Parliament Winter Session LIVE Updates: MP Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Jitendra Singh at Parliament during Winter Session in New Delhi on Thursday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)Parliament Winter Session 2021 Highlights: Both the Houses of Parliament have been adjourned till Monday 11 am. The proceedings of Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day soon after the laying of papers on Friday, with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urging the government and opposition to arrive at a consensus over the issue of suspension of MPs. There has been a stalemate in the upper house over the issue of suspension of 12 MPs and the functioning of the house has been affected due to the protests by the opposition members seeking revocation of their suspension.
Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the passing of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill amid opposition protest over Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
The opposition has been disrupting the proceedings of both the houses for the last many days.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Manish Tewari moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the online interaction between Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, two Election Commissioners and the Principal Secretary to the PM, P K Mishra. The interaction came a day after the Election Commission received an unusually worded letter from an official of the Law Ministry — the administrative Ministry of the poll panel — that Mishra, will “chair a meeting” on a common electoral roll and “expects CEC” to be present.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi participates in a protest march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk by Opposition parties' members and suspended Rajya Sabha MP's. (PTI/File Photo)
Lok Sabha was adjourned till Monday as Opposition leaders continued to protest demanding a discussion on the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 PM amidst uproar by Opposition leaders over the Lakhimpur Kheri matter.
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that he spoke to some senior Opposition members and leaders of the House about the functioning of the RS. "I'd like to appeal to each one of you, please arrive at some consensus to see that the House functions normally," he said.
To facilitate these discussions, Naidu said he was adjourning the House till Monday.
After both Houses were adjourned following protests by Opposition leaders on Thursday, proceedings commenced in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on Friday morning.
Congress leader Manish Tewari on Friday moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha to discuss the online interaction between Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, two Election Commissioners and the Principal Secretary to the PM, P K Mishra. The interaction came a day after the Election Commission received an unusually worded letter from an official of the Law Ministry — the administrative Ministry of the poll panel — that Mishra, will “chair a meeting” on a common electoral roll and “expects CEC” to be present.
Congress MP Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday moved an adjournment motion in Rajya Sabha to discuss the Lakhimpur Kheri violence incident.
Meanwhile, IUML MP Abdul Wahab has given an adjournment motion notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss the proposal cleared by the Union Cabinet that raises the minimum age of marriage of women from 18 to 20 years.
The Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, formed in 2019, tabled its report on Thursday, along with seven dissent notes signed by eight Opposition members. Manish Tewari, a member of the committee, has also authored a detailed dissent note on the issues he has with the Bill in its current form. He explains these in an interview with Krishn Kaushik. Excerpts:
Do you agree with the final report of the committee?
No, I do not. In fact, if you read my dissent, which is the most exhaustive dissent note which has been tabled, (it) rejects the bill in its entirety. For the simple reason that there is an inherent design flaw in the Bill. It has been conceived with a pre-Puttaswamy (the Supreme Court verdict declaring privacy a fundamental right) mindset. It cleaves the personal data universe into two halves. The Bill will be imposed with all its rigour in the private space while the government space is riddled with exemptions, break-out clauses and escape clauses. Read the full report here.
With Opposition members demanding removal of Ajay Mishra Teni, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, Lok Sabha was Wednesday adjourned twice and the House could not take up a discussion on price rise.
The issue of price rise was listed for discussion under rule 193 in the revised list of business of the Lok Sabha.
Soon after proceedings resumed at 2 pm, Opposition members came into the well of the House, holding placards that read: ‘Modiji Teni ko barkhast karo (Modiji, dismiss Teni)’. Amid their sloganeering, papers were laid, but the House could barely function for 10 minutes. Read the full report here.
Rajya Sabha stands adjourned for the day.
As the house reconvened at 2 pm, Opposition members once again stormed the well of the House demanding MoS Home Ajay Mishra’s resignation. Amid the din, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav introduced the Biodiversity Amendment Bill. The house was adjourned till Friday after that.
