Parliament highlights
A day ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in the Lok Sabha that the British rule ended in India long back, but the Congress adopted their policy of "divide and rule", and has now become the leader of Tukde Tukde gang. While replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to President's address in Lok Sabha, Modi blamed Congress for instigating migrant labourers to travel during the lockdown.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday requested AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi to accept Z-category security, mentioning that as per government assessment, the Hyderabad MP still faces security threat. Speaking in Rajya Sabha about the attack on Owaisi on his way back from Hapur to Delhi last week, Shah said, "Home Ministry took report from state government immediately. On the basis of earlier inputs from central security agencies, Centre had ordered to provide him security. But due to his unwillingness to avail security, Delhi and Telangana Police's efforts to provide him security did not succeed."
BJP MPs absent, Bills on UCC, amending Constitution Preamble not taken up
Two controversial private member Bills— one on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and the second on amending the Preamble of the Constitution — were not introduced in Rajya Sabha on Friday, even though they were listed, since BJP members who had given notices for moving the Bills were not present in the House. The Opposition had objected to the introduction of both Bills in the past.
BJP’s K J Alphons, who had given notice for moving the Bill to amend the Preamble of the Constitution, was not present in the House when his name was called. Alphons was seen in the House after some time.
Lok Sabha adjourned
A total of 655 police encounter killings have taken place in the country in the last five years with Chhattisgarh reporting the highest number of such cases at 191.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha that apart from the 191 police encounter killings in Chhattisgarh, 117 such incidents were reported in Uttar Pradesh in the last five years, 50 in Assam, 49 in Jharkhand, 36 in Odisha and 35 in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a written reply to a question, he said 26 police encounter killings took place in Maharashtra between January 1, 2017, and January 31, 2022. Twenty-two such incidents took place in Bihar during the same period, 15 in Haryana, 14 in Tamil Nadu, 13 each in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh, nine each in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya and eight each in Rajasthan and Delhi. (PTI)
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday claimed in Lok Sabha that atrocities are being committed against people who wear hijab and demanded a statement from the government on the ongoing controversy on the issue in Karnataka.
He alleged during Zero Hour that many incidents of religious discrimination have taken place in the country.
He said if anyone wears hijab, it cannot be termed as a crime and claimed that atrocities have been committed against people who wear this head dress. "Attempts to forcefully remove hijab are being made. Such things should come to an end," Chowdhury said, referring to the ongoing controversy on the issue in Karnataka.
The Congress leader in Lok Sabha said that even though people in power talk about 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash, the opposite is happening in some parts of the country.
Chowdhury demanded a statement in the House on the issue from the government. (PTI)
Lok Sabha on Tuesday initiated the process of electing members of key parliamentary committees, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The House passed separate resolutions to elect members from among themselves for PAC, Committee on Estimates, Committee on Public Undertakings and the Committee on Welfare of SCs and STs for term beginning May one of this year and ending on April 30, 2023.
The resolutions also asked Rajya Sabha to nominate members for these committees. The PAC, Committee on Estimates and Committee on Public Undertakings are Financial Committees and are different from various department-related standing committees. (PTI)
The central government has not enumerated caste-wise population other than Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) since independence, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the intent of the government for conducting Census 2021 was notified in the Gazette of India on March 28, 2019.
However, he said, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the census and related field activities have been postponed until further orders.
"The castes and tribes which are specifically notified as Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) as per the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, as amended from time to time, are enumerated in the Census. The government of India has not enumerated caste wise population other than SCs and STs in Census since independence," he said in a written reply to a question. (PTI)
Over 6,000 grievances against misleading advertisements were registered in the last three years by the Department of Consumer Affairs' online portal called GAMA (Grievance Against Misleading Advertisements), the Centre said on Tuesday.
Responding to a query raised in the Lok Sabha on action against misleading advertisements on TV channels, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said that the GAMA portal accepted 6,154 complaints between 2019-2021 with 948 complaints in 2021, 1,790 in 2020 and 3,416 in 2019.
“All advertisements telecast on private satellite TV channels are regulated in accordance with the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issues advisories from time to time to broadcasters for ensuring compliance to the Advertising Code,” Thakur said in a written response. (PTI)
There is no registered body by the name of 'Kashmir Press Club' in Jammu and Kashmir as it has failed to register itself under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, the government said.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in the Lok Sabha the Estates Department of the UT administration has taken over the government building where the Kashmir Press Club was operated, on January 17, in presence of the Srinagar executive magistrate and the government building has deployment of static guard for its protection.
