<span style="color: #222222;">The Lok Sabha today passed the Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020 (FCRA) by a voice while negating amendments moved by opposition.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Replying to criticism of opposition members, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai made it clear that the proposed law is not against any religion or any NGO as alleged by some of them. There is nothing like that, he said.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Minister asserted that It is not for suppressing anyone but it is for those who work to undermine Indian people and its democracy. Several opposition members suggested that the bill be referred to the Standing Committee of House.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of the Congress alleged that the government had a political agenda behind the bill as it is trying to target its rivals through the provisions of the legislation.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Rai said the proposed law will bring more transparency.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The bill, introduced in the House on Sunday, seeks to make providing the Aadhar numbers of the office-bearers of any NGO mandatory for registration and public servants will be barred from receiving funds from abroad. It also proposes to enable the Centre to allow an NGO or association to surrender its FCRA certificate.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">T</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">he Minister had earlier said there would be no discrimination and the permission which was given earlier to religious institutions for foreign contributions under the Act, will continue. But these institutions should not deviate from their objective and not be a threat to the country's security, he said.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The draft bill proposes that not more than 20 per cent of the total foreign funds received could be spent on administrative expenses. Presently, the limit is 50 per cent.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">During the Zero Hour, Manish Tewari of the Congress demanded that the Centre should assure farmers that the government will continue to procure paddy and wheat at Minimum Support Price (MSP) as the passage of the two farm-related Bills has created apprehension among the farming community whether the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will purchase their crops.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He also said the government should ensure the Food Corporation, the nodal agency for procurement and distribution of food grains, continue to give funds to state procurement agencies to carry out purchase operations smoothly.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Tewari hails from Punjab which contributes a significant quantity of food-grains to the central pool.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Raising the matter, Mr. Tewari said paddy procurement will start in the country from October last week.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Tiwari said due to the passage of the Agriculture related bills, there is an apprehension in the minds of crores of farmers whether the government agencies will carry out procurement operations or not.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The MSP is relevant only when these agencies buy paddy from farmers, he said, adding that today crores of farmers are protesting on roads.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The government has already made it clear that the procurement of farmers' produce by government agencies will continue and the MSP mechanism will also continue. His party colleague Shashi Tharoor raised issues related to fishermen in Kerala.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said the fishermen community was hit hard by the COVID-19 lockdown and floods, and urged the government to provide additional relief to state government to expedite compensation and other support to help them tide over the exceedingly difficult period.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Sangeeta Azad of the BSP raised the matter related to the appointment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates in different universities in Uttar Pradesh including in the University of Allahabad and Purvanchal University.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">She alleged that SC/ST candidates were declared ineligible in interviews despite the fact that some of the students were highly educated. She demanded those vacancies be filled.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Making a statement, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar announced that the government procurement of farmers' produce at minimum support price will continue. He accused the opposition of spreading false propaganda.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Centre today hiked the minimum support price of wheat by 50 rupees per quintal to 1,975 rupees per quintal to encourage farmers to increase cultivation of the crop.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was announced by Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in the Lok Sabha.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The announcement comes in the backdrop of widespread protests by Opposition parties as also by farmer groups in Punjab, Haryana and some other states after Parliament passed two key farm bills on Sunday, which the government says will give farmers' marketing freedom and better price for their produce.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Mr. Tomar said the CCEA has approved increasing MSP of six rabi crops. Wheat MSP has been increased by Rs. 50 per quintal to 1,975 rupees per quintal.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The minister said the government has always maintained that MSP and APMC mechanisms will continue as against the false propaganda spread by Opposition parties. Some Congress members walked out of the House after Mr. Tomar made the announcement about MSPs.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Lok Sabha also took up the Insolvency and Bankruptcy code (amendment) Bill 2020 for consideration and passage.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Participating in the discussion on the bill, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the constitutional measure of bringing ordinance should be resorted to as an exception and not rule.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Criticising the bill, which replaces an ordinance, he said it is weakly constructed with minimum logic and a lot of grey area. He said it is nothing but aimed at patronising the government preferred corporates.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He alleged that the MSME sector will be its worst casualty. The bill does not safeguard any stakeholder, and the government is trying to save corporate debtors. He also claimed that under the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CRIP), the success rate has been very low. There has been a poor and dismal performance, he said, referring to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Countering his criticism, Nishikant Dubey of the BJP said the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code has changed the culture, and its recovery rate has been between 42.5 per cent  to 45 per cent.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">All the non-performing assets of Rs 14 lakh crore on banks that the Modi government inherited happened during the UPA government's time, he said.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The recovery rate under various laws during the UPA government was anywhere between three to 14 per cent, Mr Dubey said, adding that the bill was required to save industry and people's employment, which have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said people have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is working to save the country from the pandemic. He hit out at the Congress, saying it is the same party which questioned people's faith in Lord Ram.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Pratima Mondal of Trinamool Congress said the bill is a classic example of good intentions but bad drafting. The YSR Congress party  welcomed it.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Supriya Sule of the NCP spoke about the woes of Jet airways and asked as to why when it is being treated differently from a government-run airline like company like Air India.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">When a government-run company makes mistake, it is alright but in the case of a private company, it is always corruption, she alleged, adding that the Jet Airways has a huge hub and employment.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Pinaki Misra of Biju Janata Dal said the legislation is very much in order but wondered as to who an important body like National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has remained headless for so long.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Discussion was continuing till the writing of the .</span><br />''  <br />