Parliament Budget Session 2024 Highlights: Opposition targets Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET row, ‘students convinced Indian education system a fraud,’ says Rahul Gandhi

"Sansad TV began the alarming practice of replacing the speeches of MPs in English or regional languages with Hindi voice-overs in the first session of this Lok Sabha, and it has continued doing so in the Budget Session on the television broadcast. This is a form of censorship—it denies crores of non-Hindi speaking Indians the right to hear their elected representatives’ original words in their own languages. The government must immediately discontinue this discriminatory and anti-federal move," NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MP Supriya Sule's post on X read.

After a break, Rajya Sabha resumes proceedings with Special Mentions by the Members of the House

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 2.30 pm. It was being chaired by Sandhya Ray.

Earlier in the morning, the House also paid tributes to Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party, who passed away on July 19. As a mark of respect for the departed soul, the members also stood in silence for a brief while

"There is no bounded rule/regulation that a personal letter has to be replied. It is courtesy to respond to it, yes," says Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju.

He was responding to Gujarat MP Shaktisinh Gohil.

"If the concerned minister is unable to fulfill the assurance. Is there any mechanism to write to the member within 3 months?" Kerala MP Dr John Brittas.

To which Rijiju responded: "About special mentions or calling attentions, I also personally feel and as a minister assure that it must be repsonded to well in time. Extension is always a provision."

It was also a matter raised in the all-party meet on Sunday, he added.

"It's obvious to the whole country that there is a very serious problem with our examination system. This is not just the question of the NEET but major examinations.

Now, the minister has blamed everybody except himself. I don't think he understands the fundamentals of what's going on here.

The issue is that there are millions of students in this country who are extremely concerned about what is going on and who are convinced that the Indian examination system is a fraud.

Millions of people believe that if you're rich, you can buy the Indian examination system, and this is the same feeling we as the Opposition have. This is why we are asking some very simple questions to the Hon. Minister.

👉As this is a systemic issue, what exactly are you doing to fix the issue at a systemic level?"

Ahead of presenting the Union Budget tomorrow, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tables the Economic Survey 2023-24.

The survey typically comes out on January 31, a day before the Finance Minister presents the Union Budget for the next financial year.

However, in election years like 2024, the government takes a different route and presents a shorter report titled “The Indian Economy – A Review” and tables an interim budget in February. After the dissolution of the parliament and the conclusion of elections, the newly-elected government presents a comprehensive Economic Survey and Budget for the financial year.

In the Question Hour, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks on steps taken to reduce burden on courts regarding pending cases.

Congress' Kerala MP Shashi Tharoor flags the staffing issues in the NCTs and NCLATs, especially in southern states.

"It is being addressed with a sense of urgency," she responded talking about increased number of recruitments.

In the ongoing Question Hour in the Lower House, the ongoing NEET-UG paper leak issue is brought up with Opposition leaders hitting out Education Minsiter Dharmendra Pradhan and asking some tough questions.

The leaders who spoke were Manickam Tagore, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Tagore asked if the education minister will resign over the matter and take responsibility. Akhilesh Yadav stood up to say that if the minister continues, there will be no justice to the students who are bearing the brunt of the alleged irregularities.

"If you are rich and have money, you can buy the education system. That is the feeling in the country and is same for the Opposition," says Rahul Gandhi asking about the change in the system now.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankar start the proceedings in both the Lower and Upper House.

- "Some parties misused the Parliament for their unsuccessful politics in the first session of the 18th Lok Sabha.

- "Give chance to first-time MPs to put their points across during discussion," Modi said in an appeal to the Opposition ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament scheduled to go on till August 12.

- "In first session, there was an attempt to suppress voice of elected govt, strangulate the PM's voice in an undemocratic manner."

Ahead of the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament this morning, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's will give a customary press statement, while Opposition leaders will meet to discuss coordination during the session.

Even before the Parliament convenes for the Budget Session today, Congress MP Manickam Tagore has given an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha, demanding a discussion on the ongoing issue of alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

In his notice, Manickam Tagore urged the House to suspend all listed business of the day to discuss the "unprecedented cases of paper leaks in conduct of exams including NEET-UG and UGC NET and the failure of National Testing Agency (NTA)."

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha witnessed several adjournments in the last session which was also the first session for the 18th Lok Sabha, with Congress and other opposition parties pressing for a "dedicated discussion" on the row.

Sitharaman will release the Economic Survey 2023-24 today, just a day before the Union Budget 2024 is presented.

Now, the survey typically comes out on January 31, a day before the Finance Minister presents the Union Budget for the next financial year.

So, why is it on a different date this year?

In election years like 2024, the government takes a different route and presents a shorter report titled “The Indian Economy – A Review” and tables an interim budget in February. After the dissolution of the parliament and the conclusion of elections, the newly-elected government presents a comprehensive Economic Survey and Budget for the financial year.