"Presently, there is no registered body by the name of Kashmir Press Club or its elected managing body since the Kashmir Press Club, as a registered body, has ceased to exist and has failed to register itself under the Societies Registration Act, 1860," he said replying to a written question.
The Kashmir Press Club has "ceased to exist", the J&K administration said on January 17 as it took back the premises allotted to the largest journalists' body in the valley following "dissensions" between two factions, one of which had tacit support from the government.
Rai said the government is committed to ensure the right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined under the Article 19 of the Constitution of India. (PTI)
Making it clear that relaxations will not be provided to US-based electric vehicles major Tesla unless it participates in manufacturing activities in India, Union Minister Krishan Pal Gurjar on Tuesday said there cannot be a situation where the market is India but jobs are created in China.
The minister of state for heavy industries also told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour that the company is yet to apply for schemes as per the government's policy. Last year, the Elon Musk-led company sought a reduction in import duties on electric vehicles (EVs) in India but the Ministry of Heavy Industries asked the firm to start manufacturing its iconic EVs in the country before any tax concessions can be considered.
Gurjar said the government has Production Linked Incentives for automobile and auto components as well as for manufacturing Advanced Chemistry Cell (ACC) battery. Both schemes are open for domestic as well as foreign entities.
Responding to a query on Tesla, the minister said "the company wants workers from China and market of India. This is not possible in Modi government... our government's policy is that if India market is to be used, job opportunities will have to be given to Indians." (PTI)
Congress MP L Hanumanthaiah on Tuesday tried to raise the issue of Muslim girls being prevented from wearing the hijab in educational institutions in Karnataka, but his speech in the Rajya Sabha was cut short as the Zero Hour came to an end.
“In some recent incidents in Karnataka, certain educational institutions have stopped girl students from the minority community from entering for wearing hijabs,” the MP said, adding, “Article 14 of our Constitution guarantees equality for all, Article 25 guarantees free practising of religion. In this case, these Muslim girls are being stopped from wearing hijab.” Read more
“We asked the govt to give a statement on the atrocities being committed on the Muslim girls in Karnataka and other places in the name of hijab. But govt did not pay heed to our demand, so we staged a walkout from Lok Sabha,” says Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. (PTI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi has a bankrupt foreign policy which is allowing China and Pakistan to get together. Our MEA said China and Pakistan had come together earlier. Of course, he doesn’t understand his job very well.”
“The Government of India has increased the recruitment to IPS from 150 to 200 from the 2020 Civil Services Examination…4,844 people have been granted Indian citizenship during last five years,” MoS Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha. (ANI)
“He (PM Modi during his speech in Parliament) didn't answer my questions. We need to take the China & Pakistan issue seriously. My great grandfather served the country, I don't need anyone's certificate. BJP is scared of Congress as we say the truth,” says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. (PTI)
About 5,8000 NGOs, which did not submit their applications for renewal of FCRA registration, deemed to have ceased to exist according to law. Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in Lok Sabha that FCRA registration of a total of 1,811 NGOs have been cancelled during the last three years - from 2019 to 2021.
"About 5,800 FCRA registered associations had not submitted their applications for renewal within stipulated time in accordance with the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010. FCRA registration of these associations has thus been deemed to have ceased as per section 12 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010," he said in a written reply to a question.
Rai said in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has given certain relaxations to NGOs so that welfare programmes and Covid-related relief works are not affected.
The relaxations include extension till December 31, 2021 the validity of registration certificate of NGOs expiring between September 29, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
The validity was further extended with certain conditions up to March 31, 2022, while time period to file annual returns for year 2019-20 was extended by six month i.e. till June 30, 2021 among others, he said. (PTI)
Over 17,000 farmers in different parts of the country committed suicide between 2018 and 2020, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles statistics on accidental deaths and suicides from states and Union Territories and publishes the same annually as 'Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India' (ADSI) report.
According to the ADSI report, 5,763 farmers or cultivators committed suicide in 2018, while another 5,957 killed themselves in 2019. The report said 5,579 farmers or cultivators committed suicide in 2020. (PTI)
General discussion on Union Budget continues in Lok Sabha
MoS L Murugan says in Lok Sabha, “We are not closing any regional AIR station. Upgradation work in underway at the regional Akashvani centre.”
Lok Sabha proceedings begin, Question Hour underway
Stating that there is a "comfortable" supply of DAP fertiliser for the ongoing rabi season, Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said the Centre however has asked companies to manufacture additional quantity of DAP at no-profit-no- loss basis to meet the requirement.
