Parliament Budget Session 2022 Highlights: OCI, PIO cardholders entitled to multiple entry lifelong visa for visiting India, says MoS Home Nityanand Rai

The government is taking a number of initiatives for the welfare and protection of tribal people and regions in coordination with various ministries, Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The health and welfare of the tribal people are a priority for this government and through schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, 61.13 lakh people have benefited so far, said Munda and rejected the Opposition's charge that the allocation for projects related to tribals had been decreased.

"The ministry is working on a plan to set up telemedicine facilities in the areas and is also creating a database to full fill the needs of the community," said Munda adding that it has launched 'Swasthya" a Tribal Health & Nutrition Portal for them. Moreover, the government is also working on research and finding a solution to Sickle Cell Anemia, which has a high incidence in tribal areas.

"We are working with the health ministry, institutes like ICMR and haematologists to find a permanent solution for it," said Munda. (PTI)

A parliamentary standing committee on Wednesday complimented the government for concluding a contract with the Philippines for the supply of Brahmos missiles and recommended that it should step up efforts to secure more export orders for indigenously developed military platforms.

In January, India sealed the USD 375 million contract with the Philippines to supply three batteries of the BrahMos shore-based anti-ship missile systems.

The Standing Committee on Defence in its 29th report also expressed happiness over the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) completing the phase-I of the Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, describing it as "extremely crucial" from the point of view of national defence.

Referring to Tejas light combat aircraft, the committee recommended that more efforts should be made so that the "improved and lethal" versions of it is introduced in near future. "The committee were pleased to note that a contract has been signed with the Philippines for the supply of coastal launched Brahmos missile system," it said. (PTI) 

BJD MP Prasanna Acharya expressed concern on Wednesday on the poor condition of passenger amenities in short-distance trains, despite the collection from passengers amounting to over Rs 50,000 crore per annum.

During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the working of the Railway Ministry, Acharya also raised the issue of incomplete projects that have been lingering on for years.

"What is the revenue that is collected from passenger fare? If I am correct, leave apart the Covid period, it must have been more than Rs 50,000 crore per annum, not less than that. What are the amenities provided to the passengers? There are certain long route trains, where good amenities are seen nowadays, but in other numerous trains, you will be astonished," he said.

With the fitment of bio-toilets in all broad gauge coaches, no faecal matter is discharged on railway tracks, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday, adding that there are no manual scavengers working for the Indian Railways.

Provisions of the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 have been complied with by railways, and protective gear and devices, including mechanised equipment to any person engaged in cleaning in passenger coaches, station area or railway tracks, are being provided, he stated.

"There are no manual scavengers on Indian Railways," the minister informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. (PTI)

CPI Rajya Sabha member Binoy Viswam on Wednesday accused the government of taking away tribal land and giving it away for mining. Taking part in a discussion in the Upper House on the working of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, he also alleged that fund allocation of the ministry over the years had been decreased and the tribals were deprived of development.

"The government's mining policy says that wherever they want to come and invest and open a new mine, that will be given to miners of Indian origin and of foreign origin," Viswam said. Citing examples of Jharkhand and Odisha, he said thousands of acres of lands belonging to the tribals have been "given to the big mining lobby".

He accused the Centre of bowing before "the FDI of US, Australia, Germany" and asked the government to change its approach towards the development of tribals. (PTI)

The Opposition in Lok Sabha on Wednesday pressed for increasing the budget for maintenance of roads and stringent laws to deal with overloading of vehicles and reducing incidents of road accidents.

Initiating a debate on demand for grants of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Congress member A R Reddy said India has only one per cent of the vehicles while it accounts for 11 per cent of road accidents globally. He said the government should increase the budget for maintenance of roads to prevent such accidents. He also criticised the government for not being able to attract private investments in the highways sector.

Besides, Reddy demanded that the government speed up implementation of the Bharatmala Pariyojana. Participating in the discussions, Kalyan Banerjee (AITC) suggested that the government should come out with stringent laws to deal with overloading of vehicles as they create heavy traffic congestions. (PTI)

Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned ahead of Holi and will reassemble on March 21, 11 am to continue the ongoing second leg of the Budget Session. 

