Home Minister Amit Shah today conveyed the government's regret in Lok Sabha over the killings of civilians in firing by security forces in Nagaland and said that a probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be completed within a month.<br />''With Lok Sabha members from various parties condemning the incident, Shah said all agencies must ensure that it does not recur when they take action against insurgents.<br />''<br />''In his statement in Lok Sabha, Shah offered condolences to the families of those killed in the incident on December 4.<br />''Security forces opened fire on civilians killing 14 and injuring 11 in Nagaland's Mon district in three separate incidents, the first of which was a case of mistaken identity which prompted protests and rioting resulting in two more cases of firing of security forces. One soldier also died in rioting.<br />'' <br />''Narrating the sequence of events, Shah said the Army received information on the movement of insurgents in Nagaland's Mon and '21 Para Commando' unit laid an ambush.<br />''<br />''At that time, a vehicle sped up and was signaled to stop but it tried to speed away and suspecting the presence of extremists in the vehicle, security personnel opened fire, he said.<br />''<br />''Six out of the eight occupants of the vehicle died in the firing, Mr Shah said, adding that later, it was found to be a case of mistaken identity.<br />''<br />''He said local people on getting news of firing surrounded and attacked the troops and one soldier was killed in violence while several others were injured.<br />''<br />''Shah said that in self defence and to disperse the crowd, the troops had to open fire in which seven civilians were killed.<br />''He said that on Sunday evening, an agitated crowd targeted Assam Rifles company operating base and the forces had to open fire in which another civilian was killed.<br />'' <br />''Home Minister Amit Shah said it has been decided by all the agencies to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future during actions against insurgents.<br />''<br />''Expressing dissatisfaction with the statement, opposition parties including the Congress, DMK, SP, BSP and the NCP walked out of the House.<br />''<br />''Earlier in the day, Lok Sabha members condemned the Nagaland incident and demanded an impartial probe.<br />''Members also called for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).<br />'' <br />''Stressing that emotional integration of people living in border areas is extremely important for the unity and integrity of the country, Congress leader Manish Tewari demanded that there should be an impartial judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the unfortunate incident.<br />''<br />''He also urged the government not to invoke the immunity under the AFSPA against those who are found guilty.<br />''Tokheho Yepthomi, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) member in the Lok Sabha, said, There should be an inquiry into the incident.<br />'' <br />''The state government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh for the families of those killed civilians. But, since they were killed by central security forces, the compensation should be paid by the Centre as well, he said.<br />''Congress member Gaurav Gogoi said the death of Indians at the hands of the country's security forces was highly condemnable.<br />''How can a group of unarmed civilians be mistaken as militants, Gogoi said and demanded convening of an all party meeting to discuss the situation in the north-east.<br />''<br />''Sudeep Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress said the situation in Nagaland should not be allowed to deteriorate further and demanded maximum compensation be given to the next of kin of those killed in the incident.<br />''Members said that Nagaland should not be thrown into uncertainty at a time when the Centre was holding peace talks with different insurgent groups in the state.<br />''<br />''Vinayak Raut of the Shiv Sena wondered how intelligence agencies could give such misleading inputs to the security forces. He also demanded an inquiry into the functioning of intelligence agencies.<br />''P V Midhun Reddy of the YSCRP demanded action against the perpetrators but said that care should be taken to ensure that the morale of the armed forces does not go down.<br />''<br />''DMK's T R Baalu, JD(U)'s Rajiv Singh Ranjan and NCP's Supriya Sule expressed deep anguish at the killings.<br />''BSP's Ritesh Pandey said mistakes by the armed forces or failure to follow protocol has raised questions on the credibility of the government and called for an impartial probe into the incident.<br />''<br />''AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi wanted the government to tell the Lok Sabha when it would repeal the AFSPA in the state.<br />''Pradyut Bordoloi of the Congress demanded an oversight mechanism on the implementation of the AFSPA in Nagaland and demanded that the perpetrators of the crime be brought to book.<br />'' <br />''On Sunday, the Army expressed deep regret over the incident in Mon district of Nagaland and ordered a Court of Inquiry.<br />''In the evening today, the Lok Sabha passed the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in a voice vote after a detailed discussion.