Opposition members of the Lok Sabha continued to protest in the House over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident and demanded the immediate resignation of Minister Ajay Misra Teni.
The government is not ready to discuss the violence that broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri in October, Congress Leader KC Venugopal said. "SIT has given a special report telling it is a clear conspiracy. Parliament is not ready to discuss, it is very unfortunate. Govt should come forward with a statement on the issue," he said.
Both Houses of Parliament resumed proceedings at 2 PM today.
Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 pm amid opposition protests over SIT report on Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Speaking about the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: "We should be allowed to speak about the murder that was committed in Lakhimpur Kheri, where there was an involvement of the Minister & about which it has been said that it was a conspiracy. The Minister who killed farmers should resign and be punished." (ANI)
Amidst protests by the Opposition, Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the house till 2:00 pm.
Lok Sabha proceedings have begun for the day. The lower house observed a moment of silence in honour of Group Captain Varun Singh, who passed away after suffering severe injuries during the IAF plane crash in Coonoor. He was the only survivor of the crash, which claimed the lives of CDS Bipin Rawat and 12 others.
Congress MP Manish Tewari gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the “government's attempts on weakening the Public Sector Banks (PSBs)”.
Meanwhile, Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the SIT report, and the demand for immediate sacking of MoS MHA Ajay Kumar Teni.
The Congress on Wednesday issued a whip for all its party members in Rajya Sabha to be present in the House on Thursday. “Very important issues will be taken up for discussion in the Rajya Sabha tomorrow,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said. (PTI)
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 11 am tomorrow as Opposition uproar continued demanding revocation of suspension of 12 MPs.
Rajya Sabha takes up discussion on situation arising out of cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 virus in India.
Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed at 2.18 pm. The House takes up discussions over the situation of rising cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19. However, protests by opposition parties against the suspension of 12 MPs continues.
Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned till 11 am tomorrow.
The Rajya Sabha is likely to take up a short duration discussion on the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The House resumed at 2 pm and was later adjourned till 2:18 pm. Health Minister Mansukh Madaviya is expected to speak at the House
In Lok Sabha, BJP leader and former Union Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy flagged the ‘backwardness’ of Bihar and asked the government to spell out policies to attract investment. He spoke to Liz Mathew.
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Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 2 pm amid protests from Opposition parties.
Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed at 12 pm. Opposition members trooped into the Well of the Rajya Sabha and raised 'we want justice' slogans.
The Lok Sabha was also adjourned till 2pm, amid protests by Opposition parties demanding the immediate removal of Union Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra, after the SIT of UP Police told the court that the October 3 Lakhimpur Kheri incident was a “planned conspiracy” to kill farmers. The minister’s son Ashish Mishra is one of the 13 accused arrested.
Rajya Sabha proceedings adjourned till 12pm amid protests from Opposition parties.
The Question Hour at the Lok Sabha began at 11 am on Wednesday, amid protests from the Opposition members. The Opposition members in the Lok Sabha resorted to sloganeering in protest against the suspension of 12 MPs. Chanting the slogans 'We want justice', members in the Opposition Benches demanded that the suspension of MPs be revoked.
After Opposition parties including TMC, Congress, SP, CPI(M) submitted privilege motion against Rajya Sabha MP Ranjan Gogoi, Shiv Sena and IUML also moved privilege motions against him on Wednesday for his remarks on attending the House.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday moved a notice in Lok Sabha against the Lakhimpur Kheri violence and demanded the immediate removal of Union Minister of State (Home) Ajay Mishra, after the SIT of UP Police told the court that the October 3 incident was a “planned conspiracy” to kill farmers. The minister’s son Ashish Mishra is one of the 13 accused arrested.
In what points to simmering differences between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United) which run a coalition government in Bihar, Lok Sabha members from the two parties took swipes at each other for the lack of progress in rural roads projects and other developmental activities in the state.