Congress MP from Kerala Hibi Eden on Wednesday demanded in Lok Sabha that the CPI(M)-affiliated Students' Federation of India (SFI) be banned in the state "like a terrorist organisation", alleging its members were committing crimes and attacking rival political party members.

During the Zero Hour, Eden raised the issue of a woman leader of the Congress-backed Kerala Students' Union (KSU) being "brutally" beaten up allegedly by the activists of SFI at the Government Law College in Thiruvananthapuram.

"I would like to draw the attention of the House to a very important matter - a heinous crime committed by the goons of the Students Federation of India in Trivandrum government law college... Student Union President and her colleagues were brutally beaten up by the SFI 'goondas' in the state," he alleged.

"SFI in Kerala should be banned like a terrorist organisation because the number of crimes committed every day by this particular organisation is unimaginable," he said and called on the Centre to intervene in the matter. (PTI)

Over 4,300 teaching posts are vacant in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) across the country, the Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar gave the information in response to a written question in Rajya Sabha.

The maximum vacant faculty positions are in IIT Kharagpur (815) followed by IIT Bombay (532), IIT Dhanbad (447), IIT Madras (396), IIT Kanpur (351), IIT Roorkee (296) and IIT BHU (289). He said IIT Delhi has 73 vacant faculty positions, IIT Bhubhaneshwar (115), IIT Gandhinagar (45), IIT Hyderabad (132), IIT Indore (81), IIT Jodhpur (65), IIT Mandi (73), IIT Patna (100), IIT Ropar (69), IIT Tirupati (18), IIT Palakkad (24), IIT Jammu (31), IIT Bhillai (43), IIT Goa (40) and IIT Dharwad (39).

"The government has implemented 10 percent reservation for admission of students under EWS category without any reduction in the number of seats available to GEN, SC, ST and OBC categories by increasing the student strength by 25 percent. Accordingly, requirement of faculty has increased in IITs," Sarkar said. He said the faculty recruitment takes time since it involves a number of stages in the process. (PTI)

Rajya Sabha is holding a discussion on Demands for Grants in Tribal Affairs Ministry.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda in the Lok Sabha said, 'The constitutional order of the tribal society should be protected, the government is committed to it. There should be complete development of the tribal areas, this is our priority.'

Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Demands for Grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2022-23. 

Rajya Sabha members on Wednesday expressed concern over the rising cases of cancer in the country and suggested various measures, including regular check-up camps in rural areas and mandatory warning on processed meat packets, to tackle the disease.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP's Mahesh Poddar demanded that cancer warning should be made mandatory on packets of processed meat in line with tobacco products. He said the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) had announced in 2015 that consumption of processed meat and red meat may cause cancer.

Expressing concern over the increased consumption of processed meat in India, the BJP member said the country could witness as high as 16 lakh cases annually by 2025. (PTI)

Speaker of Lok Sabha, Om Birla congratulated the members of the Lower House on Holi. The sitting of the house will be adjourned on March 17.

As many as 16 Chinese nationals have been granted Indian citizenship in the last 15 years, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said on Wednesday. Rai also informed the Rajya Sabha that 10 applications of Chinese nationals are pending for grant of citizenship.

"Further, 16 Chinese nationals have been granted Indian citizenship since 2007," he said replying to a written question. The Union Minister of State for Home said India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol.

He said all foreign nationals, including asylum seekers, are governed by the provisions contained in The Foreigners Act, 1946, The Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939, The Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920 and The Citizenship Act, 1955.  (PTI)

When did Kapil Sibal fight an election for any position in the party, senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid asked on Wednesday as he hit back at his party colleague for criticising the Gandhi family's leadership.

Saying it was a “bit sad” to complain after receiving so much from the organisation, Khurshid also attacked the ‘Group of 23' signatories, including Sibal, who wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 seeking sweeping changes in the party. “The Gandhi family is the party's integrating factor and the best possible leadership option in this moment of crisis,' Khurshid told PTI, countering Sibal who said it was time for the Gandhis to step aside from a leadership role and give some other person a chance.

'When did Mr. Sibal fight an election to get into any position in the party,' he asked in response to Sibal's remarks in an interview that the Gandhis should voluntarily move away because 'a body nominated by them will never tell them that they should not continue to hold the reins of power'.