<br />''<br />''The bill seeks to bring all National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Researches across the country at par by giving them the status of institute of national importance, he said. As of now only one NIPER enjoys the status.<br />''Praising the move, BJP's Rajdeep Roy said these institutions will gain administrative and functional autonomy which in turn will enhance their efficiency and accountability.<br />'' <br />''Congress' Abdul Khaleque expressed his appreciation for the bill, saying it will enhance development and research work.<br />''Many Opposition members insisted on augmenting infrastructure for pursuing research in pharmaceutical sciences.<br />''In his reply, Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said the Government is making all necessary steps to make India the pharma capital of the world. He said it is a proud moment for India to export Covid vaccines and medicines to over 80 countries of the world.<br />''<br />''Earlier, during Question Hour, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Lok Sabha that Rs 52,759 crore has been raised by 61 companies through initial public offers till October this fiscal, higher than the funds mopped up through this route in the last financial year.<br />''Out of the 61 companies that hit the markets till October of the current fiscal, 34 entities were Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).<br />''<br />''Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that a large number of manufacturing and service sector companies are coming up for listing.<br />''IPOs are being brought by the companies regularly this year, and the amount raised in the current financial year till the month of October 2021, has surpassed the amount raised in the last financial year, she said.<br />''<br />''In the last fiscal, 56 companies garnered Rs 31,060 crore from IPOs and out of them, 27 were SMEs, as per the Sebi data cited by the minister.<br />''<br />''Ms Sitharaman said that among the 61 IPOs, 35 were below Rs 100 crore, while four were in the range of Rs 100 crore and less than Rs 500 crore. As many as 22 IPOs were either equal to or more than Rs 500 crore.<br />''<br />''Among others, 10 companies out of the 61 entities were from the healthcare sector and 6 from "cement/constructions".<br />''To a supplementary question on whether the Paytm IPO has caused problems for investors, the minister replied in the negative.<br />''Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday asked the ministers to answer the members' questions in the House itself.<br />''His suggestion came after Minister of State for Finance Bhagwant Kishanrao Karad, while responding to a question of a member in the House about the Mudra loan beneficiaries, said he will collect the information and share it with him.<br />''<br />''What is this House for if you will collect information about everything and then share it, the Speaker said on the minister's response during the Question Hour.<br />'' <br />''BJP's Bhilwara MP Subhash Chandra Baheria had sought details from the minister on the number of people who have applied for a second loan under the Mudra scheme after successfully using the first loan they got from the bank.<br />''Later, Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya moved the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021, for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha.<br />''<br />''Earlier, a bill was introduced in Lok Sabha to correct a drafting error in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act that rendered a key provision dealing with punishment of those financing illicit trafficking inoperable.<br />''<br />''Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad introduced the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 that seeks to replace an ordinance that was promulgated on September 30 this year.<br />''<br />''Opposing the introduction of the Bill, RSP member N K Premachandran demanded proper scrutiny of the draft legislation, absence of which could lead to a bad law.<br />''<br />''Mr Premachandran said the drafting error was highlighted when an accused moved a special court in Tripura contending that he could not be charged for the offence as Section 27 A is referred to a blank list. The Tripura High Court subsequently asked the Centre to amend the law.<br />''<br />''Mr Premachandran and BJD member Bhratruhari Mahtab cautioned the government against making the amendments to a criminal law applicable with retrospective effect from 2014.<br />''<br />''The anomaly crept in when the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act was amended in 2014 to allow better medical access to narcotic drugs, removing state barriers in transporting and licensing of essential narcotic drugs.<br />''<br />''The government said the amendment does not create any new offence, but contains a legislative declaration that 'reference of clause' always meant the corresponding renumbered provision in clause.