Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, which seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, with respect to its application to Himachal Pradesh. The order lists the tribal communities deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in states and Union territories. The Bill includes the Hattee community of Trans Giri area of the Sirmour district in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Himachal Pradesh.<br />'' <br />'' Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda told the House that his ministry has been working all the time to ensure that communities which deserve to get benefits under the Scheduled Tribes but remained neglected for some reason should get their rights.<br />'' <br />'' He noted that a bill on the similar lines was passed by the House on Thursday to bring a community of around 27,000 people living in Tamil Nadu's forests in the list of Scheduled Tribes.<br />'' <br />'' Munda assured the members that his ministry is working in tandem with other ministries like health to address the basic concerns of tribal communities around the country. The government wants a permanent solution to their issues, he said.<br />'' <br />'' Referring to some members' concerns about displacement of tribal communities from their lands, he said land is a state subject but the Centre keeps in touch with the states over the issue.<br />'' <br />'' Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha that more than 1,500 private hospitals have been empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in the last one year. The scheme is reviewed every month and out-of-pocket expenditure of patients under the scheme has come down, Mandaviya said, replying to a question in the Lok Sabha.<br />'' <br />'' Under the scheme launched in 2018, the government provides health security cover to 10 crore families or 50 crore people of India. Today 4.5 crore needy people have been empanelled under the scheme, the minister said.<br />'' <br />'' He said, the seven-eight lakh beneficiary cards are printed daily and the ministry was working to ensure that 50 crore cards are made available in the next four to six months. Poor and needy people are covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and they can avail five lakh rupees health security cover. Any hospital can empanel under the scheme, he said.  The Minister said 22,000 hospitals, both public and private, have been empanelled under the scheme so far.  <br />'' <br />'' During the Zero hour, Congress member K Suresh termed the scrapping of the Maulana Azad National Fellowship scheme as an anti-minority move by the Narendra Modi government and said the decision will make higher education inaccessible to underprivileged students belonging to the minority communities. He said the discontinuation of the fellowship scheme will have a pan-India adverse impact on the higher education of students belonging to Muslim, Buddhist, Jain, Christian, Parsi and Sikh. The move is an insult to Maulana Azad. It also disregards all the freedom fighters and their memories of sacrifice, he alleged.<br />'' <br />'' So far, students from these six notified minority communities received financial assistance for pursuing higher education under the scheme which covers all the institutions recognised by the University Grants Commission,  he said. With the discontinuation of the scheme, the higher education will become inaccessible to underprivileged students from the six notified minority communities, Suresh added.  <br />'' <br />'' The Maulana Azad National Fellowship, MANF scheme for the minority community students pursuing higher education has been scrapped while the government's pre-matric scholarship for them will no longer apply to students from Class 1 to Class 8.  <br />'' <br />'' In a written reply to a question recently in the Lok Sabha, Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani said the government provided fellowships for higher education through various schemes, including the MANF, implemented by different ministries or departments.<br />'' <br />'' All these schemes, except the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, are open for candidates of all communities, including minorities, but the data of fellowship distributed among minority students is included only under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship scheme, she said.<br />'' <br />'' Since the MANF scheme overlaps with various other fellowship schemes for higher education being implemented by the government and minority students are already covered under such schemes,<br />'' hence the government decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from 2022-23, Irani said.<br />'' <br />'' Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were involved in a spat in the Lok Sabha over the use of the word 'gentleman'.<br />'' <br />'' While responding to a supplementary question by Chandra Sekhar Sahu of Biju Janata Dal on fortified food for children, Irani referred to him as "gentleman" which was objected to by Chowdhury who said that as per parliamentary procedures she should have referred to him as an honourable member.<br />'' <br />'' Irani said Chowdhury was interrupting her reply to impress his political masters. Chowdhury was supported by another Congress member, K Suresh. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was also present in the House.<br />'' <br />'' In her intervention during a discussion in the Lok Sabha on the welfare measures for Anganwadi workers and helpers, she took a swipe at the Congress over its members' demand for salary to them, saying that its government had told the Supreme Court in 2006 that honorarium was sufficient for them.<br />'' <br />'' She said, the then government had told the Supreme Court that Anganwadi workers should not be seen as an employment and the issue was then settled in the court. If the then government wanted, it could have made other provisions for them but did nothing, she said.<br />'' <br />'' The honorarium for Anganwadi workers was 1,400 rupees and for those in mini-Anganwadi was 750 rupees in 2008 which has been raised to 4,500 rupees and 3,500 rupees respectively by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.<br />'' <br />'' While the money spent for Anganwadi systems was  10,000 crore rupees during the earlier government, it was 18,208 crore rupees in 2021-22, she said. Those who are giving suggestions now did nothing when they were in power, she said. The Modi government also extended healthcare benefits to them during the Covid pandemic outbreak, she noted.  Irani also appreciated members of different parties for expressing their views during that discussion which, she added, had begun in the House in 2020.<br />'' <br />'' <span style="font-weight: bold;">REVIEW OF TODAY'S PROCEEDINGS IN RAJYA SABHA</span><br />''  <br />'' Proceddings in the Rajya Sabha were disrupted during the first hour today after the Congress sought to raise the issue of Chinese transgressions and build up along the border in the eastern sector.<br />'' <br />'' Members from Congress pressed for acceptance of their notices under rule 267 that sought to set aside the business of the day to take up a debate on the issue but the chair did not permit. As the Congress pressed for a debate on recent clashes along the border with China, the chair adjourned the house briefly till 12 noon. They initially shouted slogans and disrupted matters of public importance being raised by other members through zero-hour submissions but later trooped into the Well of the House, forcing Deputy Chairman Harivansh to adjourn proceedings for around half an hour.<br />'' Earlier, when the House met for the day, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said his party and other opposition parties have been trying to raise a very serious issue of national security. Discussions being sought by opposition parties are not being allowed, he alleged.<br />'' To this, Harivansh said allegations should not be levelled against the chair. He also cited last week's ruling of Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar expressing inability to accept notices under rule 267 in the absence of such pleas not specifying the particular rule.<br />'' Eight notices under rule 267 were received today but barring one by Raghav Chadha of the AAP, none specified the rule that was being sought to be set aside for taking up a discussion, he said, adding that the notices were under consideration of the chairman.<br />'' The notices were to take up a discussion on the Chinese aggression along the border, misuse of enforcement agencies against opposition parties and rising unemployment, he said. Harivansh said he had previously cited precedence to state why clarifications on the defence minister's statement over the issue were disallowed.<br />'' While the Congress members shouted slogans, he took up the zero-hour mentions. But the slogan shouting and the disruptions continued.<br />'' Kharge later lodged a strong protest over him not being allowed to speak despite Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's ruling that he along with two other very distinguished members could speak anytime in the House.  Kharge said, on December 14, I intervened but the Deputy Chairman said I cannot raise it as I have not given any notice, he said. He went on to refer to the December 9 observations made by the Chairman in the House that he would not look at the rule book if the Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition or former prime minister Manmohan Singh were to rise and he would allow them to speak.<br />'' Kharge said, the Chairman's observation was that the Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition, and former Prime Minister can put across their point of view at any time.<br />'' Responding to him, Harivansh said he had allowed the Leader of the Opposition to read out the notice given under the relevant rule.<br />'' The Deputy Chairman said he always gives the opportunity to Kharge keeping in mind the feelings that the Chairman had expressed for the positions of Leader of Opposition, Leader of House and former Prime Minister.<br />'' Harivansh said he had not allowed clarifications on the statement made by the Defence Minister on the Arunachal incident in view of precedence on such sensitive issues.<br />'' Congress and other opposition parties have been trying to raise the issue since December 13, after reports appeared on clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.<br />'' <br />'' During zero hour, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Government departments and the Reserve Bank of India are taking coordinated steps to check Chinese mobile apps offering easy loans and cheating people.<br />'' <br />'' Responding to a zero-hour issue raised by a Trinamool Congress member, she said action has been taken against apps that are cheating people by offering loans.<br />'' <br />'' The Minister said, she had in the last 6 to 7 months held several meetings with representatives of the central bank, her ministry officials and Ministry of Corporate Affairs on the issue of Chinese loan apps harassing and cheating people. A lot of apps that have been badly misused have also been brought to the attention of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, she said. So there is a coordinated effort to contain such apps. And also to take action against those who are misusing, she said.<br />'' <br />'' Sitharaman said, we have taken concentrated efforts. RBI, MeiTY, MCA and Ministry of Finance are working to ensure the common man is not cheated by any apps, Sitharaman added. She however did not specify the action taken or the number of apps banned.<br />'' <br />'' Earlier, raising the issue of illegal Chinese apps, Nadimul Haque of TMC said some 600 apps offer small loans without much paperwork and thereafter harass borrowers for recovery.<br />'' <br />'' Stating that a person recently committed suicide after being harassed for recovery of 3,000 rupees loan, he said the apps gain access to private information on phones including contact lists, photos and videos and use them to blackmail borrowers. He demanded stringent action against such apps.<br />'' <br />'' Later during the post-lunch session, members cutting across party lines supported a Private Members' Bill which calls for setting up an Agarwood Board of India under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.<br />'' <br />'' The resolution for holistic development of the Agarwood sector with its headquarters at Agartala, Tripura was moved in the Rajya Sabha by Biplab Kumar Deb of BJP. Deb demanded the government to smoothen the procedure for export of products made from Agarwood such as oil, dry roots, chips which he thinks can do business of around 5,000 crore rupees. He also drew attention of the House toward illegal trade of Agarwood products and suggested that the government should formalise the trade of the Agarwood as it would also help it to garner tax revenue.<br />'' <br />'' The Bill urged government to empower the Board to identify the issues, simplify the processes and encourage different Ministries of the Union and State Governments to work in collaboration for the overall development of Agarwood sector.<br />'' <br />'' Opposition members also sparred with BJP members over the amount of time taken to discuss Tripura member Biplab Kumar Deb's resolution to promote agarwood sector.<br />'' <br />'' Sandosh Kumar P of CPI said that issues raised by Deb are a "distraction" and a "delaying tactic" when other more important issues are to be debated. Farmers are suffering in Kerala and this government is insensitive to problems of farmers in India, he alleged.<br />'' <br />'' Rakesh Sinha of BJP said, the government should identify the climatic zones across the country where Agarwood can be grown. He demanded for a strong policy to promote Agarwood and grants for the same.<br />'' <br />'' Leader of the House Piyush Goyal also criticised the Opposition for disrupting the debate. Goyal criticised the Opposition for invoking Rule regarding Chairman's power to preserve order and enforce decisions and disrupting Deb's Bill and alleged that they ant the current issue can be "glossed over".  It is a very very unfortunate incident that certain members of Parliament are resorting to the rule book with absolutely unconnected issues which are not connected with the debate at all," Goyal said. He asked why the members did not remember this rule when the Opposition parties disrupted the House.<br />'' <br />'' Goyal alleged that the opposition party members are not allowing discussion on important tribal issues, as he intervened urging the Chair to let Sinha conclude his speech.<br />''  

Parliament on Wednesday passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022 with the Rajya Sabha approving them today by voice vote.<br />'' <br />''Replying to a debate on the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Home Minister Amit Shah allayed apprehensions raised by the opposition which claimed that the draft law was draconian. The new legislation seeks to allow investigators to collect certain identifiable information of convicts and other persons for purposes of identification and investigation in criminal matters. Earlier, the bill was passed by Lok Sabha.  <br />''<br />''The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022  also replaces the Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920. Mr. Shah said that the bill has been brought in to ensure that police and investigators remain two steps ahead of criminals.  He said the biometric data of political detainees will not be collected if they have been detained during participation in any agitation.  He said that the data collected will remain completely secure and the government will make sure there are no loopholes in the bill that can lead to the violation of privacy and human rights.<br />''<br />''Home Minister Amit Shah said that this bill is aimed to increase the conviction rates in the courts of the country.<br />'' <br />''According to him, data would be protected and it would be shared through a secured mechanism so that the people's privacy is not risked. Taking a dig on the opposition, Mr Shah said that none of the members said that the conviction rates in this country is low and should be increased. He said that under the present criminal justice system, the percentage of convictions is very low.<br />''  <br />''According to the minister 66 out of 100 people in murder case gets acquittal. While under the present system 66 people under 100 are acquitted, while in cases of dacoity 70 people out of 100 are acquitted.<br />''  <br />''In the crime against children, 62 out of 100 get acquitted.<br />''  <br />''While in countries have even more stringent laws than this and there the conviction ratio is also high. He mentioned that in countries like South Africa, the conviction rate is 82 per cent, while in the UK it is 84 per cent and 64 per cent in Canada. In Australia the conviction rate is 97 per cent and the US it is 93 per cent, Shah added.<br />''  Over the issue of privacy, the Home Minister added that data stored would be sent to National Crime Records Bureau  and whatsoever data, which will come to NCRB would be saved on a well-protected hardware and there would be no involvement of a third party or private hand in data storage. He assured the data would be confidential and there would be no breach in privacy of the citizens.<br />''Earlier initiating the discussion on the bill,  Congress leader P Chidambaram termed it as "unconstitutional and favoured sending the bill to a Select Committee for further deliberations before it is passed.<br />''  <br />''BJP's Mahesh Jethmalani refuted Chidambaram's allegations, saying advanced technological improvements and particularly the use of biometrics – considered the gold standard for investigation of crimes and for detection of criminals – are now used worldwide.  <br />''  <br />''Binoy Viswam of CPI, Sanjay Singh AAP, Fauzia Khan of NCP, Sanjay Raut of Shiv Sena, Abdul Wahab of Indian Union Muslim League, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy of  Trinmool Congress, AD Singh of RJD, Tiruchi Siva of DMK, Sujeet Kumar of  Biju Janata Dal and  Ram Gopal Yadav (SP) opposed the bill.<br />''  <br />''Brijlal of BJP, G K Vasan of Tamil Maanila Congress, Ram Nath Thakur (JD-U) , V Vijaysai Reddy of YSRCP and A Navaneethakrishnan (AIDMK) supported the bill saying it would help in improving conviction rate in the country.<br />''<br />''The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, which seeks to ban funding of weapons of mass destruction and also empowers the Centre to freeze, seize or attach financial assets and economic resources of people engaged in such activities, was passed by Lok Sabha today.<br />''  <br />''Responding to a discussion on the bill, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the passage of the amendment will strengthen India's national security and its global position.<br />''  <br />''The House passed the bill by a voice vote with members expressing unanimity that such a measure was the need of the hour.<br />''The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, passed in 2005, only banned manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.<br />''      <br />''The minister said the bill has been brought in the national interest, global interest and to strengthen India's credentials and image.<br />''  <br />''The existing Act (Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005) does not cover the financial aspect of WMD delivery systems and inclusion of new provisions was essential to meet India's international obligations, he said.<br />''   <br />'' Earlier, raising concerns over the dangers of weapons of mass destruction, members across party lines supported the bill that seeks to prohibit the financing of such weapons.<br />''    <br />''Initiating the discussion, Uttam Reddy of Congress proposed that the bill which speaks about an individual who finances weapons of mass destruction, should consider replacing the "individual" with "organisations and countries". It should also consider that this bill will apply to foreigners as well, he said.<br />''    A Raja of DMK recalled India's role in the domain of disarmament. He said that in 1998, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi gave a proposal to the UN for a phased elimination of nuclear weapons in a time bound framework.<br />''  Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore of BJP said that the amendment has been brought by the government to secure the country.<br />''  Participating in the debate,  Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress said one after another people have left India after looting the banks and nothing has been done against them.<br />''    E T Mohammed Basheer of IUML, N K Premachandran of RSP, P Ravindhranath of AIADMK, Hanuman Beniwal of the RLP and Kunwar Danish Ali of BSP, among others who also participated in the discussion.<br />''  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today said in the Lok Sabha that if India has chosen a side, it is the side of peace and for an immediate end to violence and made it clear that New Delhi is strongly against the Russia-Ukraine conflict.<br />''Replying to the discussion on the situation in Ukraine, Jaishankar said India was the first country to evacuate its citizens and "served as an inspiration" to others.<br />''He said India encourages talks between Ukraine and Russia, including at the level of their presidents, and asserted that if New Delhi can be of any assistance in this matter, it would be "glad to contribute". He said, India's approach will be to promote dialogue to end the conflict.<br />''Talking about the civilian killings in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, Jaishankar said India is "deeply disturbed" by the reports. Jaishankar also said that attributing a political colour to India's actions vis-a-vis the Ukraine situation was unfortunate.<br />''Rebutting criticism that the government's actions in the matter were guided by assembly polls in five states, Jaishankar said the prime minister in the middle of an election campaign came back to supervise the overall evacuation.<br />''Elaborating on India's national strategy vis-a-vis the Ukraine situation, he said that in terms of diplomacy, India continues to press forcefully for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an end to violence.<br />''Noting that the ground situation calls for an urgent humanitarian relief, he said India has already provided 90 tonnes of relief material, and did so even while we were in the middle of an evacuation.<br />''Asserting that food security is another major concern, he said India has been approached for the supply of wheat and sugar by many countries and it is responding positively.<br />''He also hailed the role played by the four ministers — Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hardeep Singh Puri, Kiren Rijiju and Gen (retd) V K Singh — who had gone to countries neighbouring Ukraine, saying India would not have got same level of cooperation, had it not been there for their presence.<br />''<br />''"The way to deal with the new world order is Atmanirbhar Bharat. Atmanirbhar Bharat is not just an economic policy, Atmanirbhar Bharat is a Bharat which looks after its people, a Bharat which is capable of running 'Operation Ganga'.<br />''<br />''Dean Kuriakose of Congress, asked the government to roll back the price hike of over 10 per cent effected on some life-saving essential medicines. Over 800 drugs, including paracetamol and azithromycin, under the National List of Essential Medicines have become expensive, he said during the Zero Hour.He urged the government to reverse this decision and ensure that life-saving drugs stay affordable to the people.<br />''<br />''Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, the indigenous 4G telecom network will soon be rolled out across India with the BSNL planning to install about 1.12 lakh towers throughout the country.<br />''<br />''He also said the internet connection inside trains can be available only when the 5G network will be rolled out as communications get disrupted with 4G technology in trains running with the speed of 100 km per hour.<br />''<br />''The minister said the BSNL is in the process of ordering 6,000 towers immediately and then 6,000 more and finally 1 lakh to be installed all over the country for the 4G network. He said the development of 5G technology is going on in parallel and will be ready in a few months. Asked about the availability of 4G internet service in trains, he said "if a train is running more than 100 km speed, we need a 5G network".<br />''<br />''Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Indian Railways is making efforts to make more over bridges rather than road under bridges as problems like water logging are a common phenomenon in underground projects.<br />''The minister said that as far as possible, railways are converting RUBs into over bridges even though the cost of an over bridge is much higher.<br />''<br />''"Railways' effort is to make over bridges rather than road under bridges as water logging is a common phenomenon, especially in remote areas," he said.<br />