Khurshid's staunch defence of the Gandhis comes at a time the Congress faces an existential crisis following its electoral defeats in the recent assembly elections, including in Uttar Pradesh where it won only two seats and a little over 2 per cent of the votes. According to Khurshid, the common perception after talking to people within the party is that they would like Rahul Gandhi to take over as full-time party president. (PTI)

The opposition Congress and CPI(M), who often jointly take on the government in Parliament, sparred with each other in Lok Sabha on Wednesday over the K-Rail Silverline project in Kerala, prompting Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take a dig at the two parties.

“Politics of Kerala is unique. Delhi main dosti, Kerala main kushti (friendship in Delhi, rivalry in Kerala), I can't say anything on that,” the minister quipped, as Congress and CPI(M) members raised slogans against each other. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is ruling the southern state, while the United Democratic Front (UDF), headed by the Congress, is the main opposition there.

During the Question Hour, Congress member Hibi Eden claimed there was huge resentment against the Silverline project and urged the Centre to consider the environmental and financial issues carefully before granting a final sanction. Another Congress member Benny Behanan claimed that the Silverline project was being implemented by the Kerala government without getting a final sanction from the Centre. (PTI)

Congress President Sonia Gandhi while speaking in Lok Sabha during the discussion on Matters of Urgent Public Importance on Wednesday, said, 'I urge the Govt to put an end to the systematic influence and interference of Facebook and other social media giants in the electoral politics of world's largest democracy.'

'We need to protect our democracy and social harmony regardless of who is in power,' Gandhi added.

Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders and the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders (being deemed OCI cardholders) are entitled to multiple entry lifelong visa for visiting India, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in the Rajya Sabha today. (ANI)

Antimicrobial copper coating has been applied on door handles in 300 coaches to provide long-term effectiveness against viruses, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday. His reply in Lok Sabha came in response to a question by BJP MP Rajdeep Roy, who sought to know whether the government was aware of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's announcement in February, 2021 that certain copper alloys provided long-term effectiveness against viruses, including Covid-19. (PTI)

Ten applications of Chinese nationals for Indian citizenship are still pending, according to data available in the online citizenship module, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in the Rajya Sabha today. "Further, 16 Chinese nationals have been granted Indian citizenship since 2007," he added. (ANI)

Addressing a controversial news report published on an app called 'Tek Fog', Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Mishra said: "The govt has noted the news article, published in a news portal about an App 'Tek Fog', in regard to its alleged use in manipulating social media platforms. The App has not been found on any prominent App Stores."

The Congress on Monday cited the media report, which claimed that a Reliance-funded firm boosted BJP's campaigns on Facebook, to allege that "murder of democracy" was taking place with the ruling party being promoted through "divisive proxy ads" during elections, PTI reported. 

(With agency inputs)

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged "systematic interference" of Facebook and other social media giants in India's electoral politics.Making a Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi referred to a report published in Al Jazeera and The Reporters' Collective claiming that Facebook had offered BJP cheaper deals for election advertisements as compared to other political parties."I urge the government to put an end to the systematic interference and influence of Facebook and other social media giants in the electoral politics of the world's largest democracy. This is beyond partisan politics," she said. (PTI)

Addressing the ways in which social media platforms have been misused by political parties and their leaders, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said: "Thank you for allowing me to take up issue of paramount importance - rising danger of social media being abused to hack our democracy. Global companies like FB and Twitter are used increasingly to shape political narratives by leaders, parties and their proxies." (ANI)

Manipur's caretaker CM N Biren Singh arrived at the Parliament on Wednesday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “I have come to meet the Prime Minister and Home Minister,” he told ANI. 

Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday gave a Zero Hour Submission in Rajya Sabha over wholesale inflation. "...Through this House, I urge the government to take appropriate measures to take away the burden from the common man and curb the rising inflation timely," reads her submission. (ANI)

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The second half of the Budget session of Parliament resumed from March 14 and will conclude on April 8. Follow this space for the latest updates. 

Government schemes have not been able to address the issues faced by the tribal population in India and these communities remain on the "backfoot" on major indicators such as literacy rate, infant mortality rate, access to clean drinking water, and digital infrastructure, CPI (M) member V Sivadasan told Parliament on Tuesday.