DAP (Di ammonium Phosphate) is the most widely consumed fertiliser after urea in the country. Domestic production of DAP reached 34.35 lakh tonne and imports were at 42.56 lakh tonne till January of the ongoing fiscal year.
Mandaviya, in his written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said there is no "acute shortage" of DAP in the country. However, in between the season, some states had highlighted the shortfall of DAP particularly in a few districts.
Accordingly, based on state governments requests, the Centre has moved the DAP rakes to meet their requirement. "However, the overall availability of DAP fertiliser in the country is comfortable during the ongoing rabi (winter) season of 2021-22(crop year July-June)," he said. (PTI)
“If Congress would not have been there, Rajya Sabha would have remained the council of states under the Govt of India Act of 1919, and instead of ordinary citizens, princes and rulers would have been sitting there to sing praises of Queen Elizabeth II,” says Congress leader P Chidambaram. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday blamed Jawaharlal Nehru for not sending armed forces to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule for 15 years only to protect his "peace-loving global image".
"It has been 60 years of Goa liberation. People of Goa must be listening to me today. The way Sardar Patel made a strategy for Hyderabad and Junagad, if the same spirit was followed for Goa as well, then it would not have stayed under foreign rule for 15 years after India got independence. The state got liberated after 15 years of the country's independence," Modi stated.
Citing media reports of that period, he noted that Nehru did not take any action against the Portuguese occupation of Goa, as he thought that it would harm his international image. “This was his, Pandit Nehru's biggest fear. He thought that invading the foreign government would lead to destruction of his peace-loving global image. Let Goa suffer but my image should not get dented, he thought," Modi stated in the Upper House.
He further said: "When satyagrahis were being fired upon by a foreign power, my Indian brothers and sisters were facing bullets, at that time our prime minister said that I will not send the Army. He declined to help the satyagrahis. This is the torture meted out to Goa's people by the Congress party. This led to 15 years more of foreign rule in Goa. Many brave souls had to lose their lives because of this."
Modi also referred to Nehru's speech on August 15, 1955, where he said that no army help would be sent to help the protesting satyagrahis and the matter would be resolved peacefully. "People of my country were left helpless, this is what they did with Goa. The people of Goa cannot forget this attitude of the Congress party," Modi added. (PTI)
The issues related to pay scale revision and pension of NINL employees will be decided by the new management after disinvestment, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad said on Tuesday.
The government had last month approved the sale of loss-making Neelachal Ispat Nigam Ltd (NINL) to Tata Steel Long Products (TSLP) Ltd for Rs 12,100 crore.
The bid by TSLP was double the reserve price of Rs 5,616.97 crore set by the government based on the valuation of the transaction adviser and asset valuer.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Karad said the strategic disinvestment of NINL is on a going concern basis and the employees shall continue to be employees of NINL in terms of the agreed Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) to be signed with TSLP. (PTI)
The issuance of the Letter of Intent (LoI) to the successful bidder of Central Electronics Ltd (CEL) has been put on hold, pending examination of specific allegations regarding the bidder, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday.
In November, the government approved the highest price bid of Rs 210 crore by the Delhi-based Nandal Finance and Leasing Pvt Ltd for the sale of 100 per cent equity shareholding of the government of India in CEL -- a CPSE under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR).
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad said, for the strategic disinvestment of CEL, open bids were invited based on the criteria of networth as laid down in Preliminary Information Memorandum (PIM)/ Expression of Interest (EoI).
"The field of work of the bidder is not among the relevant criteria. It is a part of the disinvestment policy of the government to not make sectoral experience a qualification criterion for bidders to expand the universe of bidders and provide them a level-playing field," Karad said.
He was replying to a question on whether the bid for privatisation of CEL, has been won by the Nandal Finance and Leasing Ltd, a furniture making company. (PTI)
Child mortality and maternal mortality rates have not come down in Chhattisgarh even though there has been been average reduction at the all-India level, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar said on Tuesday and asked the state government to take steps to address the matter.
She was responding to a series of queries in the Rajya Sabha from members on the reasons for the high rates of child and maternal mortality in the tribal areas of Chhattisgarh despite the Central government taking steps to strengthen health infrastructure in the state. Responding to the queries during Question Hour, Pawar said, "While there has been an average reduction at all India levels, but not in Chhattisgarh."
A directive has been issued to all states to reduce child and maternal mortality rates. Several Central schemes like the Janani and Shishu Suraksha yojana and immunisation programmes are being implemented, she said.
