<span style="color: #222222;">Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu today said, Members of Parliament do not enjoy any immunity from being arrested in a criminal case during the Session or otherwise.<br />”<br />”Giving this clarification during zero hour, the Chairman said there is a wrong notion among the Members that they have a privilege from action by agencies while the Session is on. The Chairman said, he has examined all the precedents and remember his own ruling given earlier. Under Article 105 of the Constitution, Members of Parliament enjoy certain privileges so that they can perform their parliamentary duties without let or hindrance, he said.<br />”<br />”One of the privileges, he said, is that a Member of Parliament cannot be arrested in a civil case, 40 days before the commencement of the Session or Committee meeting and 40 days thereafter.<br />”<br />”This privilege is already incorporated under section 135A of the Civil Procedure Code, 1908, the chairman observed.<br />”However, in criminal matters, Members of Parliament are not on a different footing than a common citizen. It means that a Member of Parliament does not enjoy any immunity from being arrested in a criminal case during the Session or otherwise.<br />”<br />”The clarification came after Congress members raised objections over summons issued to Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case when the session was functioning, alleging that this was an insult to legislature.<br />”<br />”Rajya Sabha also debated a Private Member's Bill – Right to Health Bill, 2021. Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the Government has already set up 1.22 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres and by the end of this year it would reach its target of having 1.5 lakh such centres across the country. He said, these Aayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres are working on a holistic approach and have facilities such as the e-Sanjeevani platform, offering OPD consultation service through telemedicine and teleconsultation.<br />”<br />”The Bill was introduced by Manoj Jha of RJD last month seeking free healthcare for all.<br />”<br />”Responding to this Mr. Mandaviya said, the Government is converting all primary health centres to Aayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre and the Centre is assisting the State governments in this project.<br />”<br />”Participating in the debate, Radha Mohan Das Agarwal of BJP said, in order to provide better health facilities to the citizen, the right to health is not required. What needs to be ensured is that funds are not pilferaged and reach the poor people, he added.<br />”Ashok Bajpai of BJP said, there is a lack of doctors at the health centres and the Government is working to address the issue by opening new medical colleges, and increasing the numbers.<br />”<br />”Ajay Pratap Singh of BJP also participated in the debate. The discussion on the Bill will continue.<br />”Opposition members Santhosh Kumar P of CPI and Jawhar Sircar of TMC called for increasing India's spending on healthcare as a percentage of GDP to lessen the burden of medical expenses on citizens. Mr. Mr. Sircar supported the Bill. Anil Agrawal of BJP said, importance must be given to providing adequate healthcare infrastructure first, without which the right to health would be meaningless.<br />”<br />”Earlier, members of various parties introduced as many as 17 Private Member's Bills. These included The Information Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by Derek O'Brien (TMC) that seeks to protect women from online harassment and abuse, Employment Guarantee Bill, 2022 by Santhosh Kumar P (CPI) to ensure minimum one hundred days of work to all citizens within the age of 18 to 40 years in accordance with their educational qualification or skill.<br />”<br />”Earlier in the day during Zero Hour, several members raised issues of public concern. K Ravindra Kumar raised the issue of floods in Andhra Pradesh where people have suffered in the Godavari region. There was loss of crop and properties were damaged in several districts, he said.<br />”<br />”Earlier, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for almost half an hour till 11.30 AM as Congress members created an uproar alleging misuse of probe agencies by the Government.<br />”<br />”Some Congress &nbsp;members were also raising the issue of price rise.<br />”<br />”During Question hour, Railway Minister Ahwini Vaishnaw said, some people only make announcements and some only do work, that is the big difference. He said, he will provide data to support this claim. This evoked uproar by TMC members.<br />”<br />”&nbsp;Vaishnaw also said that the Indian Railways has provided employment to 3,50,204 people so far, between 2014 and 2022 and the process of recruiting 1.4 lakh more people is currently underway.</span><br />