Participating in a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Sivadasan hit out at the government saying that while various programmes had been announced, in reality "nothing is happening in the field". "The tribal community in our country is facing lot of problems but the Union government is not ready to address the issues properly," he said in the Rajya Sabha.

Drawing attention to the plight of the tribal communities, he said the tribal population was "clearly on the backfoot" when it came to all major indicators including literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and access to clean drinking water as well as digital infrastructure. Sivadasan said that in 2021-22, the fund allocation for model residential schools was pegged at Rs 1,200 crore, but the utilisation was "zero".

"In tribal sector, a lot of research is required, but the government is not allocating the funds for research activities. Tribals have a lot of indigenous knowledge, it should be preserved and protected," he said, adding that of the Rs 60 crore allotted for the Tribal Research Institute, only Rs 1.6 crore have been utilised in 2021-22. (PTI)

Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as "incomplete and insufficient" the response by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in parliament about the "accidental firing" of a missile and demanded a joint probe into the incident which the Pakistani military said could have resulted in a "major disaster."

Addressing a press conference here, Shah Mahmood Qureshi talked in detail about India's accidental missile launch of March 9 that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province as well as the 48th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted by Pakistan on March 22-23.

“What Indian defence minister had said in the Lok Sabha is incomplete and insufficient. It is not enough to satisfy Pakistan. I reject that and demand a joint probe,” he said, reiterating Islamabad's demand made last week. “This was a highly irresponsible act and the answer given is equally irresponsible,” Qureshi said in the first Pakistani reaction to Singh's detailed statement in Parliament.

At a Corps Commanders' Conference held in Rawalpindi, Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed the accidental missile launch by India. "The forum reviewed with concern, the recent incident of missile firing, claimed as accidental by India, which could have resulted in a major disaster. (PTI)

The government has achieved goals such as higher revenue collection, widening of tax net as well as curbing terror funding post the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 bank notes in November 2016, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Tuesday.

The government had cancelled the legal tender status of high value Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination bank notes on November 8, 2016, aimed at flushing out black money, eliminating Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), and striking out the root of financing of terrorism and left-wing extremism, among others. It also intended to formalise the non-formal economy, expand the tax base and employment, as well as give a big boost to digitalisation of payments to make India a less cash economy.

The purpose accomplished by demonetisation on revenue collection and widening of tax base and the gains accrued include robust growth of 18 per cent in 2017-18 in net direct tax collections over 2016-17, Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. The minister said it was the highest in the preceding seven financial years, indicating the positive impact of demonetisation on the level of tax compliance in the country. (PTI)

The government on Tuesday said that the total population of stray dog and stray cattle was 203.31 lakh as per the 2019 census. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said: "National level of information regarding livestock population is collected every five years.

"The last livestock census was conducted in 2019 and next census is due in 2024. As per 2019 census, total population of stray dog and stray cattle in the country was 203.31 lakh." The management of public health, sanitation and cattle pounds comes under the purview of the State/UT Government and the local bodies need to evolve the mechanism to control stray animals in order to protect the citizens, he added.

The number of persons killed by animals stood at 1,130 in 2018, 1,425 in 2019 and 1,305 in 2020. (PTI)

No death has been reported for engaging in manual scavenging but 325 people have lost their lives in accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks in the last five years, the government said on Tuesday.

Family members of 276 people who died during the said period have received compensation, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

"No death has been reported due to engaging in manual scavenging (which is lifting of human excreta from insanitary latrines as defined in Section 2(1) (g) of the MS Act, 2013)," Athawale said in a written response.

He said 325 people have died due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks during the last five years. The highest number of such deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh at 52 followed by Tamil Nadu 43, Delhi 42, Haryana 33 and Maharashtra 30. (PTI)

The government on Tuesday said irregularities in the appointment of chief strategic advisor in the NSE during the tenure of a former MD and CEO were observed and the appointment was made without following due process.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has informed that an ex-MD&CEO of NSE, had sought guidance from a 'siddha purusha/yogi', Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhry said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. During the course of investigation by Sebi, it was found that certain emails on various matters were exchanged by that MD&CEO with the yogi, he said.