<span style="color: #222222;">The Lok Sabha on Friday passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to amend the list of Scheduled Tribes in Uttar Pradesh.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Replying to the debate, Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda said that the Narendra Modi government is committed to welfare of THE tribals and has increased budgetary allocation over the years.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In response to a demand from some members including Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress and N K Premachandran of RSP that the government should bring a comprehensive bill on tribal resrevation instead of piece-meal legislations, the Minister said that different states have different lists of tribes. And that is why the government brings differet bills.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The bill for Uttar Pradesh proposes to include Gond, Dhuria, Nayak, Ojha, Pathari and Rajgond communities living in the four newly created districts of UP: Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar in the list of Scheduled Tribes.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The bill also seeks to exclude the Gond community living in these four districts from the list of Scheduled Castes.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Participating in the debate, several members sought better and a more effective implementation of the reservation policies for such categories.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Sougata Roy of Trinamool Congress brought up the issue of Maoist militancy in tribal areas and stressed that it must be contained through development.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Initiating the debate, Deepak Baij of Congress who represents the tribal region of Bastar, urged the minister to expedite a similar proposal from Chhattisgarh that seeks to include certain communities of the State in the list of Scheduled Tribes.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Jagdambika Pal of BJP said, the government should initiate a census of the tribal population in the country and demanded more clarity in issuing caste certificates.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Pratima Mondal of Trinamool Congress said that funds for the Scheduled Caste castes and Scheduled Tribes remained under utilized and raised the issue of crimes against the community. She said mere inclusion of more communities is not enough and emphasis must be given on effective implementation of the reservation policy, allocating more funds and awareness through education including having a compulsory chapter on the issue in school textbooks.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Sajiv Kumar of YSR Congress said that the amendments reflected the aspirations of the marginalised communities.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh introduced the Indian Antarctic Bill in the House, amid objections raised by Opposition members, that seeks to enforce Indian laws if any unlawful activity happens in the territory occupied by Indian research stations.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' He said that the Antarctic Treaty make it mandatory for all 54 countries, who are signatories, to apply their respective laws in area occupied by the country.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' India has two active research stations in the Antarctic — Maitri and Bharti — where scientists are involved in research.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress said, such a law is uncalled for since India does not even have its own polar research vessel and has to hire such vessels for expeditions.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Arguing that it was a no man's land, Sougata Roy of Trinamool Congress wondered if the government wanted to take its bureaucracy even in Antarctica.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a written answer, informed the House that the government had appointed 27 women High Court judges of the 39 recommendations made by the Supreme Court Collegium in the past one year. The remaining 12 cases are under various stages of the process, the minister said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mr. Rijiju said that under the present system of judicial appointments, the onus to provide social diversity and representation to all sections of the society, including SCs, STs, women and minorities, primarily falls on the judiciary.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Answering a separate question on whether the government had received any proposal to increase the number of judges in the Supreme Court, the Law Minister said the government has not received any proposal after June 2019 and its sanctioned strength is 34.<br />'' <br />'' The Rajya Sabha today discussed a private members bill moved by Rakesh Sinha of BJP. The Population Regulation Bill, 2019 seeks to regulate population by promoting two-child per couple policy.<br />'' <br />'' Participating in the discussion Jairam Ramesh of Congress,   said states which have successfully implemented the family planning must not be made to lose out on Central allocations. Ramesh said as fund allocation from the Centre to the states are all based on population. He said, states such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,  Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab, which have successfully controlled population are losing out.  Siva said that his apprehension is states which are implementing the family planning policy rightly, in the manner it should be, are being punished.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''   Citing the example of Tamil Nadu, he said the state government has successfully implemented the family planning policy and has been appreciated and applauded in every way.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Jawhar Sircar of Trinamool Congress said, he hoped that it is not targetted to any community because recent studies from national family welfare survey showed that the total fertility rate has evened out. We are reaching what is called the replacement fertility rate, which means we will go down in population, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Binoy Viswam of CPI said there is an element in the Bill which is very dangerous.<br />''   Earlier, 15 private member bills were introduced in the House. These include The Right to Free Electricity Bill, 2022 by Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party that seeks consumption of free electricity a right for all citizens throughout India.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Dr V Sivadasan of CPI M introduced a bill to provide for right to land and shelter so as to ensure the realization of constitutionally guaranteed rights of dignity and opportunity to all citizens who are devoid of land and shelter.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' While John Brittas of CPI M also moved a Bill to provide for the establishment of a permanent Bench of the High Court of Kerala at Thiruvananthapuram.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' P Wilson of DMK has moved a bill to amend article 200 of the Indian constitution and fix a time limit for the governors to act after a bill has been passed by the state legislature and sent for his assent.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Sasmit Patra of BJD has introduced bills to amend the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and the Representation of the People Act, 1951.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party introduced a bill to make free electricity a right for all citizens throughout India and also to to amend the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.<br />'' V Vijayasai Reddy of YSRCP has moved a bill to amend the constitution and reconstitute the national judicial appointment commission (NJAC)  after taking into consideration of the Supreme Court Judgement, which struck down in 2015. NJAC should decide on matters of appointment transfer and posting of the judges of the higher judiciary.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' While Vivek K Tankha of Congress moved a bill to provide for social, political and economic rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, protection of their property, restoration of their cultural heritage, ensuring their safety and security, provision of rehabilitation and resettlement package to them.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress moved bill to declare the Kuresong Gorkha Institute of Fashion and Design to be an institution of national importance.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' K Somprasad of CPI introduced a bill to move for leave to introduce a Bill to prevent the loss of job opportunities of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Communities due to disinvestment of Public Sector Undertakings.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' During Zero Hour, Shanta Chhetri of Trinamool Congress has demanded minority status for Hindus in Meghalaya, citing the Centre's assertion in the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus minority status if they deem so. Chhetri said, the Centre has told the Supreme Court that states can consider granting Hindus the minority status if the community is not in a majority within their jurisdiction. If Hindus are in minority in a particular state they should be able to establish and administer educational institution of their choice in keeping with the rights granted to the minority by the Constitution as per the Centre, she added.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' While two opposition members John Brittas of CPI(M) and Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena raised the issue of an increase in the prices of essential drugs and demanded immediate relief duing Zero hour</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">John Brittas of CPI(M) said, prices of more than 800 medicines are being increased by 11 per cent effective April 1 which will adversely impact the common man, and urged the government to withdraw the hike.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shive Sena too joined the issue and urged the Union government to provide relief on the front. Chaturvedi said the cost of living is increasing every day and pointed out that while petrol, diesel, cooking fuel and even food are already costly, medicines too have become dearer.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Participating in the discussion Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that population control should happen by creating awareness among people and it should not be made compulsory.<br />'' Mandaviya noted that the country has witnessed a population growth rate dip from the 70s and 80s with the success of various policy measures. He assured the member that the government under the leadership of PM Modi was taking a lot of steps to stabilize the population in the country.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mandaviya also elaborated on the measures taken by the government in enhancing healthcare infrastructure in the country, including increase in the number of MBBS and PG seats across states.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' KJ Alphons of BJP said that there was a need to educate people regarding the important matter.<br />''<br />''Sanjay Singh of AAP raised the issue of attack on Delhi CM and party leader Arvind Kejriwal. Mahesh Poddar of BJP also participated in the discussion.</span><br />

<span style="color: #222222;">The Rajya Sabha on Thursday bid farewell to 72 of its retiring members. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged them to share their experiences gained from within the four walls of the House to all four directions in the best interests of the country and help inspire the coming generations.<br />''<br />''Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked legislators across the country to be propelled by 'Passion, Performance and Procedural Integrity' and desist from disrupting the law making bodies while upholding the honour and privilege bestowed on them by the people.<br />''Several members cutting across party lines shared their fond memories with retiring colleagues and hoped they return to the House. Many of the MPs shared emotional moments while the house witnessed some lighter moments as well.<br />''<br />''The MPs including seven nominated members, are retiring between March and July this year. Among them, some may return to the Rajya Sabha. The retiring members, about a third of the total strength of the House, represent 19 states and some of them have experience of five terms.<br />''<br />''Among those retiring from the Rajya Sabha include A K Antony, Ambika Soni, P Chidambaram, Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh, Suresh Prabhu, Praful Patel, Subramanian Swamy, Prasanna Acharya, Sanjay Raut, Naresh Gujral, Satish Chandra Mishra, MC Mary Kom, Swapan Dasgupta and Narendra Jadhav.<br />''<br />''In his remarks, Prime Minister Modi emphasised that experience has more power than knowledge and the MPs should take it forward in the service of the nation. He said, four Ministers – Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ram Chandra Prasad are completing their tenures during this period.<br />''<br />''Extending his best wishes to those retiring, he told them to "come again" to the House. He also suggested them to pen down their experiences and contributions. I would want you to put in words the memories gained here to help serve as a reference point for coming generations, the prime minister said. The House and the nation feel the loss and some sort of shortcomings in decision-making for the coming generations when experienced colleagues retire, he said.<br />''<br />''Modi also noted that when experienced people retire, a lot would be said about them in the House but the responsibility of those remaining increases. And the members who remain have to take forward the tales of experience left behind by those retiring, he noted.<br />''<br />''In his remarks, Venkaiah Naidu called the upon members to ensure the expectations and aspirations of the people are incorporated in the designing laws and policies.<br />''<br />''Naidu also voiced concern over the House having lost over 35 per cent of the functional time due to disruptions since 2017. He informed the House that the retiring members have a total parliamentary experience of 181 terms including 143 terms in Rajya Sabha and 38 in Lok Sabha earlier.<br />''<br />''Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, who is also retiring, said that all those members who are retiring from the House, have made their valuable contributions during their tenure in enhancing the image of Parliament through their experiences and debate.<br />''Leader of Opposition and senior Congress MP Mallikarjuna Kharge said that after listening to the Prime Minister and other members, he realised how important the Rajya Sabha is. Kharge emphasised that there can be differences of opinion but it is important that everyone works together.<br />''<br />''Kharge said, the numbers in the Opposition benches may be less, but they have strength in their argument. The problem is that arguments are not considered but voices are counted. This is what Atal Ji had said, not me, he recalled.<br />''<br />''Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh expressed confidence that the retiring members, through their pubic engagement, would continue to work to increase the confidence of citizens and students in politics and parliamentary democracy.<br />''<br />''Anand Sharma of the Congress, who is also retiring, said that he never trooped into the Well of the House during his entire tenure.<br />''Derek O'Brien of the Trinamool Congress said, he would tell his grandchildren that when he was in Parliament, there were two former prime ministers — Manmohan Singh and H D Devagowda — and the prime minister was Narendra Modi.<br />''<br />''Tiruchi Siva of DMK mentioned that farewell moments are always emotional and painful. This is not the end of the road, only a bend, Siva said.<br />''<br />''At this, Chairman Naidu recalled about his earlier days when he and former Union Minister Jaipal Reddy too often used to borrow pens from fellow lawmakers.<br />''<br />''Prasanna Acharya of the BJD, a three-time Lok Sabha MP and an MLA thrice, said before entering the Rajya Sabha he was under impression that he had a lot of experience, but was wrong.<br />''<br />''Retiring member Swapan Dasgupta of BJP suggested a parliamentary agenda to focus more on delivery, performance and facilitation in future instead of lawmaking that is currently followed.  <br />''<br />''Roopa Ganguly of BJP, who admitted that she could not learn the Parliamentary skills, rules and procedure during her term, suggested having a "mentor programme" for new members.<br />''<br />''Among others including Sasmit Patra of BJD, Chhaya Verma of Congress, Sampatiya Uikey of BJP, Ramkumar Verma of BJP, Mahesh Poddar of BJP, Jaiprakash Nishad of BJP, Dharmapuri Srinivas of TRS, Sukhram Singh Yadav of SP, K Somaprasad of CPI(M), Vishambhar Prasad Nishad of SP, Syed Zafar Islam of BJP, Jharna Das Baidya of CPI(M), Navaneethakrishnan of AIADMK, Harshvardhan Singh Dungarpur of BJP, Vikas Mahatame of BJP, K J Alphons of BJP, Sanjay Seth of BJP, Ashok Siddharth of BJP, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of SAD and Vivek K Tankha of Congress also shared their experience in the House.<br />''<br />''Congress President Sonia Gandhi today voiced concern over the budgetary cut for MGNREGA, saying that several states have negative balance in their accounts to the tune of 5,000 crore rupees which has led to delays in payments to workers.<br />''Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, she urged the government to make adequate allocations to MGNREGA, a scheme that had helped the government during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also ensure payments within 15 days.<br />''Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur accused Mrs Gandhi of politicising the issue and claimed that her remarks were far from truth. Anurag Thakur said the budgetary allocation for MGNREGA in 2013-14 was 33,000 crore rupees, whereas under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it has reached 1.12 lakh crore rupees.<br />''Gandhi said MGNREGA, which was mocked by some persons, had provided timely help to crores of affected poor families during the pandemic and played a positive role in helping the government. She said, still there is regular reduction in the budgetary allocation for MGNREGA. This year the budget for MGNREGA is 35 per cent less than that of 2020.<br />''<br />''Responding to Gandhi, Minister Thakur alleged that the MGNREGA scheme saw massive corruption under the UPA government, which was weeded out by the Modi government. He said under Prime Minister Modi, geo-tagging of assets created under MGNREGA was introduced and payments were directly made to workers in their Jan Dhan accounts. Congress members were up on their feet protesting against the remarks by Singh and Thakur.<br />''<br />''As the commotion continued, Thakur said it was ironic for the opposition to criticise when a union minister had responded immediately to an issue raised by Gandhi.<br />''<br />''Three members raised the issue of the death of a Rajasthan doctor by suicide after being booked for the death of a patient<br />''D N V Senthilkumar of DMK, who is a medical doctor said such incidents could also disturb the doctor-patient ratio in the country. There was a need to distinguish between medical negligence and medical complications, he said.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue of the suicide by Dr. Archana Sharma of Dausa in Rajasthan, he wondered as to when will the country stop harassing doctors for carrying out medical procedures.<br />''<br />''Jaskaur Meena of BJP, who represents Dausa in the lower house, slammed the Congress government in Rajasthan for creating an atmosphere against the doctor following the death of a patient following a delivery. Umesh Jadhav, also of the BJP, said doctors should not be harassed like this.<br />''<br />''  Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, the time when India's voice was not heard on international platforms is over and on climate change issues, India has emerged as the developing nations' voice that can neither be suppressed nor ignored. Replying to the discussion on climate change, Yadav said when it comes to environment, India has always been a solution-provider in the world. He said India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, was among the few countries in the world that not only set Nationally Determined Contributions in 2015 but achieved them before time, setting an example for others. Underlining that the prime minister has often talked about climate justice, Yadav said developed nations who are responsible of carbon emission must take responsibility.<br />''<br />''The Minister said, during the COP26 meet in Glasgow, the prime minister talked about various aspects of India's fight against climate change including India's vision to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.<br />''<br />''The carbon emission of developed countries, that account for a population of 17 per cent in the world, is 60 percent, while India's population is 17 per cent and its carbon emission is 4 per cent, the minister said. India's lifestyle can teach the world how to live in harmony with environment, he asserted.<br />''<br />''Listing the achievements of the Modi government in the field of climate change, he said that due to the efforts made by it in the last seven years, India has become a leader in environment policy and action.<br />''<br />''Under PM Modi, India not only has given an environment policy that gives direction to the world but it is also the only country that has taken big steps in achieving the goals set at climate summits, Yadav said. That time is over when India's voice was not heard on international platforms and under Prime Minister Modi, India has made a strong identity and the world community can neither suppress its voice nor ignore it, he said. He also hailed the government's efforts such as the International Solar Alliance that India started along with France and asserted that such steps had enhanced India's prestige on the global stage.<br />''<br />''Participating in the discussion, Gaurav Gogoi of Congress questioned the government on the effects of the PM Gati Shakti scheme, the Centre's big-ticket infrastructure project, on India's commitment to cut emissions to net-zero by 2070.<br />''<br />''Gogoi said while he supported the development, the scheme, which is a national master plan for multi-modal connectivity entailing large-scale construction, will raise emissions.<br />''<br />''Jayant Sinha of BJP said, the net-zero commitment by 2070 is "massively net positive for India". He further pushed for a global carbon market and for India to be connected to a worldwide carbon network. Both Sinha and Gogoi urged for an institutional arrangement to secure India's climate future, with the Congress MP even proposing that the government consider bringing legislation on the same.<br />''<br />''Malook Nagar of said, the government should encourage electronic vehicles and proposed that neem trees be grown in abundance to curb pollution.<br />''<br />''Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena raised concerns over the use of lithium batteries in e-vehicles and questioned how they will be disposed off.</span><br />