The minister said malnutrition is not the direct cause for maternal mortality. There is increased risk in pregnancy, and infection rate is seven per cent in Chhattisgarh, she said, asking the state government to take adequate steps to address these issues. (PTI)
With reopening of schools raising concern over the safety of children below 15 years of age, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said in the Rajya Sabha that the government will take a decision to vaccinate this group based on suggestions of an expert group.
The government has constituted an expert group to give suggestions on which age group to be given COVID-19 vaccine first and accordingly vaccination for the 15-18 age group is underway, he said during the Question Hour.
"About 67 per cent in the age group of 15-18 years have been vaccinated so far. The vaccination drive is being implemented in a speedy manner. The future decision (to vaccinate those below 15 years of age) will be taken based on the expert group's suggestion," Mandaviya said.
The expert group meets regularly and gives suggestions based on which the government takes action, he added. The minister was responding to a query by BJP member Syed Zafar Islam on level of threat of Omicron variant of coronavirus on children amid reopening of schools and with those below 15 years of age not being vaccinated. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched another blistering attack on the Congress Tuesday as he accused the opposition party of destabilising state governments, corruption, putting a family’s interests over everyone else’s and not respecting freedom of speech among others.
“The difficulty faced by Congress is that they never thought of anything else before the dynasty. We will have to accept that the biggest threat to India’s democracy is the dynastic parties. When a family is the supreme in any party, then the first casualty is that of talent,” Modi said. Read full report
Congress MP P Chidambaram hit out at the Centre, calling it a 'no data available' government. "In Parliament, a question was asked, who are members of tukde tukde gang? Minister said no data available. No data is available on 'tukde tukde gang', oxygen shortage deaths, bodies flowing in rivers, migrants walking back to homes. It's a 'No Data Available' govt," he said.
Following a walkout by Congress MPs in Rajya Sabha, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Mallikarjun Kharge said, "He (Modi) just targeted the Congress. The House has members of all parties and they speak on all schemes. Instead of speaking on those, he made remarks on Congress. He remembered Gandhi ji. Those who worship Gandhi ji's assassin are telling us that Congress should be dissolved."
Congress MPs staged a walkout as Prime Minister Narendra Modi was speaking in the Rajya Sabha.
Leader of the Opposition of Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the MPs walked out as Modi was accusing the Congress, instead of replying to Motion of Thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind’s address.
Rajya Sabha passes Motion of Thanks to the President's Address.
Lata Mangeshkar's family was from Goa. Her younger brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar was kicked out of All India Radio for presenting a programme on Veer Savarkar's poem.
PM Modi said, "When Congress was in power, they didn't allow country's development. Now when in Oppositionn, they are obstructing the development of the country. They are now objecting to 'Nation'. If the idea of 'Nation' is unconstitutional, then why is your party called Indian National Congress?"
PM Modi said, 'It was said here that 'Congress na hoti, toh kya hota'. It's a result of the thinking that 'India is Indira, Indira is India.' But I think if Congress wasn't there, Emergency, Sikh riots, Kashmiri Pandits exodus wouldn't have happened.'
Continuing his attack on the Congress, PM Modi said, "The difficulty being faced by Congress is that they never thought of anything else before the dynasty. We'll have to accept that biggest threat to India's democracy is the dynastic parties. When a family is the supreme in any party, then the first casualty is that of talent."
The Prime Minister also said, "It was said in the House that Congress laid India's foundation and BJP just hoisted a flag. It wasn't said like a joke in the House. It's result of serious thinking that's dangerous to nation - some people believe that India was born in 1947. Problems arise due to this thinking."
"This mindset it has had an impact on the policies of those who received the opportunity to work for the last 50 years. It gave birth to perversions. This democracy is not due to your generosity. Those who strangulated democracy in 1975 should not speak on it," Modi added.
Attacking the Opposition parties, PM Modi said, "A few leaders of some political parties have shown immaturity in the last 2 years which has disappointed the nation. We have seen how games have been played due to political selfishness. Campaigns were done against Indian vaccines."
"Some people need self-introspection. When an all-party meeting over Covid-19 was held and the government was supposed to give detailed presentation, attempts were made to speak to some political parties to convince them to not attend it. They themselves did not come and boycotted the meeting," he added.
PM Modi also said, "Defence corridors are being set up in UP and Tamil Nadu. MoUs are being signed, people from the MSME sector are coming to the defence sector. It's encouraging that people of the country have the ability and they are coming forward to make the country self-reliant in the sector."
PM Modi also praised Indian sportspersons for performing well to take Tricolour to new heights during the pandemic.
PM Modi also said that the government is focused on agri, MSME sector that provides most employment. "PLI scheme helped India become leading mobile manufacturer, encouraging results in auto, battery manufacture," he added.