"Sebi has informed that irregularities were observed in the appointment of the chief strategic advisor (CSA), during the tenure of that ex-MD&CEO of NSE. This appointment was made without following due process of appointment," Chaudhry added.

Accordingly, Sebi imposed monetary penalty and other restrictions on that ex-MD&CEO and the then CSA for violation of provisions of Sebi Act, 1992 and SCRA, 1956/Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act. The matter relates to former NSE CEO Chitra Ramkrishna and Group Operating Officer Anand Subramanian, who are currently under the custody of the CBI, as the agency is probing them in the co-location scam. (PTI)

Lok Sabha on Tuesday will continue its proceedings for the ongoing Budget Session till 10 pm tonight. Discussion on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Railways for 2022-23 is underway in the Lower House.

The Centre has returned the anti-lynching bills of Rajasthan and Manipur to the respective state government seeking certain clarifications. Union Minister Nityanand Rai said this in Lok Sabha on Tuesday in response to Congress MP Manish Tewari's question on whether the central government has been delaying the review and consultation process with regards to the two bills.

"The government has received 'The Rajasthan Protection From Lynching Bill, 2019' and 'The Manipur Protection from Mob Violence Bill, 2018'".

“After consultation with the nodal ministries and departments, certain clarifications have been sought from the government of Rajasthan and the government of Manipur on October 12, 2021, and November 18, 2021, respectively," Rai said replying to a written question. The Rajasthan assembly passed the bill in August 2019 and it prescribes life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1-5 lakh to those convicted in cases of mob lynching leading to victim's death. 

The Manipur assembly passed the bill in December 2018 and it prescribes life imprisonment for those involved in mob violence, if it results in the death of a person. (PTI)

The government on Tuesday said in Lok Sabha that it is ready to hold discussion on the Ukraine issue. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said this has been decided in the Business Advisory Committee of the House.

'The government is ready for discussion on the Ukraine issue. Please give notice for that,' he said after the Opposition sought clarification on a statement made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In his statement on the situation in the war-torn country, Jaishankar said that 22,500 Indian citizens have returned safely from Ukraine. Jaishankar made a similar statement in Rajya Sabha earlier.

Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, rejected the demand for clarification. He said that in Lok Sabha, there is no provision for clarifications on a statement given by a minister. (PTI)

The Press Information Bureau's fact check unit, set up to take cognisance of fake news, has responded to over 31,000 queries so far, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

A Fact Check Unit was established under Press Information Bureau in November 2019 which takes cognizance of fake news both suo motu and by way of queries sent by citizens on its portal or through e-mail and social media. The unit responds to the relevant queries with correct and updated information.

Responding to a question raised in the Lower House, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said, "PIB Fact Check Unit has responded to 31,174 actionable queries till date." To a question on government initiatives to ban substandard online channels broadcasting fake news, he said news publishers on digital media are covered under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified on February 25, 2021, under Information Technology Act, 2000. (PTI)

Opposition members on Tuesday accused the government of indulging in jugglery of railway finances and sought to know whether it intends to privatise the Indian Railways after Air India.

Initiating the debate on Demand for Grants 2022-23 for Railway in Lok Sabha, Congress member K Suresh accused the government of running the railways in an inefficient manner and said it is indulging in jugglery in allocation of funds.

"... The intention of this government is privatising the Indian Railways also. Air India already sold. Now next step of this government is Indian Railways. That will happen very soon," Suresh said, asking the Railway Minister whether the Indian Railways will remain under Government of India or not.

He alleged that the government is not taking any sincere action to achieve the rail revenue target set in the Budget. For 2022-23 fiscal, the internal revenue of railways has been pegged at Rs 2.40 lakh crore, a 19 per cent increase from the revised estimates of the current fiscal. (PTI)

Naxal violence in the country has reduced by 77 per cent, from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, Union minister Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

The Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said the Central government has been supplementing the efforts of states as envisaged in the 'National Policy and Action Plan to address Left Wing Extremism', which was launched in 2015. He said the steadfast implementation of the policy has resulted in consistent decline in violence and constriction of its geographical spread.