Parliament today gave the approval to Appropriation Bill, 2022 and the Finance Bill, 2022 with Rajya Sabha returning it following a discussion. The bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on Friday.<br />''<br />''Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, India continues to remain among the top five foreign direct investment destinations in the world. She was replying to the discussion on the BIlls. She said FDI inflows into India till December 2021 under the Modi government was over 500 billion US dollars, which is 65 per cent more than the amount received in the 10 years of the UPA government.<br />''<br />'' She said this is because investors have trusted the economic management of the current dispensation. The FDI inflow in 2020-21 was over 81 billion US dollars compared to over 74 billion US dollars in the preceding financial year, she said.<br />''<br />''The Minister also said that the government did not resort to taxes for resource mobilisation in view of the Covid pandemic. No tax was increased to fund the economic recovery process, she said.<br />''<br />''Quoting an OECD report, she said in view of the pandemic slowing down economies 32 countries had resorted to an increase in their tax rates to fund their economic recovery.<br />''<br />''Sitharaman also highlighted that the war between Russia and Ukraine is affecting all countries like the pandemic. She disclosed that 8.35 lakh crore rupees has been devolved to states from central taxes in the current fiscal, which is higher than the revised estimate of 7.45 lakh crore rupees for 2021-22. Sitharaman said the Union Budget for 2022-23 will attract private investment and ensure a predictable economic recovery in the years to come. She also defended the handling of inflation, but acknowledged that the ongoing war in Russia and Ukraine has possed fresh challenges, including higher oil prices, and disruption in supply chains.<br />''<br />''She said earlier it was due to Covid19 and now we are facing the situation of a full blown war in Ukraine which seems to be having an impact on all countries like the way the pandemic had. She said the war has affected value chains, and the world markets are caught up in a situation where nothing is normal.<br />''<br />''Noting that the government did not resort to taxation for resource mobilisation to deal with the impact of covid pandemic, Sitharaman said, the government did not fall back on any increase in taxation rates in the name of covid tax or in the name of any other element of tax to have the resources mobilized for the sake of meeting the challenges of recovery.<br />''<br />''She further said the Prime Minister had directed that the Budget should not draw on resources by taxing people at this time when recovery is the most important element and that "we should find resources and fully continue with the predictable recovery that we were aiming at.<br />''<br />''Referring to issues concerning private investment, Sitharaman said the government and the private sector are partners in assuring development in this economy, as she highlighted measures like the PLI scheme, and PM Gatishakti, to help attract private investment.<br />''<br />''She also highlighted that the Budget since 2020 has focused on building healthcare infrastructure, besides improving lives of the middle class.<br />''<br />''Referring to concern expressed by several members raised concern over the price situation in the country.<br />''The Minister said the government was conscious of inflation and hoped the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) indices will shrink going forward.<br />''<br />''Referring to the states' share for devolution in Central taxes, Sitharaman said it was projected at 6.66 lakh crore rupees as per Budget Estimates of 2021-22, and 7.45 lakh crore rupees as per Revised Estimates.<br />''<br />''She said the government has devolved 8.35 lakh crore rupees, which is 1.69 lakh crore rupees more than the budget estimates and 90,000 crore rupees over the revised estimates.<br />''She also said actual utilisation of health and education cess is expected to be 3.94 lakh crore rupees as against an estimated collection of 3.77 lakh crore rupees.<br />''<br />''The cess, she said, is primarily funding centrally sponsored schemes which happen in states and funds are being transferred to state governments.<br />''<br />''Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda also moved The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the upper house for consideration and passage.<br />''<br />''Earlier during Zero hour, Opposition members raised issues related to the ongoing nationwide strike called by certain trade unions and urged the Centre to look into their demands and take remedial steps.<br />''<br />''Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejected adjournment notices given by opposition members to discuss the 12-point charter of bank trade unions which have called the nationwide strike.<br />''<br />''Some members had also given notice to take up the issues of price rise in essential commodities, but the Chairman also did not accept them.<br />''<br />''Naidu, however, permitted three members to briefly mention the matter related to the nationwide strike. He said issues relating to the strike could be raised later when the House takes up the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. He also said an "impression" is being created that a discussion is not being allowed.<br />''<br />''John Brittas of CPIM, Binoy Viswam of CPI, Shaktisinh Gohil of Congress asked the government to take note of the demands of trade unions.<br />''<br />''Opposition members in the Lok Sabha today announced their support to the two-day nationwide strike call given by a group of trade union against the privatisation policies pursued by the government and sought a discussion on the issue in the House. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Saugata Roy of TMC claimed that the strike had received massive response and reflected the unhappiness of the people with the policies of the government.<br />''<br />''Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress said while the entire opposition had given its support to the trade unions, the West Bengal government was trying to thwart the strike in the state.<br />''<br />''He said all trade unions except the BJP-affiliated Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh have participated in the strike call to urge the government to "stop plundering" national resources.<br />''<br />''Chowdhury accused Trinamool Congress members of misleading the House on the issue of the strike call against the new labour laws, privatisation policies of the government and delay in payment of MGNREGA wages.<br />''<br />''Voicing concern over the accidental firing of a missile that landed in Pakistan, Manish Tewari of Congress called for an institutionalised dialogue on nuclear issues.  <br />''<br />''Raising the matter during Zero Hour, he said facts suggest that Islamabad had prepared a retaliatory strike when the missile had entered their territory. He said, the trajectory of the missile had a large number of civilian aircraft in its vicinity and there could have been an unintended catastrophe. We were lucky on that particular day, Tewari said. He said, the incident makes a strong case for an institutionalised dialogue with Pakistan on nuclear issues. He said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had made a statement on the issue on March 15 informing the House that a Court of Inquiry had been ordered to probe the incident.<br />''<br />''Asking the government not to "insult" those killed in the 1921 Malabar Rebellion, T N Prathapan of Congress urged the Centre to "revisit the Indian Council of Historical Research to exclude them from the list of martyrs of the freedom movement. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, he said the Council should be reminded of its responsibility to celebrate the country's history and heritage "without any political agenda. He said, the Malabar Rebellion, also known as Moplah Rebellion, was a proud chapter in the history of India's freedom struggle and the history of freedom fighters should be an inspiration to forge unity.<br />''<br />''The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was today moved in Lok Sabha for consideration and passage. The Corporate affairs ministry introduced the bill in Parliament last December whereby changes have been proposed to existing legislations governing the apex institutes of chartered accountants, cost accountants and company secretaries.<br />''<br />''Initiating the discussion on bill, M K Vishnu Prasad of Congress accused the government of interfering in an autonomous institution by bringing in amendments to a law on cost and chartered accountants and said that the move will infringe on the independence of the apex body. Prasad said while the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India is a statutory and autonomous body, it is still under the control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Ministry. He also said that the ministry does not provide funding to the institute.<br />''<br />''Subhash Chanda Baheria of BJP said, it was wrong to imply that the ICAI will forgo its independence if the amendments are incorporated. The bill does not affect the autonomy of the institute. The three government nominees in the committee are also chosen from a panel recommended by the ICAI council members, he said.<br />''<br />''Extending support for the Bill, Anurag Sharma of BJP said the new bill will not take away the autonomy of CAs or the institutes like ICAI, but disciplinary body will be put in place. He said, India has the highest number of CAs (3.5 lakh) in the world after America, but unfortunately, none of our best practices are recognised internationally because of lack of a disciplinary committee or work in the disciplinary committee.<br />''<br />''Opposing the bill, N K Premachandran of RSP said the bill is another typical example by which the central government is encroaching upon the autonomous character of all these three organisations.<br />''<br />''Supriya Sule of NCP said the government, through this Bill, is bringing all three autonomous institutes of Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries and Cost Accountants under one umbrella.<br />''<br />''A Raja of DMK accused the government of having a "hidden agenda" in bringing the legislation.<br />''<br />''Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena demanded that the bill should be sent to the Standing Committee for further consultation so that an informed view could be taken on the matter.<br />''<br />''Danish Ali of BSP accused the government of trying to nationalise the autonomous body ICAI which has worked well for over 70 years.<br />''<br />''Subhash Chanda Baheria of BJP said that it was wrong to imply that the ICAI will forgo its independence if the amendments are incorporated. The bill does not affect the autonomy of the institute. <br />''<br />''The three government nominees in the committee are also chosen from a panel recommended by the ICAI council members, he said. The bill amends the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, the Cost and Works Accountants Act, 1959, and the Company Secretaries Act, 1980. It changes the disciplinary mechanism under the three Acts and specifies timelines for disciplinary proceedings.  It also provides more external representation on the Board of Discipline and Disciplinary Committee.<br />

<b><span style="color: #222222;">Review of proceedings in Lok Sabha</span></b><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Lok Sabha today approved the Demand for Grants of railways for 2022-23. In his reply to the discussion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav ruled out the privatisation of the Indian railways. He slammed the opposition for picking holes on the functioning of hisministry, saying the Indian Railways was reeling under policy paralysis during the UPA regime but it was put back on track after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' Replying to a discussion, the Minister criticised the opposition for calling the government's proposals as propaganda.  He listed the number of initiatives taken by the government under Prime Minister Modi to bring the Railways back on track from what he termed policy paralysis during the UPA regime. He said, capital investment, which was one of the main problems has increased to over 95,000 crore rupees in 2019 from 45,980 crore rupees in 2014.  For 2022-23, there is a record allocation of 2.45 lakh crore rupees, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' The railways will continue to fulfil social obligations, he said, adding  60,000 crore rupees subsidy is provided on passenger fares.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Replying to issues related to the proposed bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, he said 99.7 per cent of the land acquisition in Gujarat segment has been completed, and 750 pillars have been constructed. The work on the bullet train project is progressing at a rate of 8 km per month, which will be increased to 10 km a month. He said, as many as 18 railway projects are pending in West Bengal because of lack of cooperation from the state government.<br />'' The minister said efforts are being made to upgrade the speed of Vande Bharat trains to 200 km per hour from the current 160 km an hour. He said 400 such trains will be introduced in the coming years.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Initiating a debate on demand for grants of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Congress member A R Reddy said, India has only one per cent of the vehicles while it accounts for 11 per cent of road accidents globally. He said, the government should increase the budget for maintenance of roads to prevent such accidents.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' Participating in the discussions, Kalyan Banerjee  of TMC suggested that the government should come out with stringent laws to deal with overloading of vehicles as they create heavy traffic congestions.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' G S Pon of DMK asked the government to speed up the highway projects in Tamil Nadu. He said, the Finance Minister made several announcements about highways in the Budget but did not talk about the completed projects.<br />'' Jagdambika Pal of BJP said, the government has taken a series of measures to boost development of roads in the country. He said that Budget allocations have jumped significantly during the Modi government as compared to that in the UPA regime.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''  During Zero Hour, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said, global social media companies are being abused to hack India's democracy and urged the government to put an end to their systematic influence and interference in electoral politics. She said, global companies such as Facebook and Twitter are being increasingly used to shape political narratives by leaders, political parties and their proxies. The Congress chief said, young and old minds are being  filled with hate  through emotionally charged disinformation and proxy advertising companies like Facebook are profiting from it.        </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' BJP member Nishikant Dubey said the Congress party had tried to suppress freedom of speech by bringing in Section 66-A in the Information Technology Act. Dubey also urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to set up a committee to examine and present a white paper on how freedom of expression was curbed during the Congress rule.      </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' Manoj Tiwari of BJP demanded the AAP government to release inquiry reports on the causes of recent fires in the national capital.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' BSP MP Danish Ali urged the government to confer Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian honour, on the party's founder Kanshi Ram for his work for the downtrodden.  </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">     <br />'' Congress leader Karti Chidambaram urged the government to issue guidelines and regulate delivery companies such as Swiggy and Zomato to protect delivery agents from unrealistic targets and ensure their safety.  </span><br />'' <br />'' <br />'' <b><span style="color: #222222;">Review of proceedings in Rajya Sabha</span></b><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' <br />'' The Rajya Sabha today completed the discussion on the Ministry of Tribal Affairs with Union Minister Arjun Munda saying the government was working with a comprehensive plan towards ensuring the welfare of tribals and protecting their interests.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> <br />'' Replying to the discussion, Munda said the government has brought Arunachal Pradesh, with 100 per cent tribal population, under the list of tribal states. The minister said 740 Eklavya Model schools will be created on the line of Navodaya Vidyalay.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Munda said, as chief minister he favoured a holistic approach to address the problem of extremism but there was no action at the time. Extremism has come down due to development under the new government, he claimed. He urged MPs to give good suggestions and the government would implement them. He also urged opposition members to give constructive suggestions and not criticise for the sake of criticising the government.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Participating in the discussion, several members said there has been a reduction in the budget for welfare and development of tribal areas. The minister said there is no deficiency of funds and the government's intention was honest towards the welfare of tribals. He said, the Prime Minister has asked to work in mission mode for the protection of the welfare of tribal community, tribal family and tribal area and protect their interest. He said earlier all government departments worked in silos, lacking in coordination and the actual benefits could not reach the beneficiaries.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Munda said, the government has marked approximately 36,000 tribal villages under Pradhan Mantri Adi-Adarsh Gram Yojana to provide them with facilities like clean drinking water, drainage and internet. He said, efforts are being made for providing education for tribals.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Munda also said that health and welfare of tribals are on priority of the government including through schemes such as Ayushmaan Bharat.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Binoy Viswam (CPI-M), Brijlal (BJP), Suresh Gopi (BJP), Prashanta Nanda of BJD and GK Vasan TMC(M) also took part in the discussion on the working of Tribal Affairs Ministry.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Rajya Sabha also started the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Railways.<br />'' Initiating the discussion, Prasanna Acharya of BJD lauded the Railways Ministry for running the Kisan Rail which transported over six lakh tonnes of food products across the country. He also appreciated the Railways' effort for adopting the indigenous technologies like Kavach to strengthen the Railway infrastructure. He urged the Railways Minister to improve the passengers' amenities. Discussion remained inconclusive.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' During Zero Hour, Rajya Sabha members expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer in the country and suggested various measures, including regular check-up camps in rural areas and mandatory warning on processed meat packets, to tackle the disease.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' BJP's Mahesh Poddar demanded that cancer warning should be made mandatory on packets of processed meat in line with tobacco products.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Samajwadi Party member Rewati Raman Singh expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer.<br />'' Congress member L Hanumanthaiah demanded that a special grant should be given to Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology in Bengaluru to establish of a full-fledged proton therapy facility.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''<br />''Jose K Mani of Kerala Congress (M), Vandana Chavan of NCP and Ashok Bajpai of BJP among others who also raised matters of public importance.</span><br />