PM Modi said that everyone must focus on how to take country forward in next 25 years when India completes 100 years of Independence. "India is among the top three nations in terms of startups due to efforts of youth," he added.He also said that the government is focussed on infra projects to help generate employment opportunities during the pandemic.
PM Modi also said, "MSME sector provides highest employment. We similarly have agriculture sector. We ensured that no hindrance comes before them. As a result, there was bumper productivity & govt made record purchases. Farmers received higher MSP. They received money directly into bank accounts."
PM Modi also said that when Covid-19 began, it was being discussed that what will become of India. It was also discussed what will be the impact on the world due to India. But due to the willpower and discipline of the 130 crore people of the country, efforts of India is being appreciated across the world.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started replying to Motion of Thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind’s address in the Rajya Sabha. "Covid-19 is a pandemic, humankind had never seen such a crisis in the last 100 years. This crisis changes its forms and creates trouble for the people, the entire country and world are fighting against it," Modi said.
MoS (Jal Shakti) Bishweswar Tudu told Rajya Sabha in a written reply that no information is available on the number of bodies of Covid-19 victims that had been dumped in the river Ganga.
Responding to the Prime Minister's speech in the Parliament Monday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said, "People whom he had deserted, who had no way of returning to their homes, who were coming back on foot -- did he want that nobody should help them?"
"What did Modi ji want? What does he want? What about the big rallies he did?" Gandhi was quoted as saying from Panaji, Goa.
PM Modi had singled out the Congress party for criticism in his 100-minute-long speech while replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, accusing the party of “instigating” migrants to breach lockdown during the Covid pandemic. "During the first wave of Covid-19, you (Congress) gave free train tickets to migrant workers to leave Mumbai. At the same time, Delhi govt told migrant workers to leave the city and provided them buses. As a result, Covid spread rapidly in Punjab, UP and Uttarakhand," he said.
Attacking the Centre, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said there were significant cuts in allocation of social welfare schemes in the Union Budget and there were no measures to address rising inflation or targeted efforts towards job creation.
Initiating the discussion on the Budget in the Lok Sabha, he said COVID-19 pandemic placed the citizens in unimaginable distress and they suffered a lot of pain due to loss of lives between March and May last year.
In this context, he said, the presentation of a budget annually cannot merely be seen as purely routine economic exercise, rather it is an instrument through which the government of the day presents a political vision to manage the economy, heal the country and to set it on the path to recovery. (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to reply to Motion of Thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind’s address in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, ANI reported.
A day ago, he had said in the Lok Sabha that the British rule ended in India long back, but the Congress adopted their policy of “divide and rule”, and has now become the leader of Tukde Tukde gang.
"Union Home Ministry sought a report from State Govt on the attack on the convoy of Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief. I request him to accept the security given to him by the Central govt," Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Lok Sabha.
Congress walks out of Lok Sabha after Shashi Tharoor's speech as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was absent for the budget discussion.
"Congress policy is "divide and rule". Congress has become the leader of Tukde Tukde gang," PM Modi says in Lok Sabha.
"State is not a part of any nation or government. For me, state is a living soul," said PM Modi
"After 40 years, Congress could not drive out poverty, but the poor drove Congress out," Modi said in Lok Sabha.
"The opposition has raised the issue of inflation here, it would've been better had they raised that matter while their govt was in power. In pandemic also our govt tried to tackle inflation. During 2014-2020 the inflation rate was below 5%," PM Modi in Lok Sabha
"You joked about Make in India, But now that the youth of this country made it possible, you have become a joke,' PM Modi attacks Opposition in Lok Sabha. "Some people have a problem with 'Make in India' because, for them, it means that there will be no corruption, they won't be able to gather money...we have made an attempt to resolve all pending issues of the defence sector," he says.
"You can't spend a moment without Modi, you start repeating Modi's name since morning," Modi cracks jokes on Opposition.
"We need to strengthen our small farmers. Our focus is on them. But those who don't know the pain of small farmers don't have any right to do politics in the name of the farmers," PM Modi said in Lok Sabha.
"For you, files are everything. For us, life of 130 crore citizens is important. You remain lost in files, we strive to improve the life of 130 crore citizens," PM Modi said.
"The mentality of slavery is a threat to any nation. But there are some who are still stuck in that meantality of slavery even after so many years from independence," PM Modi said.
"Covid was a global pandemic but it was used for partisan politics. Congress crossed all limits during the first wave of the infection," PM Modi said in Lok Sabha.