Wednesday marks the last day of the Budget session of Parliament. This also means that today marks the end of the 16th Lok Sabha ahead of the General Elections. The session, which began on February 1 with the presentation of the Union Budget by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, has seen 10 sittings each.
Several contentious Bills such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, and the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018, listed for business. The Bills, already passed by the Lower House, will lapse if not ratified by Rajya Sabha members. The Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, is also likely to be tabled today.
Also read | Citizenship and triple talaq Bills will lapse if no Rajya Sabha nod today
In the Lok Sabha, some of the Bills listed include The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2018, and the Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018.
Members stand up for 'Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha. The House has been adjourned sine die.
Taking stock of the work done during the 16th Lok Sabha's tenure, Mahajan said, "We should also think how much was in the service of the people who gave us the mandate to work for them." She also mentioned the departure of former members including Atal Bihari Vajpayee and George Fernandes.
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She also expressed her gratitude to PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and leaders of the opposition leaders. Mahajan made special mention of Deputy speaker Thambidurai for trying to ensure a smooth conduct of the proceedings of the House.
Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, PM Narendra Modi said, "no earthquake struck this government in the last five years." He was referring to Gandhi's statement last year that "there would be an earthquake if he were allowed to speak."
In his valedictory address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it was this Lok Sabha that passed stringent laws against corruption and black money.
Heaping praise on the Goods and Services Tax, PM Modi said, "It is this Lok Sabha that passed the GST. The GST process revealed the spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship."
I want to appreciate the role of Speaker Sumitra Mahajan
in conducting the proceedings of the House: PM Modi begins his remarks in the Lok SabhaPrime Minister Narendra Modi is giving his final speech in the Lok Sabha before the general elections.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP AP Jithender Reddy lavished praise on Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan for giving him substantial time to put forth the concerns of his state.
P Karunakaran, CPM, Kasaragod: It is the duty of the opposition to raise the issue, sometimes in the form of shouting. I request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the House to take more seriously the issues facing Kerala, which is stilling reeling from the effects of the devastating floods.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, SP, Azamgarh: I would like to congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the House together during the 16th Lok Sabha session and wished Modi to become Prime Minister again after the forthcoming election.
The Lok Sabha has reconvened for the post lunch session and Congress leader KC Venugopal is speaking presently.
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 3 PM.
Lok Sabha passes The Banning of Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, who moved the Bill in the House, said it has been drafted with great care. The Bill provides a comprehensive mechanism to ban the unregulated deposit schemes and to protect the interest of depositors and for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto, be taken into consideration.
The House is now discussing The Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has adjourned the House sine die after his customary address at the end of the session. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the triple talaq Bill are now set to lapse. The provision regarding lapse of a Bill in the Rajya Sabha Legislative Procedure states: “A Bill pending in Rajya Sabha which has not been passed by Lok Sabha does not lapse on the dissolution of Lok Sabha but a Bill which is passed by Lok Sabha and is pending in Rajya Sabha lapses on the dissolution of Lok Sabha.”
Citizenship and triple talaq Bills lapse with no Rajya Sabha nod
The Rajya Sabha has passed without debate the motion thanking the President for his address at the start of the Budget session. The House has also passed the Finance Bill, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha yesterday. The interim Budget was also passed by the House without debate.
In the Finance Bill, 2019, the government has proposed to raise tax rebate for people having annual income up to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 2,500 to Rs 12,500, which will effectively ensure that they don’t have to pay any tax. Standard deduction has also been raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000, besides a host of tax benefits to home buyers, reports PTI.
Union minister Arun Jaitley, taking to Twitter, says "the lies of the ‘Mahajhootbandhan’ stand exposed" by the CAG report on Rafale. "'Satyameva Jayate' – the truth shall prevail. The CAG Report on Rafale reaffirms the dictum.
How does democracy punish those who consistently lied to the nation?" he tweets. "2016 vs. 2007 terms – Lower price, faster delivery, better maintenance, lower escalation. It cannot be that the Supreme Court is wrong, the CAG is wrong and only the dynast is right," Jaitley adds.
The CAG report on the Rafale deal, which was tabled in the Rajya Sabha a while ago, says India saved 17.08 per cent money for the India Specific Enhancements while purchasing 36 Rafale aircraft from France, as compared to the 126 aircraft deal negotiated by the UPA government. It adds that the delivery schedule of the first 18 Rafale aircraft is better than the one which was proposed in the 126 aircraft deal, reports news agency ANI. The Rajya Sabha will resume in a few minutes.
Not just the Congress, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) staged protests outside Parliament this morning. The TDP has been urging the Centre to grant Andhra Pradesh special status. In fact, The Indian Express reports that a draft report prepared by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs is learnt to have recommended special status to the state. (Express Photos: Anil Sharma)
TDP MPs outside Parliament; TMC MPs with a 'Modi Govt Expiry Date is Over' banner this morning. (Express Photo: Anil Sharma)
A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report with findings on the Rafale deal has been tabled in the Rajya Sabha. The Performance Audit on “Capital Acquisition in Indian Air Force” details its findings in the deal between India and France over the acquisition of 36 Rafale aircraft at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore in April 2015. The Upper House was adjourned minutes after the report was tabled.
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh lead protests against the Rafale deal outside Parliament on Wednesday. (Express Photo: Anil Sharma)
Welcome to our live blog on Parliament. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha have been adjourned within minutes due to disruptions by members. The CAG report on the Rafale deal was tabled in the Rajya Sabha amid ruckus. Today marks the last day of the Budget session, and also signals the the conclusion of the 16th Lok Sabha ahead of the General Elections. Follow our blog through the day for the latest news and updates.