<b>Review of proceedings in Lok Sabha</b><br />'' <br />'' <br />'' Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today asserted that India's missile system is very reliable and the safety procedures are of the highest order and described the recent accidental missile release as "regrettable".  He said, a review of standard operations and maintenance was being conducted and any shortcomings if found, will be immediately rectified.<br />'' <br />'' Making a statement in the Lok Sabha on the inadvertent release of a missile during an inspection on March 9, 2022, Singh said the government has taken serious note of the incident, and a formal high-level inquiry has been ordered which will determine the exact cause of the incident. He said, during routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 pm. <br />'' <br />'' It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident," the minister said.<br />'' <br />'' The Minister also said Indian armed forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems. He said, he would also like to state that a review of the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections is being conducted in the wake of the incident. We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified, he said.<br />'' <br />'' The Defence Minister assured Parliament that India's missile system is very reliable and safe.  He said, safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order and are reviewed from time to time. Our Armed Forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems," he added.<br />'' <br />'' Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, the Director-General of the Inter-Service Public Relations of Pakistan, had claimed last Thursday that an unarmed projectile launched from India entered the Pakistani airspace travelling 124 km and fell near Mian Channu in Khanewal district.<br />'' <br />'' Pakistan had summoned the Charge d'Affaires at the Indian embassy in Islamabad and conveyed its strong protest over the unprovoked violation of its airspace by what it described as a supersonic projectile. Noting that the missile that landed in Pakistan was fired accidentally due to a technical malfunction, the defence ministry last Friday had also ordered a Court of Enquiry into the incident.<br />''  <br />'' External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar made a statement in the House on the situation in the war-torn Ukraine. He said, 22,500 Indian Students have returned safely from Ukraine. He said that Indian students were positively discouraged by universities in Ukraine from leaving. He said, despite efforts, a large majority of students wished to continue staying in Ukraine. He said, the Indian embassy in Ukraine had started a registration drive for Indian nationals in January and as a result 22,500 Indian nationals registered with the Indian embassy. The minister said that 4,000 students left Ukraine through direct and indirect flights.<br />'' <br />'' Jaishankar said that India also rescued 147 foreign nationals of 18 countries including Nepal and Bangladesh from Ukraine. The minister said that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia has major economic implications and the same can be seen in the rising prices of energy and commodities.<br />'' <br />'' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress demanded a court-monitored CBI probe into the killing of party councillor Tapan Kandu and the mysterious death of student activist Anis Khan in West Bengal. Raising the issues during Zero Hour, Chowdhury alleged the ruling Trinamool Congress was involved in the murder of Kandu in collusion with a section of the police. About the death of 18-year old Khan last month, Chowdhury, who is also the state Congress chief, claimed that elections can no longer be held independently in the state amid the prevailing lawlessness.<br />'' T R Baalu of DMK said,  more than seven bills have been passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly and sent to the Governor for his assent but those were still awaiting his nod.<br />'' <br />'' Dean Kuriakose of Congress sought the External Affairs minister's intervention in the case of a 33-year-old woman, Nimisha Priya, jailed in Yemen for the alleged killing of a Yemeni national.<br />'' <br />'' Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he has accepted the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister-designate and Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann with effect from March 14.<br />'' <br />'' Mann, who was AAP's chief ministerial candidate for the Punjab assembly polls, won elections from Dhuri assembly segment in the state.<br />''  <br />'' Opposition members accused the government of indulging in jugglery of railway finances and sought to know whether it intends to privatise the Indian Railways after Air India.<br />'' <br />''   Initiating the debate on Demand for Grants 2022-23 for Railway, K Suresh of Congress accused the government of running the railways in an inefficient manner and said it is indulging in jugglery in the allocation of funds. He alleged that the intention of this government is privatising the Indian Railways also. He said, Air India is already sold. Now the next step of this government is Indian Railways.<br />''  <br />'' Expressing concern over huge vacancies in the railways, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi of DMK said,  the South Indians don't get jobs and it seems that there is an effort to keep them away. She demanded that the government clarify as to how 100 per cent electrification can be achieved by the next year if it is 73 per cent at present.<br />''  <br />'' Satabdi Roy of TMC stressed the need to bring down platform ticket price from 50 rupees to reasonable levels. The price was raised in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and since the situation has improved the ministry should look at it, Roy said. She also sought to know the stand of the government on privatisation and what impact it will have on the common man.<br />'' <br />'' Gajanan Kirtikar of Shiv Sena raised the issue of rehabilitation by the railways caused due to expansion of tracks. The ministry should also focus on commercial usage of additional land that the Railway has, he said.<br />'' Shyam Singh Yadav of BSP alleged that the railways is no longer a common man's transport with increasing prices and privatisation.<br />'' <br />'' Sunil Kumar Pintu of JDU said that the Patna Rajdhani Express should ply from the New Delhi Railway station's platform number 16 like in the pre-Covid days to facilitate easy station exit of passengers from Bihar who carry foodgrains and fresh vegetables when they come from home.<br />'' Nushrat Jahan of TMC, Arun Saw of BJP and Rahul Ramesh Shewale of Shiv Sena among others also participated in the debate.<br />'' <br />'' <br />'' <b>Review of proceedings in</b> <b>Rajya Sabha</b><br />'' <br />'' The Minister for Development of North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy said, the government is working towards  making North East India's new engine of growth and there has been remarkable development of the region under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Replying to the discussion in the Rajya Sabha, Reddy said the Centre has worked on holistic development of the region since 2014 by focusing on bringing peace, improving infrastructure and connectivity through enhanced budgetary support. He also said, in the last eight years of the Modi government there has been remarkable development in the NE. The region has been accorded top priority for development under the prime minister's agenda of transforming India, he said.<br />'' <br />'' Before 2014, there were different challenges to development of the North East where the government has been working towards bringing about inclusive growth, development and creation of new opportunities.<br />'' Arguing that peace and stability were prerequisites for development, he said, a sea change is visible in the region where large-scale infrastructure development has taken place. He claimed that under the Modi government a new era of peace and prosperity has begun in the North East. He added that the youth there aspire for growth and development and the Centre will do everything to fulfil their desires.<br />'' <br />'' The Minister also highlighted the decline in insurgency related incidents besides a decrease in the number of security forces and civilians killed. The number of surrendered extremists has increased to 2,696 in 2020 from 291 in 2014, while the quantity of arms surrendered has also gone up in the last eight years, the minister said.<br />'' Noting that connectivity is a big challenge to the development of the region, he said the government has been focusing on improving rail, road, air, waterway, telecom and internet connectivity with all the eight states. He said, India cannot develop unless the North East is developed, he said, adding that our aim and our commitment is for the development of the region.<br />'' <br />'' Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also made a similar statement in the upper house on the accidental missile that was fired towards Pakistan.<br />'' <br />'' External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar also made a similar statement on evcuation of Indian students from Ukraine in the Rajya Sabha.<br />'' <br />'' Members also participated in the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in the evening.<br />'' Earlier during Zero Hour, BJP member Sushil Kumar Modi said banking fraud cases of more than 13,000 crore rupees in Mumbai are pending investigation for want of consent by Maharashtra government for probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. He said more than 100 cases of bank frauds running in over Rs 50,000 crore could not be investigated because of lack of consent for probe by different state governments.<br />'' <br />'' In his Zero Hour mention, G V L Narasimha Rao of BJP made a demand for celeberating the 550th birth anniversary of Emperor Shri Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagar Empire. He requested the Central Government to celebrate his 550th birth anniversary by organising a series of special events.<br />'' <br />''   Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD said, the 'beedi' industry in India is unorganised, unregulated, unchecked and it poses a significant health risk to the workers employed in the beedi rolling process. The Ministry of Labour and Employment must conduct a study to understand the reasons for the low penetration of the support given to women beedi workers and reorient their policy approach accordingly, Jha said.<br />'' <br />'' MDMK member Vaiko asked the government to find solution to frequent attacks by Sri Lankan navy on Tamil Nadu fisherman. He said, for the past 38 years, fishermen from Tamil Nadu are attacked repeatedly by the Sri Lankan Navy. Their boats are destroyed and they are killed in the sea itself.<br />'' <br />'' Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi of YSRCP urged the central government to compensate the fishermen for the losses incurred due to the imposition of restrictions by the Government on fishing and fish trading activities during naval events and naval exercises at Visakhapatnam.<br />'' <br />'' Elamaram Kareem of CPIM raised an issue related to ICDS, NHM and Mid Day Meal, which is now known as PM Poshan Scheme. He said, around 60 lakh women, 26 lakh anganwadi workers and helpers, 27 lakh Mid Day Meal workers and 10 lakh ASHA workers deliver the services to each household of the country, but are not recognised as workers.<br />'' <br />''<br />''BJP member Ajay Pratap Singh demanded prohibition and regulation of use of corex and iodex. He said these two are being used as intoxicants. <br />

<span style="color: #222222;">Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a 1.42 lakh crore rupees budget for the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2022-23 in the House. She also presented the supplementary demands for the year 2021-22 totalling 18,860.32 crore rupees for the Union Territory and moved a motion seeking suspension of certain rules to allow the House to take up the discussion on the same day.<br />''<br />''The budget for Jammu and Kashmir has been presented in Lok Sabha as the newly created UT is currently under the central rule and the new legislature will be formed only when the assembly elections will be held.<br />''<br />''Manish Tewari of Congress and N K Premachandran of RSP objected to the motion moved by Sitharaman, contending that the relevant rules formed part of the basic rules of procedure and cannot be waived. Tewari said the duty of the Lok Sabha gets compounded as it was assuming the responsibility of the Jammu and Kashmir legislature, which ought to have taken up the matter.<br />''<br />''Sudip Bandyopadhyay of TMC said the issue was discussed in the Business Advisory Committee and it was agreed that the discussion on the J-K Budget will be taken up two hours after the presentation.<br />''</span><br />''Later, during the debate, Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office dared the Congress party to announce in the House that it would restore Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir if it comes to power. He said, the Modi government was allocating 63 per cent of the budget for the Union Territory to deal with the legacy of the Congress regime. He wanted to know whether the Congress party has the courage to say that it will restore Article 370 after coming into power. He further said that Article 370, which was abrogated by the Modi government, had prevented implementation of social welfare measures like prohibition of child marriages, prevention of corruption, anti-dowry legislation, right to information and SC/ST reservation. Singh further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has created a new political culture by honouring Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose and B R Ambedkar and "Congress is now searching for icons". He said, more than 50,000 crore rupees has been invested by large industrial houses in the Union Territory.<br />'' <br />''Asserting that the law and order situation in Jammu and Kashmir was concerning, Congress leader Manish Tewari said the government has not been able to archive the objectives it set out while abrogating Article 370 there, and asked when its full statehood will be restored.<br />''<br />''BJP's Jammu MP Jugal Kishore Sharma said power was misused under Article 370. He alleged that there was "bribery" and people were in a disarray before the abrogation of Article 370. Mr. Sharma said, under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, employment is being generated and funds are made available for development projects, Sharma said. He alleged that Jammu used to be discriminated against earlier but that had changed now.<br />''<br />''The discussion was continuing till the writing of the script.<br />''Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a rousing welcome by BJP members in the Lok Sabha today on the first day of the second part of the Budget Session that began days after his party's impressive performance in the assembly polls. Modi entered the House minutes after the proceedings began and immediately all BJP MPs gave him a standing ovation by thumping desks while chanting "Modi, Modi". All Union Ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, joined the ruling party MPs in welcoming the prime minister to the House. This is the first time that the House is meeting after the BJP's overwhelming victory in the recent series of assembly elections recently.<br />''<br />''Modi entered the House when Speaker Om Birla was speaking about a Parliamentary delegation from Austria which witnessed the proceedings of the House from a 'special box'.<br />''<br />''After the Prime Minister, union ministers and the BJP MPs settled down, the Speaker, while welcoming the Austrian delegation, extended greetings of the House as well as the people of India to the Austrian Parliament, the Austrian government and the people of Austria. The delegation was led by President of the National Council of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka.<br />''<br />''The Speaker also informed the House about the death of three former members – S Singaravadivel, H B Patil and Hemanand Biswal – in the recent past. The House also paid tributes to the deceased members.<br />''<br />''Several MPs suggested that the government to formulate a policy to allow students evacuated from war-torn Ukraine to complete their medical education in universities in India.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Congress member Rajmohan Unnithan claimed that thousands of students from his state were still stranded in Sumy in Ukraine and demanded that the government take urgent steps to bring them to safety. His party colleague Abdul Khaleque said the government should have taken steps earlier to evacuate students from Ukraine and not have waited till the hostilities broke out.<br />''<br />''YSRCP members P V Midhun Reddy and  M Sreenivasulu Reddy, Kodikunnil Suresh of Congress also participated in the discussion.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha today resumed the second part of the budget session of Parliament with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urging members to facilitate a productive Session guided by the positive spirit of the first part that resulted in 101.4 per cent productivity.<br />''In his observations in the House, Naidu referred to the first part of the Budget Session that witnessed eight full consecutive sittings without disturbances and forced adjournments, after about three years and stressed on the need to sustain that spirit.<br />''<br />''The Session met after a 30-day recess for Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees to examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries. Naidu gave an account of the work done in this regard by the eight Committees of Rajya Sabha. He informed the House that these eight Committees have held 23 meetings for 73 hours and 33 minutes at an average duration of 3 hours 30 minutes per meeting, the best in this regard.<br />''<br />''Referring to the situation in Ukraine, the Chairman noted that evacuation of students from Ukraine was a challenging task and complimented the Central and State Governments for putting in praiseworthy efforts in this regard.<br />''<br />''The house has been taken up discussion on the working of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.<br />''Supplementary Demands for Grants of 18,860.32 crore rupees for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir 2021-22 and the Budget of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2022-23 were also taken up.<br />''<br />''The highest 11,832.77 crore rupees has been earmarked for the education department, followed by 10,831.18 crore rupees for the home department, which controls police, in the 1.42 lakh crore rupees budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for the year 2022-23.<br />''<br />''According to the Jammu and Kashmir Appropriation Bill 2022, Rs 797.34 crore has been allocated for the general administration department and Rs 10,831.18 crore for the home department. The higher allocation for the home department, under which the Jammu and Kashmir Police comes, indicated the government's priority in maintaining peace in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been facing over three decades of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.<br />''<br />''Several members raised issues relating to Indian students evacuated from war-hit Ukraine, and asked the government to take steps to help them complete their studies. Naidu also informed members that the minister concerned will make a statement on the issue, and members can seek clarification.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar of TDP noted that many students from India had gone for medical education in Ukraine. He said though safety and security of the students have been ensured, their future is at stake and urged the government to take necessary steps to safeguard their future.<br />''<br />''K C Venugopal of Congress said students who have returned from Ukraine are in a very difficult situation and their families are also concerned about their future.<br />''<br />''The House observed silence in the memory of former members Nabin Chandra Buragohain, Rahul Bajaj, D P Chattopadhyaya, and Yadlapati Venkat Rao, who passed away recently.<br />''<br />''Participating in the discussion on working of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, BJP member Bhubaneswar Kalita hit back saying the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has 'acted' rather than just 'looking' at the region, with infrastructure development projects completed at a much faster pace, bringing better all round development compared to what the Congress did.<br />''<br />''Ripun Bora of Congress alleged that the BJP government has failed to realise the dream of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for socio-economic development of North East India and removal of regional imbalance.<br />''<br />''Bora said the basic purpose of the ministry was for accelerated development and to remove the regional imbalance of the North East region with the rest of India, he said adding, however, "this dream of Vajpayee has not been translated to into reality by the BJP government".<br />''<br />''Refuting allegations made by Bora that the government has not worked for the development of the region, Kalita said it is the other way round as the Modi-led dispensation has been focussing on enhanced connectivity of the region through civil aviation, road and waterways.<br />''<br />''"Development will be there where connectivity is there and connectivity (of the region) has been the top priority of this government," Kalita said, adding many new airports were added in the region and those which were closed during the Congress regime have also been revived. Also, he said all the capitals of the North East states will soon be connected with rail and going to Imphal (Manipur) and Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) by train that was a "dream are being realised" soon.<br />''<br />''He said that road connectivity has been improved drastically under the current government leading all the way to even Myanmar and Thailand, Kalita said.<br />''<br />''Referring to the Act East policy of the NDA government, he said unlike the Congress, the BJP-led government believes in taking actions rather than just saying "look East".<br />''<br />''Considering the achievement of the region in sports, he also highlighted the government's decision to set up a National Sports University in Manipur.<br />''<br />''The government should reconsider the continuance of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the North-Eastern states, said DMK leader Tiruchi Siva.<br />''<br />''Sushmita Dev of TMC said the North East region needs more money and inputs. According to her, in FY 2015-16 the allocation of this ministry was Rs 2,360 crore and was 2,800 crore in FY 2022-23. She also suggested the need to bring objectivity in project selection.<br />''<br />''V Vijay Sai Reddy of YSRCP also participated in the debate.<br />''<br />''Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, wo was former chief minister of Assam, said the North East region is no longer lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of growth and infrastructure development as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in the last seven years has paid special attention to develop the region.<br />''<br />''Participating in the discussion, he said the Modi government has worked tirelessly to develop the region while the earlier governments only paid lip service. In the last seven years peace has returned to the region, which has led to the increase in economic activity. Modi and Amit Shah have taken strong steps to bring peace in the region. Due to that investors are now looking to invest in the region," Sonowal said.<br />''<br />''He said that the entire North East states have witnessed the change in the last few years as the central government has focussed on increasing transport avenues, enhancing communication and connectivity, and creating infrastructure.<br />''<br />''The Modi-government believes that transformation in the region is only possible through enhancing the transport and communications and firm steps have been taken in that regard, Sonowal who also heads Ayush ministry said.<br />''Sonowal said, Prime Minister Modi has directed central ministers and senior officials to visit the NE region and expedite the various welfare programmes.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">K Ravindra Kumar of TDP, Santanu Sen of TMC), Amar Patnaik of BJD and  Nabam Rebia of BJP also participated in the discussion.</span><br />

<b>REVIEW OF PROCEEDINGS IN LOK SABHA</b><br />''<b> </b><br />''Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hit out at the Congress for mocking the current times as 'andhkaal' (dark days) and not 'amritkaal' as described by the BJP. She was replying to the debate on budget 2022-23. She said, the real andhkaal was when India's foreign exchange reserve was barely sufficient for two week in 1991 and people suffered double digit of inflation in the UPA era.  The Finance Minister said, over 20 crore women have been given direct benefit transfer from the Modi government and India is now showcasing its talent and innovation with more than 40 unicorns having been developed. Farmers have been given annual benefit of 6000 rupees each with start-ups being encouraged, she said. Ms. Sitharaman said, macro economic data like much better now.<br />''  <br />''Earlier, participating in the debate,  Sunita Duggal of BJP said, the budget will boost the exercise to make "aatmanirbhar Bharat', which will also be modern. Despite the assembly elections in five states being round the corner, the government refrained from using the budget for momentary political gains as Prime Minister Narendra Modi always has the country's overall development in his mind. She said, various projects like east and west freight corridors where little work happened till 2014, are now in full swing, with the government focussing on boosting development across the country.<br />''<br />''Mehbook Ali Kaiser of LJSP said, the budget is forward-looking and growth-oriented. The budget offers a blueprint to steer the economy towards sustained high growth and highlights framework for growth.<br />''<br />''Hailing the budget, Rajiv Pratap Rudy of BJP called it futuristic and visionary and said it has a master plan for the country. With the government taking various steps to boost development and infrastructure, his dream that fruits from Bihar can be exported to Australia and New Zealand.<br />''<br />''Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress slammed the budget, saying it may have a map but offers no road.<br />''<br />''Santosh Kumar of JDU praised the budget saying it has clean bowled the opposition. He said, crude oil price in international market was more when the Congress-led UPA was in power but petrol, diesel and LPG cost more now.<br />''<br />''During the Question Hour earlier, Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, command and control centres of all 100 smart cities will be operational by August 15 this year. Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said the command and control centres in 75 smart cities are already operational. He said, the implementation of the smart cities mission has been extended up to June 2023 and all projects, including Thiruvananthapuram, will be completed within the stipulated time.<br />'' <br />''<b>REVIEW OF PROCEEDINGS IN RAJYA SABHA</b><br />''<b> </b><br />''Rajya Sabha resumed discussion on the Union Budget 2022-23 today.<br />''<br />''Participating in the discussion, Syed Zafar Islam of the BJP said, the previous UPA government did not fulfil promises made in their manifestos.<br />''<br />''Chhaya Verma of the Congress referring to comments made by Prime Minister Modi that COVID-19 was spread through Congress, said  that when COVID-19 was spreading, the BJP was  busy toppling Madhya Pradesh government.  She said, the government reduced tax on diamonds but increased the price of artificial jewellery. She said, the BJP government has failed to bring the Women's reservation Bill which showed its lack of commitment for Women's empowerment.<br />''<br />'' Sujit Kumar of the BJD expressed concern over the low allocation for the health sector especially during the Covid pandemic.<br />''Manoj Kumar jha of the RJD said, there is no vision in the budget especially when it comes to allocation for health and employment. He expressed concern on low allocation for sanitation workers.<br />''<br />''Vandana chavan of the NCP said, the budget should take steps for allocation to local bodies to ensure urban development.<br />''Anil Desai of Shiv Sena said, the hopes of the common man have been completely belied in the budget. The rich are becoming Ricker while the poor are getting poorer, he said.<br />''<br />''Ram Nath Thakur of the JD (U) demanded that an airport be built in Bihar. He demanded that Bihar be given special status.<br />''Akhilesh Prasad Singh of the Congress said, the budget is gripped with paralysis. He alleged that the allocation for important sectors has been slashed.<br />''<br />''Sudhanshu Trivedi of the BJP termed the budget as a welfare-oriented and all-inclusive development.<br />''Prashant Nanda of the BJD said, the budget has come as a disappointment. He said, it does not contain any measures to address price rise.<br />''<br />''K J Alphons of the BJP, Rajmani Patel of the Congress, Syed Nasir Hussain of the Congress,  Abdul Wahab of IUML, G V L Narasimha Rao of the BJP also participated in the debate.<br />''Earlier, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha began on a stormy note today with the opposition protesting against the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill. When deputy Chairman Harivansh called for Zero hour, members from the TRS sought to raise the issue.<br />''<br />''Leader of the opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to raise issue  on the remarks made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill. However, he was disallowed.<br />''<br />''Manoj Jha of the RJD said, all the universities and colleges should be reopened since it was denying many students access to education. He said that many students do not have digital access to education.<br />''<br />''John Brittas of the CPI-M raised the issue of Covid pandemic and said it lead to deterioration in the situation of senior citizens in the country.<br />''<br />''Even as proceedings of the Zero hour were on, members of the TRS entered the Well to protest against the statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill.<br />''<br />''In his Zero hour mention, Deepak Prakash of the BJP alleged that the Governments of West Bengal and Jharkhand are encouraging illegal mining.<br />''K C Ramamurthy of the BJP raised the issue of private coaching centres luring students through advertisements.<br />''Kailash Soni of the BJP, raising the issue of the murder of Kishan Bharwad in Gujarat, said that ATS has revealed that the accused wanted to kill Sudarshan TV's Suresh Chavhanke along with 11 others.<br />''During the Question hour, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan, responding to a question on many social media channels airing objectionable content, said that more than 60 You Tube channels have been blocked.<br />''In response to a question on online harassment of women, the Minister said that it is an offence. He said that it is a state subject and the Central government cannot act in the matter.<br />''In reply to another question, the Minister said, the government will initiate action against fake news and those who write against the National sovereignty of the country.<br />''Responding to a Question, Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav said, the government has stringent rules to reduce poaching.<br />''In reply to a question by Jairam Ramesh of the Congress, the  Minister said, there is a serious issue of human-animal conflict. He said, the government will bring it down in areas of dense human population.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Labour minister Bhupendra Yadav, responding to a question said,  there has been a 22 per cent increase in employment compared to 2014. He said,  as per the latest periodic labour report two lakh more jobs were added despite COVID-19. </span><br />