"The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77 per cent from all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. Similarly, resultant deaths --civilians and security personnel -- have reduced by 85 per cent from all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021," he said while replying to a written question. (PTI)

The Centre has not yet taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens for the entire country, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The minister said on the direction of the Supreme Court, the supplementary list of inclusions and the list of exclusions for the NRC in Assam have been published on August 31, 2019.

“Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level,” he said in a written reply to a question. An update of the NRC (also referred to as NRIC) has been carried out only in Assam. When the final list of the NRC was published in 2019, a total of 19.06 lakh people, out of 3.30 crore applicants, were excluded, triggering a huge political row in the country. (PTI)

The martyrdom of freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru is a fact and is not dependent on the presumed presence or absence of official records, the government said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, asserting that their stature is far above any award, title or status.

In a written reply to a question from a member, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Mishra said the heroes who lost their lives during the freedom struggle have become martyrs for the cause of attaining the independence of India.

Mishra said the martyrdom of these freedom fighters and their invaluable contribution to India's freedom struggle form an inalienable part of the discourse of the country's fight for freedom and is well known in India's history.

"Their martyrdom in the supreme national cause of independence is a fact and is not dependent on the presumed presence or absence of official records. Their stature is far above any award or title or status accorded in this regard," he said. (PTI)

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar while discussing the evacuation of Indians from Ukraine said that the Sumy evacuation was extremely complex as Indian students faced the prospect of being caught in crossfire. 

"Their evacuation from the city needed a credible ceasefire. This finally materialised due to the personal intervention of PM himself with the Presidents of Ukraine and Russia," the EAM added.

India is not facing any power crisis as the installed electricity generation capacity stood at 395.6 gigawatts (GW) against the peak demand of 203 GW recorded in 2021-22, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

"There is no power crisis in the country. As on February 28, 2022, the installed generation capacity is around 395.6 GW, which is sufficient to meet the demand of electricity in the country. The peak demand experienced during the current year was only 203 GW," said Power Minister R K Singh in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In another reply to the House, the minister told the House that as per the information compiled by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the import of coal reduced to 22.7 MT (million tonnes) during 2021-22 (April-January) as against 39 MT during the same period last year, mainly due to high imported coal price in the international market. (PTI)

No beneficiary of the Ayushman Bharat scheme has been denied treatment due to lack of funds, the government said on Tuesday while noting the scheme's revised budget was cut due to less requirement or demand from states.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharti Pawar said the budget estimates for the scheme for 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 was Rs 6,400 crore each year against which the revised estimate was Rs 3,200 crore, Rs 3,100 crore and Rs 3,199 crore respectively.

Going by the usual procedure, after review, the budgetary allocation is revised depending on fund utilisation. Accordingly, due to less requirement or demand from states, the revised estimate was reduced, she said in a written response. (PTI)

Union External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha shared the details of Operation Ganga in the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of the Parliament. 

He said, "As tensions increased, Indian Embassy in Ukraine started a registration drive for Indians in Jan 2022. As a result, around 20,000 Indians registered. Most Indian nationals were students pursuing medical studies in Ukrainian universities dispersed throughout the country." The Union Minister also said that more than half the students were in universities in eastern Ukraine that borders Russia and has been epicentre of conflict so far. 

He also said, "In view of continued buildup of tensions in February, the Embassy issued an advisory on 15 February 2022, advising Indians in Ukraine whose stay isn't essential to leave country temporarily. It also advised Indians not to travel to Ukraine or undertake non-essential movements within Ukraine."

"Students hail from 35 states/UTs of India with over 1000 students each from Kerala, UP, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar and Rajasthan," Jaishankar added.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha said, "At the direction of the Prime Minister, we launched Operation Ganga, thereby undertaking one of the most challenging evacuation exercises during an ongoing conflict situation.

''Our community was dispersed across Ukraine, posing its own logistical challenges," he added.

Rajya Sabha on Tuesday resumed proceeding after lunch and has taken up the discussion on working of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region. 

At the BJP Parliamentary meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised on the importance of films in documenting history. He said, "Some people talk of freedom of expression but you must have noticed, there is no film on the Emergency period -- such a huge incident -- because of the relentless efforts to hide the truth."

