleged discrimination against Bengali migrant workers in other states. He declined all the adjournment notices, and called Sudha Murty (nominated member) to make her Zero Hour mention. However, Opposition members, including from TMC and Congress were on their feet protesting the Chair's decision. They were raising slogans like 'Vote Ki Chori Band Karo' (s

Don't know the actual reason behind Dhankhar's resignation: Kharge

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge says he has no information about Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation and urges the former Vice-President to explain the reason

Rajya Sabha secy general is returning officer for vice presidential poll

In a step forward towards holding the election to appoint the 17th vice president of India, the Election Commission on Friday appointed Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody as the returning officer for the poll. The election was necessitated after Jagdeep Dhankhar's surprise resignation as vice president on Monday evening, citing health issues. His term was to end on August 10, 2027. In a statement, the Election Commission (EC) said that in consultation with the Ministry of Law and Justice and with the consent of the deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha, it has appointed Mody as the returning officer for the vice presidential election, 2025. The EC has also appointed Garima Jain, Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, and Vijay Kumar, Director, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, as assistant returning officers during the course of the election. The poll authority, in consultation with the central government, appoints a returning officer, who will have his or her office in the national capital

Bihar voter list revision continues to rock Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha

The Upper House, which has been witnessing protests by opposition MPs over the SIR exercise, saw the first adjournment shortly after meeting at 11 am, when it was adjourned till noon

No plan to remove 'socialist', 'secular' from Constitution: Govt informs RS

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated in a written reply on Thursday that "the government's official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words

Kashmiri Pandits urge parties to back bill on return and rehabilitation

Kashmiri Pandits welcomed the recommendation made by President Droupadi Murmu to a bill on the return and rehabilitation of Kashmiri Hindus in the Valley and urged political parties to vote for and support the bill concerning the community's rehabilitation. President Droupadi Murmu has recommended a private member's bill calling for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits for consideration in the Rajya Sabha. The Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022, was introduced in the Rajya Sabha by Congress member Vivek Tankha on February 2, 2024, but required the President's recommendation as it involves financial implications. The bill will be taken up for voting in the Rajya Sabha in the current session. Kashmiri Pandits have welcomed the President's recommendation and expressed their happiness over the move. "We welcome the recommendation of the President to the private member's bill on the return and rehabilitation of KPs in

Swiss firm's pollution rankings misleading: Govt tells Parliament

The government on Thursday questioned the credibility of a global report that ranked India among the world's most polluted countries, saying the rankings could be "misleading" due to limitations in data sources and methodology. Replying to an unstarred question by Congress MP Pramod Tiwari in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the IQAir report published in March 2024 ranks countries based on average PM2.5 concentrations. "However, it must be noted that only 38 per cent of the data sources used in the report are from government agencies. The remaining 62 per cent are from other agencies and include data generated using low-cost sensors," Singh said in his written reply. He said that such sensors are not approved for regulatory use and can produce data with a significant degree of error or uncertainty. "The data from a variety of monitors and sources, especially low-cost sensors, may have inaccuracies. Moreover, the report uses ...

No intention to remove 'socialism', 'secularism' from Preamble: Govt

The Union government has "no current plan or intention" to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution inserted during the Emergency period, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. The House was also told that the government has not "formally" initiated any legal or constitutional process to remove the two words from the Preamble of the Constitution. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said while there may be discussions or debates in certain public or political circles, "no formal decision or proposal has been announced by the government" regarding amendments to these terms. "The government's official stand is that there is no current plan or intention to reconsider or remove the words 'socialism' and 'secularism' from the Preamble of the Constitution. Any discussions regarding amendments to the Preamble would require thorough deliberation and broad consensus, but as of now, the government has not initiated any

Central govt staffers can now take 30-day leave to care for elderly parents

The service rules allow 30 days' leave to Central government employees, which can be availed for any personal reason including that of taking care of elderly parents, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The minister was asked whether there is any provision for government employees to avail leave to take care of their elderly parents. "The Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 provides for 30 days of earned leave, 20 days of half pay leave, eight days of casual leave and two days of restricted holiday per annum, apart from other eligible leaves to a Central government employee, which can be availed for any personal reasons, including that of taking care of elderly parents," Singh said in a written reply.

Highlights: From semiconductors to cybersecurity, we shall create the future together, says PM Modi

Today's news highlights: Catch all the latest news developments here

Public grievance redressal time cut to 16 days from 28 in 2019: Govt

Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL) on Thursday posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 538.94 crore for June quarter FY26 mainly due to higher revenues from transmission business. The company had incurred a loss of Rs 1,190.66 crore in the year-ago period, a BSE filing said. Total income rose to Rs 7,025.49 crore in the quarter from Rs 5,489.97 crore in the same period a year ago. Revenue from transmission business increased to Rs 2,188.19 crore from Rs 1,746.18 crore. However, revenue from distribution business dipped slightly to Rs 3,359.84 crore in the quarter from Rs 3,372.94 crore a year ago. "We anticipate a significant increase in AESL's capex rollout and new bid activity from Q2, as the monsoon subsides, said CEO Kandarp Patel.

Rajya Sabha bids farewell to 6 retiring members, P Wilson re-elected

Rajya Sabha bid farewell to six members from Tamil Nadu who are completing their terms on Thursday, with MPs across parties appreciating their contribution towards strengthening democratic traditions in the country. One of the retiring members, P Wilson of DMK, has been re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. Terms of M Mohamed Abdulla (DMK), N Chandrasegharan (AIADMK), Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK), M Shanmugam (DMK), Vaiko (MDMK) and P Wilson (DMK) ends on Thursday. Deputy Chairman Harivansh, Leader of the House J P Nadda, and several senior MPs across political parties spoke highly about the contribution of the retiring members to public discourse and strengthening democratic traditions. "Each one of these (retiring) members has contributed meaningfully to the deliberations of the House, bringing with them diverse experiences, perspectives and a deep sense of commitment to public service and democratic value," said Harivansh. He expressed confidence that the leader who had devoted entire life

8th Pay Commission: Govt receives wish list from staff representatives

Finalising panel's terms of reference for hikes, which may kick in from Jan