Prominent Muslim leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has rejected the government's move to give him 'Z' category security and demanded that the stringent anti-terror law UAPA should be slapped against the person who fired at his vehicle while campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.<br />''<br />''Speaking in the  Lok Sabha, a day after his vehicle was attacked at Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said he does not need the 'Z' category security and reject the government's move as he wanted to be an 'A' category citizen rather than a 'Z' category security holder.<br />''<br />''After the incident, the government on Friday decided to give Owaisi  'Z' category security by commandos of the CRPF round the clock.  He said"I don't want the 'Z' category security. I want to be a 'A' category citizen. I want to live as a common citizen, to speak. If poor is safe I will also be safe. I will not get scared of those who shot at my car.<br />''"But we must find out who are these people who have so much hatred, he said.<br />''Owaisi claimed that right wing extremism is growing in the country and the government must take action as it is very dangerous for the country.<br />''<br />''He said the people of UP will reply to the bullets through ballots.<br />''Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, who was present in the House, said that one person was immediately arrested for the attack and a vehicle has been seized.<br />''The UP government has taken prompt action to nab the culprits, he said.<br />''Goyal also said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, will make a statement in the House on Monday.<br />''The car of the chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) was allegedly fired upon in Hapur while he was returning to Delhi after attending election-related events in western Uttar Pradesh.<br />''No one was injured in the incident.<br />''<br />''Owaisi had urged  the Election Commission to ensure an independent probe into the incident.<br />''Cutting across party lines  members expressed concern in Lok Sabha over certain remarks by an MP, casting aspirations on Speaker Om Birla's conduct in the House and said dignity of the House and the Chair must be upheld.<br />''Without taking anyone's name, Birla first said that he was pained at after seeing some remarks casting aspirations on his conduct.<br />''He said that MPs should be careful while making comments – both inside and outside the House or on social media.<br />''Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury said all members do respect the Speaker who is the guardian of the House and that is why they always cooperate with him.<br />''<br />''He said that the dignity of the chair must be respected.<br />''Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the TMC said that the whole House wholeheartedly share the sentiment of the Speaker and the high respect of the chair must be honoured.<br />''<br />''Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena said the whole House is united in keeping the honour of the Speaker intake.<br />''A Raja of DMK said that his party has high respect for the Speaker and any comment on the chair is highly regrettable.<br />''National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said that the Speaker is the honour of the house and master of the house.<br />''Ritesh Pandey of BSP said his party and his leader Mayawati always favoured maintenance of  high standard inside the house.<br />''Supriya Sule of the NCP said everyone was at pain and sad over whatever had happened on Thursday.<br />''We must commit good behaviour, she said.<br />''<br />''Bhartruhari  Mehtab of the BJD said that it was a sad day.<br />''Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government fully appreciates the efforts of the Speaker for running the house smoothly with everyone's cooperation and assured that it will do whatever possible to protect the honour of the chair.<br />''Participating in the debate on motion of thanks on President's address, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury alleged that religious hatred has been increasing in the country.<br />''BJP member Kirit Solanki lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative to provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all citizens of the country.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha today resumed the debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address.<br />''Prasanna Acharya of BJD supported the motion, but said there were some contradictions in the words and deeds of the Union government.<br />''<br />''He however lauded the government for taking the right decision to start the Republic Day celebrations from January 23, which is the birthday of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.  He praised the Centre for taking a "nationalistic approach in some respect".<br />''Raising  the issue of farmers he said the government has not been able to meet the target of doubling their income by 2022. He  expressed concern over farmer suicides.  He wanted to know whether it will bring a law to give legal status to MSP.<br />''<br />''Pointing out that women's representation in both Parliament and assemblies is very low at around 10 per cent, Acharya said it is high time to bring the Women Reservation Bill.  He demanded special status to Odisha.<br />''<br />''K Somaprasad of  CPI-M said the government should have vaccinated all its citizens by now, and  alleged that it did not come to the aid the people during the pandemic. He also spoke against the high taxes on petroleum products and joblessness.<br />''Participating in the debate, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD said the government needed to show more empathy during the pandemic.<br />''Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena said the President's address  did not talk about the problems faced by farmers and the death of 700 farmers, women safety and joblessness by youth.<br />''K Ravindra Kumar of  TDP said Andhra Pradesh was in a state of collapse as state's finance were in bad shape.<br />''The members also took up the private member's bills and some members including Amar Patnaik, Manoj Kumar Jha, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shanta Chhetri and Fauzia Khan, introduced new bills.<br />''<br />''Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh also gave a ruling that it was up to the House to take up a private member's bill for amending the Preamble of the Constitution and the Chair cannot say anything on the issue.<br />''The remarks came in  response to a bill moved by K J Alphons  of BJP  last year, which was strongly opposed by Opposition members, including RJD's Manoj Kumar Jha and MDMK's Vaiko.<br />''The deputy chairman had reserved the ruling on the issue on December 3, 2021 after Opposition members had stalled the introduction of the bill.<br />''<br />''Harivansh noted that it was up to the House to decide how it would like to deal with the motion.<br />''Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe of BJP withdrew a private member bill moved by him proposing to spend 25 per cent of Corporate Social Responsibility fund for the maintenance of historic monuments by amending the Companies Act, saying the government has understood the essence of his proposal.<br />''Participating in the discussion on a private member's bill for Population Regulation moved by Rakesh Sinha of BJP, several opposition members raised concerns saying Indian women of this generation will be the biggest victims.  The proposed private member bill seeks to regulate population, by promoting two-child per couple policy.<br />''Fauzia Khan of NCP and L Hanumanthaiah of Congress also expressed apprehension that the move is targeted at a particular community and if passed, it will only further marginalise the marginalised.  The biggest victims of the Bill will be Indian women in general of this generation, irrespective of any community, Khan said.  She said as such at present many women in India can't refuse to marriage or having children and they are forced to undergo non-voluntary birth control measures.<br />''Manoj Kumar Jha of  RJD said no law should lead to victimisation of women.  There is maximum possibility of victimisation of women in this, he said.<br />''<br />''Amar Patnaik of BJD  said while one may think that legislative and coercive measures offer the best way to achieve population control, history showed otherwise.<br />''L Hanumanthaiah of  Congress  opposed the bill.<br />''V Sivadasan of CPI (M) emphasised that there needs to be discussion around the pathetic living standards of majority of Indian children and measures to prevent infant deaths.<br />''Binoy Viswam of CPI questioned the approach of the Bill and punitive measures saying that  the challenges faced by the country are on account of poverty and not due to its population.<br />''Vikas Mahatme of BJP sought to allay concerns of the Opposition that the Bill has been brought with an eye on the Muslim population, saying it has been introduced to prevent demographic dividend turning into a "demographic disaster".<br />''His party colleague Mahesh Poddar said there will be inequality in the society and among states if there is no control over population growth.<br />''Earlier,  the Rajya Sabha witnessed noisy scenes and a walkout by DMK,  Congress, Left Parties, RJD and TMC members over the Tamil Nadu Governor's decision to return the NEET exemption bill.<br />''DMK members wanted to raise the issue during the Zero Hour, but Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu did not allow. They  were joined by the Congress in trooping into the Well of the House to raise the matter.<br />''<br />''Since the Chairman did not allow them to raise the issue, DMK and Congress members staged a walkout from the House.<br />''Chairman Naidu later said people were feeling happy that the Rajya Sabha was functioning without disruption and members are having their say.  He also urged the members to follow rules and not disrupt.<br />''<br />''During her zero hour mention, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi asked the government to expedite the construction of transit accommodation units for Kashmiri Pandits and to facilitate their return to the valley.  Raising the issue of the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, she said they have been living in exile for 32 years and they continue to be denied the right to return home.<br />''Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed the house during question hour that the government is committed to forming a panel on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Election Commission has said it can be done after the polls are over.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">During Question hour, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said social media needs to be made more accountable and stricter rules in this regard could be brought in if there is political consensus on the matter.  He also said whenever the government has taken any step to make social media accountable, the opposition has accused it of curbing the freedom of speech.</span><br />

The Lok Sabha has resumed discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's Address. Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on President's address in Lok Sabha, Pinaki Mishra of BJD said the President in his address on the first day of the budget session talked about maintains the democratic values.<br />''<br />'' Rajiv Ranjan Singh of JD(U) sought special status for Bihar and said such a decision will help Bihar overcome it's backwardness and unemployment.  He  highlighted the achievements of the Nitish Kumar government and said the JD(U)-BJP government is ahead of other states in various development initiatives in the state.<br />''<br />''Adhir Ranjan Choudhury of Congress  said the country has been facing the serious problem of unemployment and sought immediate action from the government.<br />''<br />''Three MPs from Rajasthan have raised the alleged scam in conducting the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) in Lok Sabha and claimed that large scale anomalies have taken place in the test and sought a probe by the CBI into it.<br />''<br />''Rajyavaradhan Singh Rathore of BJP  alleged there has been  no appointment for the posts of teachers in Rajasthan for the last four years but a big scam has taken place in conducting the REET.<br />''<br />''He said that several lakh youths have applied for 31,000 teachers posts but massive cheating have taken place in the exam and sought immediate action.<br />''<br />''Another BJP MP Jaskaur Meena, from Rajasthan, said the REET examination should be cancelled immediately and a probe should be ordered through the CBI.  Another MP from Rajasthan Hanuman Beniwal raised the issue and he also  demanded  a CBI probe should be instituted to find out the irregularities in the REET examination.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha today resumed normal disruption free functioning with members participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's address to the Joint Session of Parliament.<br />''<br />''Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed happiness over the development  during the current budget session and hoped the MPs should let that spirit prevail for the rest of the session.<br />''<br />''He said after a long time, Rajya Sabha witnessed disruption-free proceedings yesterday and it was a delight to watch quality debates on the Motion of Thanks to the president's address.  He said the debates were marked by the effective assertion of achievements by the ruling party members on the one hand and contestation by the opposition members on the other.<br />''<br />''The upper house resumed the debate on the motion of thanks with union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi leading the charge from the ruling party side.<br />''<br />''Referring to remarks made by the opposition that there are "two Indias", Naqvi said we need to get out of the hangover of the thinking that 'Indira is India' and India is Indira' and 'Congress is country and country is Congress'.<br />''<br />''He alleged that India has changed now and the country has  a strong prime minister now.  He said the credibility and commitment of the institution of prime minister has been restored now.<br />''<br />''Mr. Naqvi also claimed that the politics of "cuts, corruption and appeasement" is over and there are no pressures of "middlemen" or "nepotism" in this government.  Naqvi also  claimed that the prime minister has also ended the VIP culture of using red lights and government subsidies are now reaching out to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer.<br />''<br />''He said the prime minister has also helped people in distress during the pandemic, when 80 crore people were given free ration.  He also listed out several schemes brought by this government to benefit people and highlighted the bold actions taken by the Narendra Modi government that include surgical strikes against Pakistan and abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir besides new laws like the law to end triple talaq.  He said the quota system has been finished by this government, that existed during previous regimes, and people standing at the end of the line are now being hand-held and uplifted through various government initiatives and schemes.  A number of members participated in the debate.<br />''<br />''Members raised various issues including the early appointment of the next Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), giving exemption to Tamil Nadu students from NEET examinations and higher investments in Assam.<br />''<br />''Participating in the debate, A D Singh of RJD said he was disappointed that such a sensitive post like Chief of Defence Staff was lying vacant since the tragic accident. He urged the government to find a successor to Gen Bipin Rawat.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue of continuous attack on Tamil fishermen from neighbouring Sri Lanka, M Thamidurai of AIADMK said he hopes the government will take a firm policy decision to safeguard the interests of our fishermen and protect their livelihood.<br />''<br />''Supporting the motion, Birendra Prasad Baishya of AGP praised the Modi government for steps taken for the development in the health, infrastructure, agriculture and sports arena.  He thanked the government for improving railway connectivity to the northeastern region.<br />''<br />''Digvijaya Singh of Congress alleged the gap between the rich and the poor has increased under the current government.  He also called for imposing a "super rich tax" on those whose income has grown even during the Covid pandemic.<br />''<br />''Sasmit Patra of BJD hit out at the Centre, saying it had ignored the demand of Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to include six lakh tribal families in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin).  He also accused the Centre of ignoring procurement of rice from farmers of the state.<br />''<br />''Earlier, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said he is examining the privilege motions moved against Union Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw for 'misleading' parliament on the Pegasus issue.  After examination, a clarification will be sought from the minister, he said.<br />''<br />''Earlier during zero hour, a demand was made by Elamaram Kareem of the CPI (M) that the Centre should expeditiously give its nod to a proposed nearly 64,000 crore rupees  semi high-speed rail line connecting two ends of Kerala.<br />''KC Venugopal of the Congress alleged that  the Kerala government was "bulldozing" the project without the environment clearance, even as the entire people of Kerala are against this.<br />''<br />''A demand for OBC census was also made in the House by  B Lingaiah Yadav of TRS while M Shanmugam  of DMK sought a higher gratuity limit of  20 lakh rupees be provided to those employees who retired in the intervening 27 months when the 7th Central Pay Commission doubled the ceiling to 20 lakh  rupees from January 1, 2016, and the modification of the Gratuity Act on March 20, 2018.<br />''<br />''Rakesh Sinha,  Nominated member  raised the issue of non-development of the Kabar Lake, a wetland of international importance located 22-km northwest of Begusarai town in Bihar.<br />''<br />''Amar Patnaik  of BJD alleged that  "step-motherly" treatment was being meted out to Odisha by denying the addition of 6.65 lakh houses for the tribal population.  His party colleague Sujeet Kumar said the Centre should show a non-partisan attitude and do the same for Odisha.<br />''<br />''Shaktisinh Gohil  of Congress demanded the inclusion of Kutchi, an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Kutch region of Gujarat, in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.<br />''<br />''Santanu Sen of  TMC said a part of Jammu and Kashmir has been demarcated in a different colour than the rest of India on a map hosted by the WHO's Covid website.<br />''<br />''Jose K Mani  of Kerala Congress demanded that rubber and spices be given agriculture produce status and a mechanism be set up to declare minimum support price every two years while Subhash Chandra Singh of  BJD sought a reduction in GST on tendu leaf collection.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Vikas Mahatme of BJP wanted tax collected on the sale of 'sin goods' like alcohol and tobacco to be used for creating public awareness against the use of such products and to treat addicts.</span><br />

