The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day on Friday amid continued sloganeering by Opposition MPs over the Manipur issue. (Video screengrab/ Sansad TV)Parliament Monsoon Session 2023 Highlights, Day 7 (July 28): Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Friday said that he was ready for a discussion on the Manipur issue, pointing out that several MPs had moved Rule 267 over the same issue– Manipur. He also said that the behaviour of the Members needed to be “so exemplified that people at large are motivated to emulate them.” He also appealed to the MPs to “rise above partisan interests and work”. As Opposition MPs protested during his speech, Dhankhar named TMC MP Derek O’Brien and said that it had become his “habit to engage in theatrics”, and soon after, adjourned the Rajya Sabha for the day.
The Lok Sabha too, was adjourned till 12 pm, a few minutes after proceedings began, due to protests by Opposition MPs. They are demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement on the Manipur issue. The Opposition has also objected to the government clearing Bills dealing with policy changes at a time when the Lok Sabha is in the process of taking up a no-confidence motion against the Union government, calling it a “travesty” and against “probity and propriety”.
The Opposition brought the no-trust on Wednesday using it as a strategic tool to compel PM Modi to speak on Manipur issue within the Parliament. The focus is now on the Speaker who will allot a date and time for discussion and vote on the motion.
Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reached out to various parties to break the deadlock in Parliament. The Rajya Sabha has been witnessing repeated disruptions ever since it met for the Monsoon session on July 20, with opposition members seeking a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur violence and a discussion under Rule 267.
Representatives of various parties, including Leader of the House Piyush Goyal, Congress deputy leader in the House Pramod Tiwari and chief whip Jairam Ramesh, besides leaders of the BJD, NCP and other parties were present during the meeting. However, no solution to end the stalemate in the House could be reached, sources said. (PTI)
The government said in the Lok Sabha that there was no proposal to amend the anti-defection law. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said there is no proposal to amend the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution or the anti-defection law. The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution provides for the prevention of defection of the elected and nominated members from their political party and contains stringent provisions for curbing the menace of switching over of legislators.
No consensus on amending the law was reached at a meeting of presiding officers held here in July last year chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who said constitution experts, legal scholars and other stakeholders would be consulted on the matter. There were two divergent views among the members of a committee constituted to examine the law, with the majority in favour of giving more power to the Chair (presiding officer of the House), while the minority view was the power should be with the president of the political party. (PTI)
The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has made a conscious effort to put women at the centre of the national conversation on health which has ensured their equal participation in it, the government informed Lok Sabha. Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said women account for approximately 49 per cent of Ayushman card recipients. 141 health benefit packages under the health insurance scheme are exclusively earmarked for women, he said. nder the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the government provides a health insurance of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. (PTI)
1,774 health facilities across 32 states and Union Territories have adopted the 'Scan and Share' service which enables for quick and seamless OPD registration for patients using smartphones, the Lok Sabha was told today. A total of 52 lakh tokens have been generated using the service under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) which aims to create a digital platform enabling interoperability of health data within the health ecosystem to create longitudinal electronic health record of every citizen, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in response to a question.
Under the Mission, the Scan and Share feature has been enabled for quick and seamless OPD (out patient department) registration for patients at hospitals using their smartphone, he said. his facility has been provisioned through the use of a hospital-specific QR code and an ABDM-enabled personal health record (PHR) application. By scanning the QR code, patients can share their demographic details with the hospital via the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) profile.
In return, they receive a token number that they can use to obtain their OPD printed card from the OPD registration counter, Mandaviya explained. (PTI)
As many as 319 pregnant women, including 19 in the high-risk category, have received crucial antenatal care in strife-torn Manipur, while 139 pregnant women have given birth to babies since the onset of the current crisis in the state till July 24, the government informed Parliament today.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said medical teams have been formed in each of the affected districts in the northeastern state to provide overall healthcare services to the victims at the designated relief camps. The Union health ministry deputed six teams comprising four doctors each in the state in May and another team of four doctors in July, Pawar said.
Regular health check-ups are conducted at all the designated relief camps across the state and those who are seriously ill are promptly transferred to the nearest hospitals by ambulance services, she added. Healthcare services for women and children, including lactating mothers and feeding infants, are provided under the maternal health and child health programmes. (PTI)
Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal appealed to the opposition "to discuss in proper manner on Manipur issue". He said that any issue can be resolved through dialogue, adding that the government had agreed to discuss the issue but the opposition later said that they would only discuss it if it is done under rule 267.
The government, in the Lok Sabha today, said that over 1550 street children had been rescued from across the country so far this year. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) rescued 1,551 street children during spot field drives.Irani added that after rescuing the street children, the NCPCR produced them before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of their respective areas and ensured they were rehabilitated.
