Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the North and South banks of Pangong lake in the Eastern Ladakh that mandates both sides to cease forward the deployment of troops in a phased, coordinated and verifiable manner.<br />''<br />''The breakthrough comes after a nine-month long border standoff between the two Asian giants. Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha today, Mr Singh shared the details of the pact to defuse the tense military faceoff in the Eastern Ladakh that severely strained the ties between the two neighbours.<br />''<br />''The Minister assured the members that New Delhi has not conceded anything in the sustained talks with Beijing. He made it clear that India will not allow even an inch of its territory to be taken by anyone.<br />''<br />''The Defence Minister said implementation of the pact will substantially restore the situation to the one which existed prior to the standoff that erupted on May 5 last. He added the two sides have agreed that they should achieve complete disengagement at the earliest and abide fully by the bilateral agreements and protocols. Mr. Singh said both sides have agreed to remove structures that had been built since April last in North and South bank areas, and put in place a temporary moratorium on military activities including patrolling the traditional areas.<br />''<br />''The Defence Minister said under the agreement, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) will keep its troops in the North bank area to east of Finger 8 and the Indian troops will be based at their permanent base at Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3 in the Pangong lake areas, a major site of friction between the two large armies.<br />''<br />''He said the implementation of the pact started yesterday and it was agreed to convene the next meeting of senior commanders of both sides within 48 hours of completion of the disengagement in the Pangong lake area so as to resolve all other remaining issues. The Defence Minister told the members of the house that the border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 following a violent clash in the Pangong lake areas and both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry even as the two sides continued military and diplomatic talks.<br />''<br />''The Defence minister said patrolling will be resumed in the areas only when both sides reach an agreement in diplomatic and military talks that would be held subsequently. Noting that the Chinese side is fully aware of India's resolve by now, Mr. Singh said it is New Delhi's expectation that the neighbouring country will work with the Indian side in full sincerity to resolve the remaining issues.<br />''Earlier, during Question Hour, amid a row with Twitter over blocking of accounts, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad warned social media platforms of strict action for failure to crack down on inflammatory content, saying they have to fully comply with the country's law.<br />''<br />''He said the government is committed to freedom of Media and rights of individuals but it was equally concerned about the safety, security and the law and order in the country.<br />''<br />''Later, the House resumed discussion on the Union Budget 2021-22. P Chidambaram of the Congress termed it a Budget for the rich, of the rich, by the rich. He alleged that there is nothing in the Budget for the poor. He said the government is in denial about the slowdown in the economy and believed that the problem in Indian Economy is cyclical and not structural. Mr. Chidambaram said the government projected 14.8 per cent GDP growth and then said it will still grow by 11 per cent.<br />''<br />''Intervening in the debate, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur described it as Atma Nirbhar Budget saying it was appreciated by the people.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Leaders from various parties participated in the debate. They include K C Venugopal of Congress, Ramchandra Prasad Singh of JD-U, Prof. ManojKumar Jhar of RJD, Vandana Chavan of NCP, Arun Singh of BJP, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of Trinamool Congress, M Thambidurai of AIADMK, T K S Elangovan of DMK, Jharana Das Baidya of CPI-M, Anil Desai of Shiv Sena, Naresh Gujral of Shiromani Akal Dal, Sujit Kumar of Biju Janata Dal, Vishambar Prasad Nishad of Samajwadi Party, Birendra Prasad Baishya of AGP and K Ravindra Kumar of Telugu Desam Party.</span><br />