Two BJP MPs from Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday highlighted the achievements of the Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh and said 4.5 lakh youths were given jobs and 36,000 crore rupees worth farmers loans were waived off in the last five years.<br />''<br />''Initiating the debate on the motion of thanks on President's address, BJP MP Harish Dwivedi slammed the previous governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh for only providing lip services rather than actually working for the welfare of the poor and backward classes.<br />''<br />''As assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and  Uttarakhand and three other states will begin in about a week, Dwivedi spoke mostly about the work and developmental  initiatives being undertaken by the central and state governments in these two States in the  last five years.<br />''<br />''He claimed that 4.5lakh youths were given jobs in Uttar Pradesh  and  36,000 crore rupees  worth loans of the farmers were waived off.<br />''<br />''Dwivedi said  1.52 lakh crore rupees  were paid to the sugarcane farmers of Uttar Pradesh.  He said the highest number of express way in the country is being built in UP and the connectivity of both UP and Uttarakhand have improved significantly ever since the Modi government came to power in 2014.<br />''<br />''The MP said during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Modi government has provided free food grains to 80 crore poor people across the country while Yogi government has supplemented the scheme by providing additional assistance to the poor and marginalised in UP.<br />''He also said 4,600 special trains were ran during the lockdown which transported 66 lakh migrant workers. The Modi government has also provided 165 crore COVID-19 vaccines free of cost to the people of the country,he said.<br />''<br />''Dwivedi also spoke about a number of flagship schemes being run by the Modi government for providing free LPG and electricity connections, free houses and free health service to the people. He said due to the Modi government's initiative, a grand Ram temple is being built at Ayodhya while opposition party ruled governments fired upon the 'Kar Sevaks' who had demanded the temple at the site earlier.<br />''<br />''The MP slammed SP leader Akhilesh Yadav for allegedly comparing Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah with Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and other renowned freedom fighters, "keeping in mind the politics of UP". He said that the governments at the Centre and the UP have been working for the all round development of poor and marginalised sections of the society.<br />''<br />''He said the Yogi government has been doing commendable jobs by improving the law and order, providing uninterrupted power supply and the poor are getting justice. "Because of our work we (BJP) will form the government again in UP," he said.<br />''<br />''Another BJP MP Kamalesh Paswan said that the Modi and Yogi governments have been serving the poor and backward classes with sincerity round the clock. He said that backward classes were getting honour under the Modi and Yogi governments. The poor and marginalised people are getting the government benefits that include free food grains, LPG connections, electricity connections and free vaccines, Paswa said.<br />''<br />''Participating the debate, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Modi government has created two India – one of the rich and the other of the poor and the gap between the two are growing. He advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to start working towards bringing the two India created by his government. He said the 'Make in India', conceived by the Modi government for manufacturing sector, cannot happen as unorganised sector has been completely destroyed "Today, earnings of 84 per centIndians have dwindled, pushing them towards poverty," he said. Gandhi said the Presidential address to joint sitting of Parliament had no mention of unemployment.  Presidential address was a list of bureaucratic ideas instead of a strategic vision, he said.<br />''<br />''The Congress leader said the Presidential address to joint sitting of Parliament didn't touch central challenges facing the country The Modi government has made huge mistakes in Jammu and Kashmir and in foreign policy. "You have allowed China and Pakistan to come together. It was a big dis-service to the people of India," he told the government.<br />''<br />''Both Houses of Parliament have taken up discussion today on the Presidential Address to the joint sitting of the two Houses.<br />''In Rajya Sabha, moving the motion of thanks, Geeta alias Chandraprabha of BJP said people are repeatedly giving a clear mandate to the NDA because it is making efforts to bring equality through the welfare of the downtrodden, exploited and backward classes while ensuring the country's development.  She said as many as 27 ministers are from OBCs in the Union Council of Ministers and 20 belong to SC and ST communities while 11 union ministers are women.  She highlighted the implementation of various welfare measures in the poll-bound states, where the first phase of voting will be held on February 10, 2022.  She said people have given us a clear mandate in 2019  on the basis of the work done in the preceding five years for the welfare of the downtrodden, exploited and backward classes and for developmental works of the country.<br />''<br />''Speaking about the initiatives like providing health infrastructure and facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly oxygen plants, and free vaccination in the entire country, she said 16 medical colleges were built while 14 are under construction in the last four and half years in Uttar Pradesh.  The BJP MP also pointed to the government's efforts for women empowerment which includes raising the age for marriage for girls to 21 years from 18 years.<br />''<br />''Shwait Malik of the BJP attacked the previous Congress-led governments, accusing them of corruption.  He praised the government's efforts to combat the pandemic by rolling out a successful vaccination programme.  He observed that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a befitting reply to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism by carrying out surgical strikes.<br />''<br />''Ram Gopal Yadav of  Samajwadi Party refuted Home Minister Amit Shah's statements on the Samajwadi Party's  stand on the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, saying the temple will be built faster and better if Akhilesh Yadav becomes the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Yadav said his party is not opposed to the construction of the grand temple at the birth place of Lord Ram. Participating in the debate, opposition parties  alleged that the government has failed to control prices of essential commodities, provide jobs and meet its target of doubling farmers' income.<br />''<br />''They also accused the Centre of transgressing into the rights of the states and impinging on the federal structure of the country, as they opposed the proposed changes in All-India Services cadre rules and the  decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Border Security Force to 50 kilometers in states bordering Bangladesh and Pakistan.<br />''Leaderof Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, charged the government with not delivering on its various promises, including generating two crore jobs per year.  He alleged that the government has failed to control price rise of essential commodities like petroleum products and daily food items.<br />''The Congress leader  claimed that while the BJP was dismissive of the various welfare schemes like MNREGA, it was this programme that proved to be a boon for migrants during the COVID pandemic.  He also claimed that many government programmes like Make in India have not yielded the desired results.<br />''<br />''Tiruchi Siva of DMK criticised the proposed amendments in All India services cadre rules, which give greater say to the Centre, alleging that "this is again transgressing into the rights of the states".<br />''<br />''Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of  Trinamool Congress  said the government issued a "fatwa"to make amendment in the rules which is an arbitrary and a veiled attempt to centralise executive powers of the states – a decision which has been opposed by nine chief ministers as well as over 100 retired IAS, IFS, cadres.<br />''<br />''Earlier, during the Zero Hour members asked the government to examine the allegations of irregularities in the Railways' Non-Technical Popular Categories and Level 1 exams leading to violence in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh last month.<br />''Among others, Fauzia Khan of NCP,  Sushil Kumar Modi of BJP and Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party raised several matters of Public importance.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Earlier in the day, the House observed silence as mark of respect on the deaths of Arch bishop Emeritus Desmond MpiloTutu of South Africa in December, and David Sassoli, serving president of the European Parliament, earlier this month. When the Rajya Sabha met for the day, Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu urged the members to ensure smooth functioning and a productive Budget Session and said they should conduct themselves in a manner befitting the Parliamentary democracy. He hoped the members would help productivity during the current session which is being held at the confluence of the historic 75th year of Independence and 70 years of electoral journey of free India.</span><br />

<span style="color: #222222;">In the Lok Sabha on Friday, the discussion on climate change resumed today in which the BJP members lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government for taking measures to protect the environment and bring India at the centre of international initiative to control global warming.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In contrast, the Opposition members alleged that the Centre did a volte-face at the climate summit in Glasgow by setting a 'Net Zero' target of 2070, questioning the rationale behind it. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />''Actually, the Environment Secretary had ruled it out in the media, Trinamool member Saugata Roy said, while continuing with the discussion. He asked what prompted the Prime Minister to commit to a Net Zero target in 2070. He asked if there is any credible research available to vindicate the target.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' N K Premachandran of RSP charged the developed nations of diluting their climate commitments over the past three decades since the 1992 Rio Summit adding the 'common but differentiated responsibility' concept has become an insignificant part of the Glasgow declaration. He lamented that even the concept of developed and developing countries had been changed at the COP 26 summit at Glagow and criticized the rich countries of hiding behind poor nations in tackling the challenges posed by climate change.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri lauded the Prime Minister's initiatives to popularize the use of energy efficient LED bulbs as an alternative to traditional lighting solutions and offer LPG subsidies which, he claimed, have reduced the dependence on firewood for cooking. Mr Bidhuri targeted the Aam Aadmi Party government in the national capital, alleging that it has indulged in gimmicks in the name of fighting air pollution and has taken no substantive measures.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' National Conference's Hasnain Masoodi said, there is a need to shift towards sustainable development so that nature is protected.  It is the time to act now to protect climate, said Congress member Benny Behanan.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' BJP's Jagdambika Pal said, people should not indulge in blame game and all states irrespective of their political affiliation should work together on the issue of climate change and environment protection. He said, from a developing country like India, the commitment to zero emission by 2070 at the recent COP26 is an important announcement, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' BJP's Tapir Gao suggested that there is need to bring in environment awareness from the school level.  Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav said in his intervention during the debate that the central government is working towards making use of stubble in making bio-fuels and manure in an exercise aimed at reducing incidents of its burning, which is seen to be a source of air pollution in the region, including in the national capital. He made the remarks after Shiromani Akali Dal member Harsimrat Kaur Badal alleged that Punjab farmers were being defamed for stubble burning and asked the central government to provide them with resources to deal with it. In response, the Minister said the NTPC had recently procured three thousand tonnes of stubble and the government will review its result to see how it can be used for bio-fuels.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Ms Badal cited reports, including a submission by the central government, to claim that stubble burning plays a minimal role in air pollution and asked the ministry to bring out a white paper on the issue. Cases have been lodged against farmers and fines imposed on them for stubble burning, the Bathinda MP said, and targeted the Delhi Government for defaming them.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In reply, Bhupender Yadav said, stubble burning has now been de-criminalized and also listed the measures taken to put to use stubble for different purposes so that farmers don't burn them. The central government has allocated seven hundred crore rupees for machinery to get rid of stubble, and Uttar Pradesh used six lakh acres of land while Punjab and Haryana used one lakh acre each for using it as manure, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Ms Badal said, Punjab being an agricultural state has been hit hard by climate change and also contamination of its ground water and soil over the years as it worked to make green revolution a success and contributed the most for the country's needs of rice and wheat.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told Lok Sabha today that the US sanctions on Iran have not affected India's Chabahar port project.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Replying to a question from BSP member Ritesh Pandey, the minister clarified that US sanctions are not relevant to India's Chabahar port project in Iran.<br />'' <br />''Mr Pandey claimed that the Iranian government is publicly saying that the Chabahar port project has been miserably delayed due to the sanctions. He also claimed that he is aware that China is trying to work on the project by taking advantage of the sanctions as it did with the rail link and asked the government if it is working on a solution. The minister replied that his opinion is completely inaccurate.  Clarifying that the Chabahar agreement was signed in 2016, and India took possession of the terminal in 2018, Dr Jaishankar said, India has already supplied six cranes and the terminal is fully functional. He reiterated that the US sanctions are not relevant to this project at all.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' After the private members business in the evening, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.<br />'' Members of the Upper House today participated in a discussion on a resolution moved by Congress member Amee Yajnik on controlling pollution in the country. Ms Yajnik urged the government to set up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to work with all stakeholders and to fix a timeline for it to present a comprehensive report on the current status of air, water and land pollution in the country.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Moving the resolution post-lunch during private member's business, she asked the government to introduce stringent legal provisions to mitigate environmental pollution and promote sustainable development.<br />'' <br />'' </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">She also called for policies to "discourage the use of chemical pesticides and suggest substitutes for chemical pesticides and biocides to our farmers".<br />'' Participating in the discussion, Shiv Pratap Shukla of BJP highlighted several steps taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government to combat pollution, including the launch of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and providing LPG connections to the poor.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Amar Patnaik of BJD urged that all stakeholders must be brought together to address the issue of climate change, of which pollution is a part.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' V Vijayasai Reddy of YSRCP raised concerns over massive consumption of fossil fuels that is contributing to poor air quality and global warming.<br />'' Vishambhar Prasad Nishad of SP said that a joint parliamentary committee should look into the matter.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' RJD member Manoj Kumar Jha noted that every year during November-December period, farmers are blamed for pollution due to stubble burning leaving alone the big industries which pollute more.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Sanjay Singh of the AAP noted that both central and state governments need to work together to fight air pollution.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mahesh Poddar of the BJP noted that pollution is a by-product of development but the key would be in taking measures to effectively control it. He said, efforts should be made to generate more electricity from renewable sources.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Fauzia Khan of the INC said the government should first accept that there is an issue of pollution and then to try to find out solutions.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Ajay Pratap Singh of BJP said, schemes such as Ujjawala has helped to reduce pollution and has also increased the country's forest cover.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Hardwar Dubey of BJP raised the issue of pollution in rivers such as Yamuna and Hindon flowing into the NCR region. While talking about the recently concluded Glasgow Climate Change Conference, he said, India has tried to give a new direction in controlling pollution by reducing the use of fossil fuels. He said, India aims to increase non-fossil-fuel-based electricity from 155GW at present to 500GW by 2030.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Earlier during zero hour, Sanjay Singh of AAP demanded a fast track court and the strictest action within six months against those involved in the alleged sexual abuse of 17 girls in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Expressing shock over the incident, he demanded stringent punishment against the culprits to set an example.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The issue of the share of the manufacturing sector in the GDP was also discussed in the House. </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Congress MP Kumar Ketkar remarked that the BJP manifesto had talked about raising the share of the manufacturing sector to 25 per cent of the GDP. However, he said, according to the latest data, the sector's contribution was only 13 per cent.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' In his Zero Hour mention, P Wilson of the DMK raised the issue of rising cotton and yarn prices, which have affected the textile industry in the country, including Tamil Nadu. He said, the rising prices of cotton and yarn, and their hoarding, had led to the closure of several textiles mills across Tamil Nadu. Manufacturers are faced with the challenge of abnormal price rise of cotton and yarn and urged the Government to prevent hoarding.<br />''<br />''After the Private Members Business in the evening, the House was adjourned for the day.</span>