The WCD minister said that The NCPCR is in the process of identifying the rescued children and that so far 24 states have shared information on the hotspots where homeless children were found in higher numbers. (PTI)
The Lok Sabha passed the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, which seek to usher in better quality of nursing and dental education. The National Dental Commission Bill seeks to repeal the Dentists Act, 1948 and proposes to set up National Dental Commission (NMC) to regulate dental education and the profession in the country. It also aims to make dental education affordable and make quality oral healthcare accessible.
The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 aims at setting up National Nursing and Midwifery Commission (NNMC) and to repeal the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947. The Bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a national register as well as state registers.
Moving the bills for consideration and passing, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said these would help improve the quality of nursing and dental education in the country and strengthen the regulatory framework. (PTI)
Parliament was informed today that there has been an 82-per cent increase in the number of medical colleges in the country, from 387 before 2014 to 704 now, and a 110-per cent increase in the number of MBBS seats, from 51,348 to 1,07,948, in the same period.
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said there has also been an increase of 117 per cent in the number of post-graduate (PG) medical seats in the country -- from 31,185 before 2014 to 67,802 as of now.
Mandaviya said 101 medical colleges have been approved in the last five years under a centrally-sponsored scheme (CSS) for the "establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals", including one in Assam. "The government has increased the number of medical colleges and subsequently, increased the MBBS seats," he said. (PTI)
Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday said a bill to replace the ordinance promulgated for the creation of an authority for transfers and postings of Group-A officers in Delhi will be taken up by Lok Sabha next week.
The law and justice minister was informing the House about the business listed for the coming week.
A number of notices submitted by opposition leaders to move a statutory resolution opposing the controversial ordinance will also be taken up when the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill is tabled in the House.
The Lok Sabha Secretariat has admitted notices submitted by several opposition leaders including Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, TMC's Saugata Roy and DMK's A Raja, N K Premchandran and Dean Kuriakose.
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, which will replace the ordinance promulgated by the Centre on May 19.
The controversial ordinance was promulgated a week after the Supreme Court handed over the control of services in Delhi, excluding police, public order and land, to the elected government headed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
It facilitated the setting up of a National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) for the transfer of and disciplinary proceedings against Group-A officers from the DANICS cadre.
Transfer and postings of all officers of the Delhi government were under the executive control of the lieutenant governor before the May 11 top court verdict.
Kejriwal's AAP, which is also a part of the opposition coalition INDIA, has reacted strongly against the ordinance, saying the Centre had "deceived" the people of Delhi.
The Congress and other opposition parties have also come out against the ordinance. (PTI)
A bill to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday amid disruptions by opposition members over violence in Manipur.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the bill after the House met following an earlier adjournment over the Manipur issue.
When the chair asked whether Manish Tewari wanted to say something on The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023 at the introduction stage, the Congress member raised the Manipur issue.
Cutting short Tewari's remarks, the chair moved ahead and the bill was introduced by a voice vote amid din.
The bill will come up for consideration and passage next week, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the House on Friday while listing out government business for next week. PTI
The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a bill which seeks to grant exploration licence to private sector players for critical minerals.
The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, also empowers the central government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite licence for certain critical minerals.
Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi moved the bill for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha. The opposition members were protesting in the house over the Manipur issue.
“The amendments in the bill will be a game changer. We are going to produce 1 billion tonne of coal and make India self sufficient in the energy sector,” Joshi said.
"We have decided to stop coal import by 2025-26," he added.
The bill was later passed by voice vote amid slogan shouting by opposition members. PTI
Amid protests by Opposition MPs over the Manipur issue, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 11 am on July 31 (Monday).
Opposition MPs continued their sloganeering and raising placards over the Manipur issue, demanding a comprehensive statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Opposition MPs continued raising slogans over the Manipur issue and raised placards in the Lok Sabha after it resumed proceedings at 12 pm.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar Friday said that he was ready for a discussion on the Manipur issue, pointing out that several MPs had moved Rule 267 over the same issue– Manipur. He also said that the behaviour of the Members needed to be “so exemplified that people at large are motivated to emulate them.” He also appealed to the MPs to “rise above partisan interests and work”. As Opposition MPs protested during his speech, Dhankhar named TMC MP Derek O’Brien and said that it had become his “habit to engage in theatrics”, and soon after, adjourned the Rajya Sabha for the day.
Amid sloganeering and protests by Opposition MPs over the Manipur issue, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 pm on Friday, minutes into resuming.
Continuing their protest, Opposition MPs belonging to the INDIA-bloc protested outside the Parliament building this morning, demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on the Manipur issue.