These days you must have seen discussions about the Kashmir Files film. "People who always raise flag of freedom of expression are restless. Instead of reviewing on facts, campaign being run to discredit it... they want to hide the truth."

Lok Sabha member from Tamil Nadu on Tuesday sought to know the English translation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, saying Hindi names of various central schemes are in a way beneficial for non-BJP governments in non-Hindi speaking states as people don't understand who is sponsoring them. 

DMK MP DNV Senthilkumar S said in the lower house that the Hindi names of various schemes of the central government were “blessings in disguise” as those living in non-Hindi speaking states don't understand their meaning. "Please tell us the English name of the PMAY. Since people don't understand the true meaning, the credit does not go to you (central government),” he said during Question Hour.

In her reply, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said if the MP can understand the meaning of the Indira Awas Yojana, then he can understand the meaning of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana too. "It is not on any individual's name,” she said. (PTI)

Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) at the national level, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told Lok Sabha, ANI reported. 

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Tuesday replaced Ritesh Pandey as the party leader in Lok Sabha with Girish Chandra Jatav, the first change in party-related responsibilities after the huge setback in Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. Pandey, a Brahmin, represents the Ambedkar Nagar constituency and Jatav, a Dalit, the Nagina (SC-reserved) constituency. Meanwhile, the party has replaced Jatav as the chief whip with Sangeeta Azad, MP from Lalganj (SC-reserved).

The BSP has 10 members in Lok Sabha. Shrawasti MP Ram Shiromani Verma, meanwhile, will continue as the deputy leader of the party in the House. Read more

The Ministry of Defence, including the armed forces, has been allocated Rs 5.38 lakh crore in this year’s Budget, nearly one-fourth less than its projected demand of more than Rs 7 lakh crore.

According to figures shared by Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in Rajya Sabha Monday, this year’s budgeted spending on defence, as a share of the government’s total expenditure, will also be the lowest in five years.

Answering questions in the Upper House, Bhatt said in the Budget Estimates for this year the Defence Ministry had projected Rs 4.87 lakh crore for Defence Services Estimates, of which Rs 3.85 lakh crore has been allocated. Read more

Private TV channels whom the government takes action against for allegedly propagating contents detrimental to the national security are given enough opportunities to clarify their stand, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said all fresh and renewal applications of private TV channels are vetted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said if any channel's activity is found to be posing threat to the national security, the MHA denies the security clearance which leads to an automatic cancellation of licence provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

"If it is a matter of national security, there can't be any compromise," he said during the Question Hour. The minister said that due process is followed before any action is taken against any TV channel. "In some cases, the channel concerned does not come with the renewal application, while in other cases we issue show cause notice and if the reply of that show cause notice is found to be not satisfactory, then only we take action,” he said. (PTI)

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi told ANI that during the BJP Parliamentary meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi "appreciated how the party proceeded against 'parivarvaad' (dynasty politics)".

The PM also apprised the party members of the Ukraine crisis. "He talked about how people did politics without any details/statistics during the Ukraine evacuation... and about how Poland gave open access to our nationals," Joshi added.

Underlining that the BJP is against dynasty politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said it is because of him that children of several MPs didn't get tickets in the recently concluded assembly polls, according to PTI sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh during the BJP parliamentary party meeting. (PTI)


PM Modi and BJP National President JP Nadda being garlanded during the BJP parliamentary party meeting (PTI)


PM Modi, Nadda, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Singh and other BJP leaders during the BJP parliamentary party meeting (PTI)

Stating that a probe has been ordered into the incident of the inadvertent firing of a missile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the House, "We attach the highest priority to the safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified."

"Moreover, our safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order and are reviewed from time to time. Our Armed Forces are well-trained, disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems," Singh added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament said, “The Government has taken serious note of the incident. A formal high-level inquiry has been ordered. The inquiry would determine the exact cause of the said accident.” He added, “I would also like to state that a review of the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections is being conducted in the wake of this incident."

In a statement over the inadvertent firing of a missile on March 9, which Pakistan said landed 124 km deep inside its territory, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday assured the House that the “missile system is very reliable and safe”. Last week, India had acknowledged that a “technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile”.