Parliament Budget Session Highlights: Ganga water was fit for bathing during Maha Kumbh, Govt tells Parliament

The government is in the process of setting a special purpose vehicle for making regional transport aircraft, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Monday as he asserted that necessary policies are in place for India to manufacture planes and its components.

Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the minister highlighted the steps taken by the government to promote aircraft component manufacturing and MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) activities, including having a uniform IGST rate.

India is one of the world's fastest growing civil aviation markets and domestic carriers have placed orders for more than 1,500 planes as they expand their fleets to meet rising air traffic demand.

"We have changed the thought process that we have when it comes to manufacturing of aircraft. We are saying that India is at the stage right now where we can manufacture, we can design and we can maintain an aircraft," Naidu said.

Elaborating about the way forward, the minister said the government has adopted a holistic approach and is in the process of setting a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for manufacturing regional transport aircraft.

"We have a plan to create an SPV for five years, which is going to bring in all the necessary stakeholders... study the existing picture in the country and create a road map...," he said and added that the idea is to make the aircraft in five years.

(PTI)

Rajya Sabha BJP member Sanjay Seth on Monday expressed concerns over the rising cases of cyber crimes and bank frauds in the country and demanded setting up of a fast track court to deal with such frauds.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the House, Seth said a large number of people use digital and online payment systems, but due to inadequate security measures, many of them lose their hard-earned income to cyber frauds within seconds.

Seth stressed that while digital India is being promoted in the country, the financial security of citizens too should get equal priority.

(PTI)

Assam BJP leader Dilip Saikia calls for making Sanskrit a compulsory subject in schools. "At least one Sanskrit school and college should be open in all states," he said.

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, calls for a discussion on the voter list, agrees with Speaker Om Birla.

"We accept your stance that the government doesn't create the voter list, but questions are rising about it across the country. The entire opposition is demanding a discussion on the voter list," he said.

The scheme, approved in 2022, seeks to develop 14,500 schools to “showcase” the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and be “exemplars” for other schools in their region. The scheme is for existing elementary, secondary, and senior secondary schools run by the central government and state and local governments around the country.

PM SHRI schools are selected through the “challenge mode” — schools that meet certain minimum benchmarks (including a pucca building in good condition, barrier-free access ramps, at least one toilet each for boys and girls) can apply online.

"It’s a vicious design to demean the institution of Parliament. They are not interested in debate but want to give an impression that the government does not want to answer or enter into a debate," he said.

Chaos erupts in Parliament during Question Hour. Speaker Om Birla requests the Opposition to quiet down and let the minister speak. "This is not right, is against the values of Parliament, don't violate it".

Proceedings resume in the lower house of the Parliament as the second half of the Budget session begins. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged political parties to ensure smooth functioning of Question Hour in the House.

Lok Sabha Speaker has urged all the members attending the BAC to continue the Question Hour. Railway, Agriculture, Jal Shakti among the ministries whose demands will be discussed, said Lok Sabha sources to PTI

The Union Cabinet has cleared all 14 amendments to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 proposed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) last month and will be presented today, in the second part of the Budget session.

What is the row about?

📌The Bill was introduced in August last year to amend the Waqf Act of 1995, which governs the management of waqf properties in India. It proposed sweeping changes which give the government a foot in the door in regulating waqf properties, and settling disputes regarding such properties.

📌Amidst criticism from the Opposition, the Bill had been referred to a JPC. On January 27, the Committee headed by BJP MP Jagadambika Pal cleared 14 amendments proposed by the BJP and its allies, while rejecting 44 amendments proposed by the Opposition. The amendments cleared by the JPC, and now the Union Cabinet, address some of the more contentious parts of the Bill. Read more

With the second half of budget session starting today, the opposition is ready for fiery start as it plans to raise concerns over matters like the alleged manipulation of electoral rolls, the recent surge in violence in Manipur.

Debrief below:

📌 The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has warned of nationwide movement if the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is likely to be tabled during the session, gets a nod.

📌 The Trinamool Congress (TMC) will raise the issue of voter ID number duplication in the second half of Parliament’s Budget Session that starts on Monday, party leader Derek O’Brien said.

📌 Sources said that while the tariff offensive by the US will be among the issues that the Congress and other INDIA parties are going to raise “strongly”, the row over the deportation of illegal Indian immigrants from the US in chains would also be raked up by them.

📌The DMK would also raise the issue of alleged “Hindi imposition” through the three-language formula under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The issue would be a test for the Congress, which has to balance its Southern interests with its revival plans in the North, where Bihar is slated for the Assembly polls later this year.