A meeting of like-minded Opposition floor leaders is currently underway at the chambers of the Rajya Sabha's Leader of Opposition, to chart out a strategy.
As the Opposition objects to the passing of Bills in Lok Sabha while a no-confidence motion is pending, AAP MP Raghav Chadha told news agency ANI, "No bill is introduced in Parliament after a no-confidence motion is accepted by the Lok Sabha Speaker, but we are seeing that several bills are introduced and passed in Parliament. I appeal to the Speaker that no legislative business should take place in Lok Sabha now...A delegation of the I.N.D.I.A bloc will visit Manipur, with the hope of providing support & stand in solidarity with the people of Manipur. It is too little, too late to handover the Manipur viral video case to CBI after 85 days."
The government spent Rs 408.46 crore on the publicity of its schemes through the Central Bureau of Communications in 2022-23, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
In a written reply, Thakur said the government spent Rs 1,179.17 crore on publicity in 2018-19, and Rs 708.18 crore in 2019-20 through different media vehicles.
The minister said an independent third-party agency conducted an all-India Survey/Impact Assessment Study of multimedia campaigns executed by the Central Bureau of Communications covering 722 districts.
Read the full story here.
While discussing The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill 2023 today (July 27), MoS Ramdas Athawale called Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge a villain, took a poetic jibe at the Opposition and gave his full form of the alliance INDIA.
The leaders of the Opposition alliance, INDIA, met at the Parliamentary office of the Leader of Opposition on Thursday to chalk out strategies. Most of them were dressed in black, marking their protest against the denial of a discussion on the situation in Manipur and the postponement of their no-confidence motion debate.
(Express Photos by Anil Sharma)
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the absence of Opposition party members who staged a walk out over Manipur violence issue, after the House resumed at 2 pm.
Passed by a voice vote, the bill which aims at curbing piracy to help the film industry and simplifying licensing procedure, seeks to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952. The government has proposed a maximum three-year jail term and a fine up to five per cent of the production cost of a film for persons making pirated copies of movies, according to a PTI report.
It also proposes to allow the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) grant certificate to films with perpetual validity by doing away with the 10-year validity period. The bill seeks to introduce three age-based certifications under 'UA' category, namely 'UA 7 ', 'UA 13 ' and 'UA 16 ', and also to empower the CBFC to sanction a film with a separate certificate for its exhibition on television or other media, the report highlighted.
Read the full story here.
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Thursday, speaking on the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha, said that "piracy is like cancer... we are trying to eradicate it through the Bill."
Thakur, addressing the House, further said, "The government issued directions to block public access to 635 URLs, including 120 YouTube-based news channels, since December 2021 for publishing fake news and content not found to be in interest of sovereignty and integrity of country."
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day amid Oppositin protest over Manipur issue, and will now resume at 11 am on July 28.
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, as reported by Joint Committee was passed in Lok Sabha on Thursday after the House resumed at 3 pm amid Opposition sloganeering over the Manipur issue.
The bill seeks to promote ease of business by decriminalising minor offences by amending 183 provisions in 42 acts, news agency PTI reported. Moving the bill for passing, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said it will promote the ease of doing business by decriminalising a number of provisions.
Goyal said around 40,000 provisions and procedures which had the possibility of creating problems for people were either simplified or removed by the Narendra Modi government over the last nine years. Read more here.
A bill to amend the offshore areas mineral law was introduced in Lok Sabha on Thursday after the House resumed at 2 pm amid Opposition protests over the Manipur issue.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi introduced the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, following a voice vote.
In the Rajya Sabha, the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023 was introduced for discussion after the House resumed at 2 pm.
Proceedings in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha reconvene after being adjourned amid din.
Training his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Thursday said the PM doesn’t wish to speak (on the Manipur issue) in Parliament but can deliver political speech in Rajasthan.
Talking to the media outside the Parliament, Kharge said, “People have woken up, and they will continue to fight… You (PM Modi) don’t want to speak in Parliament, which is the temple of democracy, but can inaugurate a medical college in Rajasthan and speak politics there?” Read more
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday hit out at the Opposition alliance, INDIA, over disruptions in the Rajya Sabha while he was giving a suo moto statement over the country’s foreign policy.
“If you claim to be INDIA but do not want to listen to India’s national interests, then what kind of INDIA are you? You are an INDIA which is prepared to sacrifice national interest, that is not India,” Jaishankar said.
Chaos ensued as members in the Treasury benches chanted “Modi, Modi”, while those in Opposition raised “India, India” slogans during his statement in the Rajya Sabha. Read more
Follow proceedings of the Parliament Monsoon session Live here
“We felt that in the past few months, there have been enormous achievements… We are putting really big energy into a semiconductor mission because that will make India strong for the future," EAM S Jaishankar tells media outside Parliament.
Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon.
The leaders of the Opposition alliance, INDIA, met at the Parliamentary office of the Leader of Opposition to chalk out the strategies. Many of them were wearing black.
Ahead of the Parliamentary session, the leaders of the Opposition alliance INDIA met at the Parliamentary office of the leader of Opposition to chalk out the strategies. Many of them were wearing black.
The parties that attended the meeting were:
1. INC
2. TMC
3. DMK
4. CPI(M)
5. RJD
6. SP
7. NCP
8. SS
9. AAP
10. CPI
11. IUML
12. RLD
13. KC(M)
14. JMM
15. JD(U)
16. RSP
17. VCK
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks in Rajya Sabha as Opposition benches raise slogans on Manipur issue.
Soon after the session commenced, Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid sloganeering by the Opposition MPs. They are demanding discussion on Manipur issue in the presence of PM Modi.
"First, there should be confidence among the opposition parties. Then only they can talk about the confidence of people..." Parliamentary Affairs minister Pralhad Joshi on no-confidence motion.
The Opposition alliance INDIA is likely to boycott a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of Rajya Sabha to be held today morning, news agency PTI reported. The BAC has 11 members with three MPs from the 26-member INDIA -- one each from Congress, RJD and TMC. The Vice President serves as the committee's ex-officio chairman. The opposition parties may however send someone who is not a member as an 'observer' to the meeting, a Congress source told PTI.
In a parliamentary democracy, a government can be in power only if it commands a majority in the directly elected House. Article 75(3) of our Constitution embodies this rule by specifying that the Council of Ministers are collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
For testing this collective responsibility, the rules of Lok Sabha provide a particular mechanism – a motion of no-confidence. Any Lok Sabha MP, who can garner the support of 50 colleagues, can, at any point of time, introduce a motion of no-confidence against the Council of Ministers.
As the Modi government faces no-confidence motion brought by the Congress, read more it here
BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar asks why the Opposition wants the PM to speak on Manipur issue in Parliament first? "...They are demanding discussion and we are ready. Home Minister has said that the discussion can run as long as they (Opposition) as they want. Why do they want PM to speak first? PM has already spoken outside the Parliament. He will speak inside when it is necessary. He can speak after the discussion. But they are creating a ruckus...They do not have the numbers..."
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said, "Today is the 4th day of team INDIA's protest & we have been demanding that PM Modi should come to the Parliament and speak on the Manipur issue...Manipur is burning and people are residing in relief camps. But PM Modi is comparing INDIA with terrorist groups & saying that he would come to power in 2024. He should at least show some sensitivity..."
A no confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government moved by the Congress to mount pressure on the BJP over the Manipur issue was accepted by the Lower House.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he would discuss the matter with floor leaders and assign a date and time for taking up the motion.
In this video, senior journalist Manoj CG explains the standoff in Parliament, why is Manipur important for the Opposition, and what is BJP's stand.
The Congress party on Wednesday issued a ‘three-line’ whip to its MPs, urging them to be present in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow.
“Very important issues will be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow… All Members of Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha are requested to kindly remain present in the House from 11:00 AM onwards till the adjournment of the House on Thursday, July 27, 2023 without fail and support the party stand. This may be treated as most important,” the party said.
Before being adjourned for the day, the Rajya Sabha passed a Bill giving tribal status to Hattee community in Himachal Pradesh.
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day, and will resume at 11 am on July 27 (Thursday).
Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, which seeks to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The Bill seeks to exempt land within 100 km of the country’s borders from the purview of the forest conservation laws and permit setting up of zoos, safaris and eco-tourism facilities in forest areas.
The Lower House was adjourned for the day after the passage of the bill. It will resume at 11 am on Thursday.
Lok Sabha adjourned for 11 am tomorrow.
Lok Sabha passes Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, that seeks to amend the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
Both the houses of Parliament reconevend at 2 pm amid din by the Opposition over Manipur issue.
The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm.
P Chidambaram says not one question on Manipur has been answered by the government in this session.
Follow Parliament proceedings Live here.
LoP Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, in his letter to Amit Shah, has said it seems coming to the House and making a statement on Manipur is hurting the PM's honour.
After Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepts the no-trust motion filed by the Opposition parties, the lower house was adjourned till 2 pm amid din.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against the Central government today. As the Opposition parties continue to protest in Parliament, demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Manipur, the Congress also called for a meeting of its Lok Sabha MPs in the party's parliamentary office and issued a three-line whip for its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the Parliament today.
Huge uproar in Rajya Sabha as Opposition members resgister protest. RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourns House till 12 noon.