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement in both the Houses of Parliament and the passing of a set of bills are the highlights today. Both the Houses functioned in a smooth fashion without any disruptions or adjournments.<br />''<br />''In the Lok Sabha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that a tri-services inquiry team led by Air Marshal Manavendra Singh has started investigation into the helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and 12 others.<br />''<br />'' Briefing the House on the crash, Mr Singh said that all efforts were being made to save the Indian Air Force Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday, who is on life support at the military hospital in Wellington.<br />''Gen Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife Madhulika and 11 other armed forces personnel died when the military helicopter they were traveling in crashed.<br />''<br />'' The last rites of the Chief of Defence Staff will be performed with full military honors, the minister said.<br />''<br />''Giving details about the incident, Mr Singh said, General Rawat was on a scheduled visit to the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington to interact with the student officers.<br />''<br />'' The Indian Air Force's Mi17 V5 helicopter took off from Sulur air base at 11.48 am on Wednesday which had to land at Wellington at 12.15 pm, he said.<br />''<br />'' The Air Traffic Control at Sulur air base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12.08 pm, the minister said.<br />'' Mr Singh said, a few locals reported fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they saw the remains of a helicopter engulfed in flames.<br />'' <br />'' Rescue teams from local administration also reached the crash site and tried to rescue the survivors, he said.<br />'' All those recovered from the wreckage were immediately rushed to the military hospital at Wellington. As per information received, out of 14 persons on board the helicopter, 13 have succumbed to their injuries, Mr Singh said.<br />'' <br />'' Besides the CDS, the dead include his spouse Madhulika Rawat, his Defence Adviser Brig Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, Staff Officer Lt Col Harjinder Singh and nine other Armed Forces personnel including the Air Force helicopter crew, the minister said.  <br />''Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support at the military hospital in Wellington and all efforts are made to save his life, Mr Singh said.<br />''<br />'' The Minister said the Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari has been sent to Coonoor after receiving information about the accident on Wednesday itself, who has taken stock of the situation after visiting the spot and the hospital.<br />'' Speaker Om Birla expressed grief at Gen Rawat's untimely demise, and said that the country had lost a skilled warrior, an outstanding strategist and an experienced leader.<br />'' <br />'' The Defence Minister made a similar statement on the crash in the Rajya Sabha.<br />'' The members in both the Houses stood in silence for a brief while as a mark of respect for the departed souls.<br />'' <br />'' In Zero Hour, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said Home Minister Amit Shah had misled the Lok Sabha over the issue of the Nagaland firing when he said the security forces had opened fire on civilians in Nagaland after they tried to flee.<br />''  <br />'' He also said that a Congress delegation on a visit to Nagaland was stopped at Jorhat by the district officials. Those people who have been admitted to the hospital have said  they have been shot at directly, he said.<br />'' <br />''Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said the issue raised by Mr Chowdhury about the stoppage of the delegation pertained to the state government.<br />''<br />''On Monday, the home minister had expressed the Government's regret over the death of 14 civilians in Nagaland's Mon district in three consecutive episodes of firing by security forces, the first of which was a case of mistaken identity.<br />''Speaker Om Birla on Thursday drew praise from Lok Sabha members for identifying potential members and encouraging them to speak on the floor of the House after a first-time woman MP, known for spearheading self-help groups, raised the issue of women unemployment.<br />''<br />''BJD MP Pramila Bisoyi, who is 73 and speaks only in her mother tongue Odia, raised the issue of women employment following the COVID-19 outbreak. She said, many women who lost employment were unable to get jobs back and were confined to working at their homes or farms while men have been reemployed.<br />''<br />'' Asked about her educational qualification, Mr Mahtab said, it is not much but noted that she is spearheading many self-help groups. The Lok Sabha website says the Aska MP has studied till primary classes. This is India's democracy, Speaker Birla said, adding, initially she was reluctant to speak in the House but now she makes requests for speaking in the House regularly.  <br />''<br />''Speaker Om Birla has taken measures to ensure that maximum MPs raise their issues in every session. His office said women members have spoken 402 times so far during the six spells of Zero Hour during the ongoing Winter Session.  <br />'' Earlier, DMK member Kanimozhi raised the issue of reservation for women in Parliament, noting that the issue has been discussed for long but in vain so far.<br />''<br />''The NCP MP Supriya Sule demanded the government to intervene and bring down the high prices of petrol, diesel and domestic cooking gas so that crores of poor people are benefited. Raising the issue of the rise in prices of essential commodities during the Zero Hour in the House, she also said, cooking oil has become very expensive, pinching the common man. The government should think of the bottom of the pyramid of society and bring down taxes on petrol, diesel and LPG cylinder so that people at large get some relief from inflation, Ms Sule said.<br />''<br />'' Congress MP Karti Chidambaram raised the issue of safety of animals and demanded that the government should constitute a task force to ensure that elephant deaths do not take place at railway tracks. Pointing that 186 elephants have been killed in train accidents, he said new technology like Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) should be put in place to protect these animals from getting killed.  <br />''<br />''In the post-lunch session, the Lok Sabha passed the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021.<br />''<br />''Opposition members protested the government's move to extend the tenures of the directors of CBI and the ED up to a maximum of five years from the present two years, alleging it was arbitrary.<br />''<br />''BJP members and their allies, however, backed the bills and asserted that they have been brought in for the good and noted that the extension will be given by the same committee, which also included the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition, which appoints them. The bills seek to strengthen institutional stability and continuity, they said.<br />'' <br />''Moving a statutory resolution for disapproval of the ordinances which were promulgated to amend the Central Vigilance Act and the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act, Congress MP Manish Tewari said those were arbitrary, capricious, and an exercise of power.<br />''Any democracy is as strong or as weak as the institutions that support it, he said. Unfortunately, over the last seven-and-half years, this government has made every attempt to dismantle the system of checks and balances which are intrinsic to our constitutional scheme, he alleged.<br />''<br />''The bills moved today are yet another milestone towards that direction, Mr Tewari said, adding the bills seek to make these institutions subordinate to the government. He pointed out that the Supreme Court specified two years tenure for the heads of the organizations to ensure that they are insulated from any kind of governmental interference. He also raised the issue of the legality of the CBI as a central investigative agency and suggested to the Union government that it should approach the SC to get the issue resolved.<br />''<br />''BJP member Brijendra Singh noted that the committee, which included the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition besides the Prime Minister, will decide on the extension of directors tenure. Hitting out at the Opposition, Mr Singh said it was strange that when earlier governments appointed CBI and ED directors without any cap in their tenure, then democracy was not in danger but it is now when they have fixed the upper limit of the tenure.<br />'' <br />''AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi said, the two bills were in violation of Supreme Court judgment.<br />''RSP MP N K Premachandran raised similar concerns on the ordinances, questioning the government on the need to push for them just before Parliament was convening for the Winter Session. What is the urgency or extraordinary circumstance for bringing these ordinances, and there is no logical explanation, he said. He added that the Directors of CBI and ED enjoy a fixed tenure of two years from the date of their appointment in the wake of the directives of the Supreme Court in the famous Vineet Narain case.<br />''<br />''TMC member Saugata Roy alleged that the bills underline the dictatorial attitude of the government. Both the CBI and the ED have been accused of catering to political interests of the ruling party, he alleged.<br />'' <br />''Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension Dr Jitendra Singh while replying to the lengthy debate on the Bills in the evening said the ordinances were promulgated during the interim period before the current session, as the previous session of Parliament was almost a total washout due to Opposition interruptions. Dr Jitendra Singh said the global average of the heads of similar agencies is five years, adding, a longer tenure is required to improve efficiency and continuity. He also said, the selection committee of the CBI Director, which is also empowered to give the tenure extension, comprises the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition which needs to be trusted.<br />'' <br />''After the passage of the Bill, the House was adjourned for the day.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha mourned the demise of the CDS General Bipin Rawat and others in the chopper accident.<br />''The upper house also passed a Bill that seeks to accord the status of institute of national importance to six more institutes of pharmaceutical education and research, and also set up an advisory council for them.<br />''<br />''The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was cleared by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday with voice vote.<br />''<br />''The Bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha on December 6.<br />''Replying to the discussion on the bill, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, the Bill has come with four amendments which include qualifying six more NIPERs (National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research) as institutes of national importance and introducing undergraduate and diploma courses.<br />''<br />''Mr Mandaviya said, there is a Mohali NIPER which was given national institute qualification. After this, six more NIPERs were set up. There was no clarification whether they are of national importance. The Minister said, to clarify this and give them a national importance category is one of their amendments.<br />''<br />''It seeks to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998, which established the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research at Mohali in Punjab and declared it an institution of national importance.<br />''These institutes that will get the Institute of Eminence status newly are those in Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raebareli. The NIPERs need to be modeled in the lines of the IITs, the minister said, adding that there is a need to offer undergraduate courses through NIPERs.<br />''<br />''Participating in the debate, Neeraj Dangi of the Congress said state governments should also get a place in the council of board of governors of the NIPERs.<br />''<br />''Ram Gopal Yadav of the SP sought clarity on whether the national importance status would not lead to the end of OBC and SC/ST reservation at the NIPERs.<br />''<br />''Anil Jain of the BJP noted that the council for the NIPERs would look into various measures like growth of pharma education and other related activities ahead.<br />''<br />''Abir Ranjan Biswas of the TMC said, the standing committee had made many recommendations which have not been taken into account in the Bill.  <br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha also saw regular sitting of the zero hour and question hour.<br />''<br />''Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav raised the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi land dispute issue. He described the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act of 1991 as "unconstitutional" that prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue of caste-based panchayats and khap panchayats, NCP member Fauzia Khan said, they are taking law into their own hands and "ostracizing people",  humiliating them, and calling for a social boycott.<br />''<br />''Nominated member Narendra Jadhav made a plea for setting up of the All India Judicial Services on the lines of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and other allied services. Raising the issue during zero-hour, he said, the 14th report of the Law Commission in 1958 had proposed All-India Judicial Services (AIJS), and subsequently the 42nd Constitutional Amendment conferred powers on Rajya Sabha to initiate the process.<br />''<br />''In 1991, the Supreme Court in a landmark judgment also laid down that AIJS be set up but it has not seen the light of the day, he said.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Later, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after passing the NIPER bill.</span>

The Lok Sabha today passed a bill that seeks to bring clarity on the age of retired judges to determine when they will get enhanced pension. The High Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill, 2021 seeks to amend two laws for the purpose. Before its passage, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju told the House that the bill seeks to rectify an anomaly in the pension and family pension to end any confusion. It was later passed by a voice vote. As per the Bill, an additional quantum of pension to retired judges of high courts and the Supreme Court will be sanctioned on whenever they complete the age of 80 years, 85 years, 90 years, 95 years and 100 years, as the case may be.<br />''<br />''Addressing a variety of issues raised by the members, the Minister said, 90 percent of the pendency of cases lie with the lower judiciary adding concerted efforts are being made in coordination with the states and other stakeholders to address the issue. He asserted that a certain number of vacancies will be there in higher courts as they are filled by following a due process.<br />''<br />''Earlier, the Lok Sabha passed a bill on dam safety endorsing an amendment made in the Rajya Sabha. The Rajya Sabha had passed the Dam Safety Bill on December 2 with minor amendments, including changing the year in the title of the Bill from 2019 to 2021.<br />''Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat moved the Bill in Lok Sabha, which approved it with a voice vote.<br />''<br />''The Bill provides for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of the specified dams for the prevention of dam failure-related disasters. It provides for an institutional mechanism to ensure a safe functioning of the dams. Originally, it was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 2, 2019.<br />''<br />''Earlier, DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran was engaged in a war of words with BJP members when he raised the issue of 4G and 5G services of the BSNL, alleging that the government was favoring A private operator. He alleged that the BSNL and the MTNL are losing customers to the private player due to the undue favor being shown to it. This elicited a chorus of opposition from the Treasury benches as the BJP leaders took offense of the allegations calling it unfair. Intervening in the matter, Speaker Om Birla urged the members to restrict their questions to their respective states and constituencies or policy matters, and asked them to avoid leveling allegations. A remark by Mr. Maran against Union Minister Piyush Goyal was struck off the record by the Speaker.<br />''<br />''Naga Peoples Front MP Lorho Pfoze flagged in the Lok Sabha the alleged sufferings faced by the Northeastern states of Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh due to the imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and said too many lives have been lost due to it. Pointing to Saturday's Nagaland firing incident in which 14 civilians were killed, the MP from Outer Manipur, during the Zero Hour in the House, said the incident took place at a time when there were celebrations going on in the state of Nagaland. Mr. Pfoze's remarks were, however, cut short as the Speaker deemed that he had exceeded the time limit.<br />''During the Zero Hour, a demand to set up a university in the national capital to honor the memory of Guru Tegh Bahadur was also made. Raising the issue, Akali Dal member Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Congress members Ravneet Singh Bittu and Jasbir Singh Gill, and BJP member S S Ahluwalia recalled the sacrifice of the Sikh guru.<br />''<br />''The demand was made on the martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, who was executed by the Mughals.<br />''Members from Kerala and Tamil Nadu raised slogans in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday as CPI (M) member A M Ariff made a demand to build a new dam replacing the 126-year-old Mullaperiyar Dam.<br />''<br />''Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, Mr. Ariff, a member from Alappuzha, claimed that Tamil Nadu had released water from the dam without any warning which had led to flooding in villages downstream. Soon, DMK members were on their feet claiming that the Mullaperiyar Dam was safe.<br />''<br />''After the passage of the Bill on the pension benefits of judges of the higher judiciary, the Lok Sabha took up a discussion on climate change. Initiating the debate, DMK's Kanimozhi said, India fulfills over 60 percent of its energy needs from fossil fuel and asked how the government is going to fulfill its promises made in COP26 at Glasgow and reduce the sulfur dioxide emission. Several members spoke on the issue. Speaker Om Birla later intervened to say that the discussion will be continued tomorrow as well and adjourned the House for the day.<br />''<br />''The highlight of the Rajya Sabha today was the passage of two bills to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics and to curb unethical practices relating to surrogacy.<br />''The upper house passed 'The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021' with voice vote. The bill has already been passed by the Lok Sabha.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha also passed 'The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020' with amendments. The bill, earlier passed by the Lok Sabha, will now go back to it for approval, as the House of the Elders has made some amendments as suggested by the Select Committee. The provisions in both the bills include penalty and jail terms for violations.<br />''<br />''This is the first time that a new set of bills have been passed in the Upper House, after the passage of the Farm Laws Repeal Bill on the first day of the ongoing Winter Session. The House has been witnessing continuous disruptions due to opposition protests over the suspension of 12 MPs.<br />''<br />''Replying to the discussion on both the Bills which were taken up together, Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said, most of the recommendations of the Select Committee have been incorporated in the surrogacy bill. He said the bills are aimed at ensuring respect to women who face problems in giving birth.<br />''<br />''The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021 is for the regulation and supervision of the assisted reproductive technology clinics and the assisted reproductive technology banks, and for the prevention of their misuse.<br />''<br />''During the discussion, Opposition members, however, continued their protests. Some of them were also in the Well of the House carrying placards.<br />''<br />''In the morning, when the Rajya Sabha met for the day, opposition members were on their feet, demanding the revocation of the suspension of their fellow MPs. It led to the House being adjourned till 12 noon.<br />''<br />''Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu rejected a notice submitted by two members, including Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda, for discussing the farmers' issues. Anand Sharma of Congress said a proper notice in this regard was given by Mr. Hooda. However, the Chairman said, if the House is allowed to function, then we can consider all these things, and continue with the Zero Hour proceedings.<br />''<br />''Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said, the house is seeing disruptions and he has been requesting that 12 suspended members be called back and the actions against them revoked. He alleged that the suspensions were undemocratic and unconstitutional, but assured their cooperation to the Chair.<br />''<br />''Upset over the disorder in the House, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said, disobeying the chair and disturbing the House is undemocratic.<br />''Amid sloganeering and the protest, the Zero Hour proceedings continued and several members raised issues of public importance. TDP MP Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar sought the Centre's intervention to stop what he said was the "rampant misuse and diversion" of funds allocated for various Central schemes in Andhra Pradesh.<br />''<br />''BJP member Sushil Kumar Modi demanded that the 7,880 MP quota seats in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) be scrapped as they go against the spirit of democracy. He said an MP was able to recommend only 10 students and was not able to fulfill the aspirations of all the people.<br />''<br />''YSRCP MP V Vijaya Sai Reddy demanded the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to discuss the issue of legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) of agricultural crops. He said, there is a need for a legal guarantee of MSP and urged the Centre to form a Joint Parliamentary Committee to discuss with stakeholders concerned and elicit views on various issues of MSP. <br />'' <br />''As sloganeering continued, Mr. Naidu reminded that the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House have been suggested to sit together and resolve the matter so that the House is allowed to function smoothly. Creating disorder, defending the undefendable and trying to force him for the action which he has not taken, is not reasonable at all, he said and adjourned the House till 12 pm.<br />''<br />''Today, the Rajya Sabha witnessed the Question Hour also to function normally. In the evening after the Special Mention by a few members in the House, it was adjourned for the day. <br />

Lok Sabha today conducted its business smoothly, though there had been sloganeering by the TRS members for a brief while in the morning, who later staged a walkout.<br />''<br />''Lok Sabha took up the High Court and Supreme Court Judges (salaries and conditions of service) Amendment Bill 2021 for discussion and passage in the post lunch session.<br />''<br />''While moving the bill for passage, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said the bill clarifies on when the retired Supreme Court and High Court judges are entitled to an additional quantum of pension or family pension on attaining a certain age.<br />'' <br />''Initiating the discussion, Congress member Shashi Tharoor expressed concern over the long pendency of court cases. He said, at times, the judiciary did not take up cases involving the plight of the people like the migrant laborers during the COVID-19 period. When he mentioned some pending cases, BJP's Nishkant Dubey raised a point of order to which Mr A Raja, who was presiding the House, asked Mr Tharoor not to mention the litigations that are sub judice.<br />''<br />''BJP member Rajendra Agrawal demanded that more high court benches be set up in states like Uttar Pradesh.<br />''Meanwhile, in the morning, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded compensation and jobs from the Center for the next of kin of farmers who died during the year-long agitation against the three farm laws. Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, he referred to a list of farmers who were paid compensation and given jobs in Punjab. He said around 700 farmers died in the agitation.<br />''<br />''BJP MP Parvesh Verma raised the issue of drug abuse in the national capital and charged the Delhi government of taking no concrete steps to deal with the growing menace.<br />''<br />''During Question Hour, the BJP MP said while an increasing trend of substance abuse in the country is a matter of concern, Delhi figures in the list of top five states.<br />''<br />''Mr M K Premchandran of the RSP said that Mathematics and English papers of the CBSE class 12 board examinations were very tough as questions were lengthy and out of syllabus, and urged the Union Education Ministry to consider making evaluation process for the two papers "liberal" in the interest of the students.<br />''<br />''BJD MP Bhartruhari Mahtab during Zero Hour urged the government to introduce a Uniform Civil Code, saying the issue was about bringing the society under one code.<br />''<br />''In the wake of the Nagaland incident in which 14 civilians lost their lives, National People's Party MP Agatha Sangma said it is time that the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act be repealed. Speaking during the Zero Hour, Ms Sangma, who is an MP of the BJP-ally, remarked that this was not the first time that an incident like this had taken place where innocent civilians were killed. She said, it reminds about an incident in 2000 in Imphal, Manipur, which is known as the Malom massacre in which over 10 civilians were shot dead which prompted the 28-year old Irom Sharmila to go on a 16 year-long hunger strike.<br />'' <br />''She noted that Home Minister Amit Shah gave a statement informing the House that an SIT will probe this issue. She said, the reason why AFSPA was enacted in 1958 was to ensure that insurgency be stopped in the Northeast but it has failed to achieve the set goal. She said, what it has done is that it has caused civilians to be unfairly tortured.<br />''<br />''  The Indian Army has ordered a court of inquiry headed by an officer of the rank of Major General into the Nagaland incident. Expressing regret over the firing incident, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said a probe by an SIT will be completed within a month and asserted that all agencies must ensure such happenings do not recur while taking action against insurgents.<br />''<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha failed to transact any business today as the Opposition continued to protest inside the House disrupting the proceedings. The Upper House witnessed two adjournments before the final one for the day a few minutes after 3 PM, amid continued uproar.<br />''<br />''The Opposition members have been demanding that the suspension of 12 MPs be revoked. However, the Government is insisting that they apologize for their unruly behavior inside the House which has lowered its dignity, before the revocation of the action against them.<br />''However, Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya managed to introduce 'The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill 2021' and 'The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2020' amid din at 3 PM.<br />''<br />''Earlier, soon after the house met for the day and after the laying of papers, some opposition MPs stood up and tried to speak. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu told the Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that he has received a notice under the House rule 267, that calls for setting aside the business of the day to take up the issue listed but he has disallowed it. He, however, did not mention what the issue was.<br />''<br />''As some opposition members stood up to protest, Mr Naidu adjourned the proceedings till 2 PM.<br />''Soon after the House resumed at 2 PM, Deputy Chairman Harivansh asked Dr Mandaviya to move the motions for the consideration of the two bills. But as the minister stood up, Opposition members started raising slogans. The Deputy Chairman reminded them that it was decided that the two bills would be brought together and three hours have been dedicated for discussing them.<br />''As the opposition continued to try to raise the issues of suspension of MPs, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said, only the listed business will be allowed to be discussed and no other matter would be taken up.<br />''<br />''As far as the suspension matter was concerned, he said, the Chairman has already stated that the matter should be resolved through a meeting between the Leader of the House and the Leader of Opposition.<br />''<br />''Sanjay Singh of AAP and a few of the Congress members stormed into the Well of the House twice. There was sloganeering by the agitating members who were joined by TMC MPs also.<br />''Even as Health Minister Mandaviya tried to present the two bills, the opposition members continued to protest after which the Deputy Chairman adjourned the house till 3 PM.<br />''<br />''When the House resumed the proceedings at 3 PM, Mr Harivansh asked Dr Mandaviya again to move the bills for consideration. Amid din, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, the Treasury Benches would also like the suspended MPs to participate in the proceedings of the House. He said, the members should apologize for their conduct so that their suspension could be revoked. He said, the members danced on the tables, went to beat the marshals… tried to throw TV screens on the ground, the country has seen it all.<br />''<br />''As Mr Mandaviya moved the bills, repeated requests from Deputy Chairman Harivansh to maintain order went unheeded.<br />''Mamta Mohanta of the BJD managed to speak about the two bills amid the din. With Opposition members unrelenting in their protests, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for the day.<br />