<br />''<br />''The Rajya Sabha on Monday saw repeated adjournments as the Opposition, including the Congress, Left parties, TMC and some other parties continued with their protests demanding revocation of the suspension of 12 members. The proceedings were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period and two more times during the post-lunch period, till it was adjourned for the day. In the midst of noisy scenes in the afternoon, Home Minister Amit Shah made a statement on the Nagaland killings which was identical to the one he made in the Lower House. He said the situation in Mon district of Nagaland was tense but under control and additional security forces were deployed there.<br />''<br />''Soon after his statement, Deputy Chairman asked the members to seek any clarifications from the minister, amid continued protests by opposition MPs who were raising slogans.<br />''<br />''Deputy Chairman Harivansh adjourned the House for the day as Opposition members refused to relent and continued with their protests.<br />''Earlier, the House saw the first adjournment within minutes after it met for the day as opposition MPs trooped into the well after the laying of papers.<br />''<br />''Members belonging to the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Aam Aadmi Party and the Left trooped into the Well of the House, raising slogans. Carrying placards, they demanded the revocation of the suspension of the 12 members.<br />''<br />''Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu called for the first Zero Hour mention after the listed papers were laid on the table.<br />''<br />''Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge demanded a statement from the Home Minister on the Nagaland firing incident. Mr Naidu said it was a very serious issue, and he has spoken to the defence minister and the home minister about it. He tried to carry on with the Zero Hour, but the protests continued. "The House is adjourned sacrificing Zero Hour, public issues because some people are not cooperating," he said, and adjourned the proceedings till noon.<br />''<br />''Twelve Opposition MPs — six from the Congress, two each from the Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from the CPI and CPI(M) — were suspended from Rajya Sabha last Monday for the rest of the Winter Session of Parliament for their "unruly" conduct in the previous session in August.<br />''<br />''When the house met at 12 pm, the opposition members again trooped into the well and raised slogans. Deputy chairman Harivansh appealed to them to go back to their seats and allow the Question Hour to be taken up.<br />''TMC member Derek O'Brien rose to ask a supplementary question but sought to raise the issue of suspension of members instead, which was not allowed by the chair.  <br />''<br />''Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the sloganeering by opposition members showed their intention. The Opposition should instead apologise to the House for "lowering" the dignity of the House by "manhandling" female security personnel.<br />''The Chair then adjourned the House as Opposition members continued to raise slogans and appeals to maintain decorum went unheeded.<br />''<br />''After lunch, the proceedings were again adjourned till 3 pm amid protest by opposition parties soon after Deputy Chairman Harivansh called for laying on the table the statement of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.<br />''Thereafter the Deputy Chairman sought initiation of the short duration discussion on the 'situation arising out of price rise in the country including the rise in the prices of petroleum products'.<br />''<br />''Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge stated the he was ready for the discussion but requested that the suspended MPs be first called in the House. "I request you to the please call them inside for once," he said while noting that they have been out of the House for five days.<br />''The Chair said the Leader of Opposition and Leader of the House should sit together to find a solution to this.<br />''After the House re-assembled at 3 pm following the third adjournment, Mr Sasmit Patra, who was in the Chair, called for a short-term discussion on the situation in the country due to inflation, including the rise in the prices of petroleum products. He called the Leader of Opposition to speak on the matter, but he asked the chair to first revoke the suspension of the 12 MP.<br />''<br />''"In a democracy, it is a crime to run the House and start a discussion after suspending 12 members," Kharge said.<br />''Finance minister Sitharaman said the opposition wanted to discuss this and the government has agreed for this discussion. She said they are talking about democracy and we have agreed for it. "Is it not democracy and the spirit of the house?," she asking, noting that the government is not running away from debate. "This is the hypocrisy of the opposition," Ms Sitharaman said pointing towards the MPs who trooped in the well of the House with placards, raising slogans.<br />''"You first bring the House in order. I am ready to speak but you revoke the suspension," the Leader of Opposition said.<br />''<br />''<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">Amid the din, Leader of House Piyush Goyal said, "Now the leader of opposition claims that he is ready to speak and wants to start the discussion and asks you to bring the House in order. This is like playing a game." Goyal said on one hand the Leader of opposition claims to bring the House in order and on the other hand encourages its own MPs to be in the well. Following this, Patra adjourned the House session.</span>