<span style="color: #222222;">The passing of the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 is the highlight of today's proceedings in the House of the Elders. The issue of the suspension of 12 Opposition MPs also continued to raise a storm in the house for the fourth day today.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Soon after laying of papers in the house,  Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu read out a letter from former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in which he had said that he is not able to attend the current session due to illness and sought a leave of absence from the sittings. He was granted leave of absence from the house during the current session.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Referring to events during the past three days, the Chairman lamented that nothing productive happened in the house due to the protests by the members which he termed as undemocratic.<br />'' The Chairman said that since he could not express his anguish in the public, the only way for him to express his thoughts was by speaking in the house.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Referring to the remarks by the Opposition members describing the suspension of 12 MPs as undemocratic, the Chairman said that the conduct of the members during the previous session was regrettable and an act of sacrilege.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Meanwhile, the Opposition members entered the Well of the House to protest the suspension of the Opposition MPs.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' On the Opposition contention that the Chair had not allowed the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha to speak on the matter, the Chairman said, he had heard him yesterday.<br />'' With the Opposition continuing with the uproar, the Chairman adjourned the house till 1200 hours.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' When the house reassembled at 1200 hours, the Opposition members continued with their protests. Amid the noisy scenes, Deputy Chairman Harivansh called for beginning proceedings of Question Hour. Responding to a question, Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav said, monitoring of air pollution is being done in various cities determining air pollution index.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun kharge sought to raise a point of order. Mr Mallikarjun Kharge said that the house should discuss inflation. Inflation is an issue concerning one and all. The government should give permission to hold a debate on this, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' However,  Deputy Chairman Harivansh saying that this is Question Hour and no other matter could be raised. Following this, the Congress members walked out of the house in protest.<br />'' In reply to a question in the house, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Dr Jitendra Singh said that the government plans to start a nuclear plant in Gorakhpur soon. He said that nuclear energy will be one of the major sources of alternative energy in the future. He said that the government plans to increase allocation in the budget in this regard.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Responding to questions on steps taken by the government to alleviate the condition of artists affected due to COVID pandemic,  Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that several schemes for the artists have been started by the government.<br />'' In reply to a question, Tourism Minister Shripad Yesso Naik said that the government has a lot of plans to revive the sector to bring it back to pre-COVID times.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' When the house reassembled post-lunch, Deputy Chairman Harivansh called for continuing with the discussion on the Dam Safety Bill, 2019.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' As the Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stood up to resume his speech on the Bill, members of the Opposition sought to raise point of order regarding suspension of 12 MPs, which was disallowed by the Chair.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Speaking on the Bill, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said, the bill is aimed at bringing a policy on safety of dams. The country did not have a policy on safety of dams for 40 years, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' DMK member Tiruchi Siva said, the Bill transgressed on rights of the states. He moved an amendment to send the bill to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha. He said, most of the bills brought by the current government are transgressing into the rights of the states. This bill too takes away the rights of the states. The states' powers cannot be encroached upon and moved the amendment to send the bill to a Select Committee.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Initiating a discussion on the Bill, Shaktisinh Gohil said that the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 is against the Constitution of India. It transgresses on rights of the states, he said. He supported the demand of Mr Tiruchi Siva that the bill be referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mohammed Nadimul Haque of the All India Trinamool Congress said that the Bill tramples on rights of the States. He said, Union government has been legislating on subjects outside its jurisdiction. This was seen in the recently repealed farm laws. He said that the way the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 has been framed needs scrutiny. He said that there are 5,334 large dams in the country and 293 dams are more than 100 years old.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' T.K.S. Elangovan of the DMK said the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 is a violation of the Constitution. The Central government has not taken the consent of the States, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' V. Vijaysai Reddy of YSR Congress said, there is an urgency for the Dam Safety Bill. He said that there should be a dam safety unit for each dam, he says. V. Sivadasan of the CPI (M), in his maiden speech, termed the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 as against Democracy. He said that the Bill tramples on rights of the states. It will take away the powers of the states.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' A. Navaneethkrishnan of the AIADMK , opposing the Bill, said that it should be referred to the Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Ram Nath Thakur of JD(U) called for construction of a dam in Bihar. Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD said that the Bill transgresses power of the State Governments.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Vaiko of the MDMK said that the Dam Safety Bill, 2019  will be disastrous for Tamil Nadu.<br />'' Sanjay Singh of Aam Aadmi Party said that Bill is against the Constitution.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Fauzia Khan of the NCP said that the Bill encroached on Federal structure of the Constitution. She said that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Birendra Prasad Baishya of the AGP said that the Bill is need of the hour as India has witnessed many disasters on dams and more than 6,000 people have lost their lives.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Harsh Archana Singh Dungurpur of the BJP said that the Bill is more important today due to risk posed to dam safety by Climate change. He said, the bill has a provision to ensure continuous safety of dams. Abdul Wahab of IUML said that the Bill is against the provisions of the Constitution.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Responding to the discussion on the Bill, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the Bill was the need of the hour. He said that over the last seven years, Narendra Modi Government has been working to bolster security of the country. He pointed out that the Bill was passed unanimously in the Lok Sabha two years ago. He said, the Bill aims to provide robust legal and institutional framework under Central and State Governments for safety of dams.<br />'' Referring to several accidents involving dams that led to loss of several lives, he said that there was a need to develop a system to fix accountability for safety if dams.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' On allegations that the Bill was infringing on the powers of states,  he said that the draft of the Bill was circulated to several states, but it was only the Bihar Government that adopted it.<br />'' Before bringing the bill,  the government sought opinion of the Solicitor General of India who opined that the Union Government has power to legislate on the subject, he said.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Calling on the members to pass the Bill to ensure safety of dams across the country, the Minister said, the Bill should be soon passed and brought to use. The Mullaperiyar Dam issue was discussed in the House, but India has 14 such structures, where the safety of the dams is the responsibility of all of us. We will not let go of our responsibility. This Bill will provide necessary provisions for the Central committee to do the inspections.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Later, the Minister moved the Bill for passage of the house, which was passed by voice vote after rejection of the Opposition amendment to refer it to a Select Committee. The Opposition motion was rejected in a division with  26 members voting in favor and 80  members voting against sending it to a select committee.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' With Lok Sabha having already passed the bill,  the legislation has now received the assent of Parliament.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Bill aims to provide robust legal and institutional framework under Central and State Governments for safety of dams. It envisages prevention and mitigation of dam failure related disasters through proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all dams in the country. The Bill provides for constitution of a National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS)' to evolve dam safety policies and recommend necessary regulations. NCDS is proposed to be chaired by the Chairman, CWC.  It provides for establishment of National Dam Safety Authority' (NDSA) as a regulatory body to implement the policy, guidelines and standards for dam safety in the country.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Bill also provides for constitution of State Committees on Dam Safety by the State Governments to ensure proper surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of all specified dams in the State and to ensure their safe functioning.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' After passage of the Bill,  the chair called for Special Mentions.<br />'' <br />'' Lok Sabha today took up a debate on the COVID-19 pandemic as the house proceedings ran smoothly except for protests by TRS members for a brief while who later staged a walkout.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' It was the first time since Parliament's Winter Session began that the Question Hour was completed. During the debate on the pandemic, the Opposition hit out at the Union Government over the COVID-19 management, charging it of favouring the BJP-ruled states in allocation of vaccines and dubbed the celebrations over the 100-crore vaccination mark as premature.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Initiating the debate in the Lower House on COVID-19, Shivsena leader Vinayak Raut lamented that Parliament was discussing the issue 21 months after the outbreak of the disease and at a time when cases were on the decline.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Referring to the Omicron variant of the virus, Mr Raut demanded close co-ordination among state governments and the Centre. There should be clarity in the Centre's directives on Omicron, the member from the Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg seat in Maharashtra said. On vaccination, he accused the Centre of allocating more vaccines to BJP-ruled states at the cost of the non-BJP ruled states. He also described as premature the celebrations in India over crossing the 100 crore milestone in COVID-19 vaccinations, saying, only 38 per cent of the population has received both the doses of vaccines.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' On utilisation of the PM-CARES fund, Mr Raut refrained from making a direct attack on the Centre and instead targeted contractors tasked with supplying ventilators and establishing PSA oxygen plants. It is the suppliers who provided sub-standard ventilators which could not be used for the treatment of the people, Mr Raut said. He said, the Prime Minister had made an announcement of setting up more than 1,500 PSA oxygen plants at hospitals across the country, but in reality only 316 plants were functional.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The Sena leader also raised the issue of private hospitals overcharging COVID-19 patients, particularly during the second wave of the pandemic.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Participating in the debate, BJP's Rattan Lal Kataria said that as a new variant of the Corona virus has emerged, there is a need to be more cautious and follow all the protocols properly. It is not the time to sit comfortably, and people have to be vigilant, he said. He said opposition has a role in a democracy, adding, they should not politicise it.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Enlisting various relief activities undertaken by the BJP during the pandemic, Mr Kataria said, it has become a habit of some political leaders to blindly criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the more they criticise, the stronger Prime Minister Modi's resolve to work for the country, he added.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' On the charge that the Centre was only favouring BJP ruled states in supply of vaccines and ignoring those ruled by the opposition, he said several Opposition-ruled State Governments approached other nations for vaccines but in vain. However, they were told that those countries would only deal with the central government, he added.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' BJD's Achyutananda Samanta lauded the collective efforts of the Centre and states in dealing with the pandemic while TMC's Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar criticised the government's handling of the crisis. The discussion was going on till filing of this report.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Earlier, during the Question Hour in the morning, TRS leader Nama Nageswara Rao said Telangana is one of the biggest producers of paddy in the country, but the Centre was not procuring the food grains from the state. Soon after, the party members, standing in the Well, walked out of the house. Before, they tore the placards and threw the pieces in the Well, which the house staff removed.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' During the Question Hour, there were also protests by DMK members over the exclusion of Chennai Airport from the list of embarkation points for the Haj pilgrimage.</span><br />''  <br />

<span style="color: #222222;">The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha on the second day of the Winter session were stormy, with the members of various opposition parties protesting the suspension of 12 of their members over the unruly scenes on the last day of the Monsoon session. After the laying of papers, Leader of the Opposition in the RajyaSabha Mallikarjun kharge, raising the matter as a point of order, said that the suspension of 12 opposition MPs is a gross violation of Rules.<br />'' Mr. Kharge said a motion to suspend a member can be moved only on the day of the disorderly conduct.  </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said the members must be named as per the rules of procedures before moving the motion, which he said, was not done yesterday. Mr Kharge urged the Chairman to revoke the suspension of the Opposition MPs.Ruling on the issue, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said that the action taken yesterday is final and he is not reconsidering it.  'You disturbed the house. The action is done. The decision is final. I am not reconsidering it,' the Chairman said.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Dissatisfied over the ruling of the Chairman, the Opposition members entered the well to protest. Amid the opposition uproar, the Chairman called for members to raise their Zero hour mentions. G K. Vasan from Tamil Manila Congress and K.C. Ramamoorthy from BJP raised the issue of the destruction caused by rains in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively. Vijaya Sai Reddy from YSR Congress raised the issue of floods in Andhra Pradesh. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said it is imperative that the Union Government provide a relief package of ?1,000 crores to Andhra Pradesh. Later, members of the Congress, DMK, RJD, the Left and the Aam Aadmi Party staged a walkout in protest against the rejection of their request to revoke the suspension of 12 MPs.Later, C M Ramesh of the BJP also raised the issue of floods in AndhraPradesh. The Chairman hoped that the government will take note of the situation in the flood affected states. Luizinho Faleiro of the All India Trinamool Congress said that the government has taken up projects that have destroyed the environment.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' He said the transportation of 13 million tonnes of coalthrough Karnataka, expansion of the National Highway and other projectsundertaken by the government that are meant to transport coal to the hinterlandis destroying the ecological balance of Goa.<br />'' Meanwhile, Derek o' Brien of the All India TrinamoolCongress said that the 12 Opposition members should not have beensuspended. He said that during the entire Monsoon Session, theopposition was compelled to do what they did because certain issues were notbrought up. He said the TrinamoolCongress MPs are also walking out in protest.Subhash Chandra Singh of the BJD raised the issue of the meagre salariesof Aanganwadi workers despite the increasing workload due to Covid. NominatedMember Narendra Jadhav expressed concern over the new Covid-19 virus variant called Omicron. He said this has renewed the fears of a third wave of the pandemic. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">After the Zero Hour, the House took up Special Mentions. BishambarPradad Nishad of the Samajwadi Party raised concern over the discontinuation of the old pension scheme. Seema Dwivedi of BJP expressed concern over the situation arising out of the strike by junior doctors in Uttar Pradesh. Mahesh Poddar of the BJP raised the issue of danger to environment by dumping of fly-ash. After Special Mentions, Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu,  referring to the issue raised by the Opposition in the morning, said that a day after the unruly scenes in the House on August 11, 2021, he had read a statement expressing concern on the behaviour of the members. He also noted that the members were named on the same day.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Chairman said a majority of the House wants the parliament to run smoothly, adding, only a few become violent. The Chairman said that there have been instances when actions were taken against members of the House. In this context, he referred to the action taken against several members during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' After the statement by the Chairman, D.R.Patnaik of the BJD expressed concern over the pressure on rural jobs. 'Even though economic recovery is taking shape, the pressure on rural jobs and on the MNREGA jobs has increased. We have seen it in Odisha", he said. During the Question Hour, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, responding to questions regarding the precautions taken by the government in light of the Omicronvariant of the Covid virus, said that no case relating to the new variant has been reported in India. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">'The ministry is doing genome sequencing,' he said, adding that 70-80 lakh people are being vaccinated in the country every day. In reply to another question, the Minister said that the government plans to come up with a Dengue vaccine soon. He said, consultations are being held with experts in this regard. Responding to another question on the efficiency of Tuberculosis testing in the country, the Minister said that the government wants to eradicate TB by 2025. He informed that an Indian company is working on making a vaccine for Tuberculosis. 'First three trials have already been completed,' he said. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">On questions on the need to regulate cryptocurrency, Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman said a Bill in this regard will be brought soon. The minister said that people investing in cryptocurrency have been advised to exercise caution with the unregulated currency. In reply to another question, the minister said that the government has put in place schemes to encourage manufacturers of medical equipment. After the Question Hour, the House was adjourned till 1400 hours.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' When the House reassembled, the Leader of the House, Piyush Goyal, referring to the statement by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in the house in the morning and the opposition walkout against the decision to suspend 12 opposition MPs, said that the behavior of the Opposition was unfortunate. Defending the decision of the Chair, MrGoyal said the behaviour of Opposition members on the last day of the Monsoon session was highly condemnable. Referring to the events of August 11, MrGoyal said the erring Members misbehaved with the staff of the House. He said the decision on their suspension could be revoked if they express regret for their behaviour. "The whole House would like the MPs to return. They should apologise for their behaviour on August 11. They should apologise to the House, the chair and the country," Mr. Goyal said. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Deputy Chairman Harivansh said he would like to reiterate what the chairman has said. He suggested that the Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the House should discuss the issue and added that the House was ready to reconsider the suspension of the MPs. Thereafter, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was asked to move the Dam Safety Bill for Consideration of the house. Just as Mr Shekhawatwas about to move the Bill for consideration, Parliamentary AffairsMinister Pralhad Joshi said the Government is open to constructive criticism and would like to run the House with Oppositions' support. He suggested that since the Opposition has boycotted the House for a single day today, the Dam Safety Bill could be taken up tomorrow in their presence. "Weare open to constructive criticism. Our party is the most democratic party in the country. Our leader is also very democratic. The Opposition has boycotted for a day so we can take up the Dam Safety Bill tomorrow," Mr. Joshi said. Thereafter, the Chair adjourned the House for the day.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' <br />'' The Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for thesecond straight day today, amid Opposition protests over various issues. TRS members shouted slogans displaying placards by standing in the Well of theHouse while other Opposition members, including from the Congress and the Left, sought to raise certain issues from their seats. The members from the Congress, the NCP, Left parties and the DMK staged a walkout from the House alleging that the government was muzzling the voice of the Opposition. However, a division in the opposition ranks was also visible as Trinamool Congress members neither joined the protests nor walked out. Soon after a new member took oath and the first question of the Question Hour was taken up, members of the TRS trooped into the well demanding a law on Minimum Support Price (MSP) as well as compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during the agitation against the farm laws.  </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Appealing to the members to go back to their seats, Speaker Om Birla said the Question Hour be taken up first, adding, their conduct was not sending out the right message. A visibly anguished Mr Birlasaid that important questions were being raised but the proceedings were being disrupted. It is not right, the Speaker repeatedly said but as the din continued, he adjourned the proceedings initially till 2 pm.  </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Earlier, Shiv Sena's Delkar KalabenMohanbhai, representing Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituency, took oath. As the House reconvened at 2 pm, there were protests from the members of the opposition. In less than two minutes, A Raja who was chairing the proceedings adjourned the House till 3 pm. The Speaker tried to break the deadlock by holding meetings with the leaders of different parties. There has been no improvement in the situation at 3 pm also, with the TRS members shouting slogans by standing in the Well. However, amid the continuing din, two bills were introduced. They included the high Court and Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service)Amendment Bill, 2021 which was moved by Law minister Kiren Rijuju and the assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 by Health Minister DrMansukh Mandavia. Later, the Speaker adjourned the House for the day. </span><br />''