During the question hour in Lok Sabha Tuesday, BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav criticised the Bihar government and said it had not been able to complete works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, whereas other states have moved ahead. Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh cited the statistics which showed the state had indeed failed to meet the target under the PMGSY scheme.
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Expressing concern over the rise in cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday told the House that the Centre should review its stand on vaccinating children and adolescents. He also asked the government to be fully prepared to avoid a repeat of the crisis, as was seen during the second surge earlier in the year. “Till now, 41 people have been infected with the Omicron variant, so its tentacles have spread in other states also, much to the concern of all of us,” Chowdhury said.
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Both Houses have been adjourned for the day.
The Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) had asked the government to initiate insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings against Reliance Capital as it has invested Rs 2,500 crore in the company's bond programmes, the Finance Ministry said in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has apprised that Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has invested Rs 2,500 crore in Reliance Capital Ltd (RCL), for which RCL has defaulted in payment of interest from October 2019, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
He was replying to a query asked by Member of Parliament from RJD, Manoj Kumar Jha, whether it was a fact that Reliance Capital had defaulted on payment of principal and interest obligations on bonds held by EPFO.
The total interest default on the non-convertible debentures (NCDs) (secured) is Rs 534.64 crore as of November 30, 2021, Karad said. (PTI)
The Indian government has emphasised to China that any restriction selectively targeting sailors from India is unacceptable, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the government had taken note of a few media reports earlier on the subject.
"Government had therefore taken up the matter with the Chinese side . Government emphasized to the Chinese side that any restriction selectively targeting sailors from India is unacceptable," Sonowal said.
He was replying to a question whether it has come to the notice of the ministry that China has imposed unofficial ban on Indian seafarers and prohibited entry/berth of ships with Indian seafarers.
The minister said that the Chinese side had conveyed that it had not imposed any ban and that such reports were not accurate. (PTI)
A demand was raised in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday to declare cow the national animal and enact an effective central law to stop cow slaughter in the country.
Making a special mention in the House, BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena said cow is an integral part of Indian culture, and that even some Mughal rulers like Babur, Humayun and Akbar had prohibited its slaughter.
"Therefore, I demand that the central government should bring an effective law to stop cow slaughter and also, cow should be declared the 'national animal'," he said.
Earlier, in his Zero Hour mention, Harnath Singh Yadav of the BJP said the rate of illegal religious conversions was increasing in the country, and demanded an anti-conversion law at the national level to ensure social harmony and national security.
K Vanlalvena of the MNF spoke about the issue of Myanmar refugees in Mizoram, and urged the central government to help them. (PTI)
Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am tomorrow
Out of the 132 non-attainment cities under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP), the level of pollutant PM10 has decreased in 96 cities in 2020-2021 as compared to 2019-2020, the government told the Parliament.
Responding to a query on the increasing pollution level in various urban areas across the country, Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey said on Monday that in the remaining 36 cities, ambient air quality data showed an increasing trend in the level of PM10.
He also said the number of cities found to be within the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standard has increased from 18 in 2019-20 to 27 in 2020-21. "In the year 2020, in Delhi, the number of 'Good', 'Satisfactory' and 'Moderate' days increased to 227 against 108 in 2016," he said in the written response. (PTI)
As many as 123 persons have been arrested so far this year for the misuse of credentials of block and district officials to approve the application of ineligible farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana (PM-KISAN), eligible marginal farmers are electronically given Rs 6,000 annually in three equal instalments.
"Some district officials have also been arrested along with the contractual workers," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Out of 123 persons arrested as of December 8, 2021, the minister said eight were government officials, 40 were contractual employees, 23 were owners of the computer centre, and 52 were brokers and individuals.
"As on December 8, 2021, a total of 123 persons have been arrested for the misuse of credentials of block/district officials to approve the application of ineligible farmers under PM-KISAN Scheme," he said.
Of the total number of persons arrested, eight officials were from the Agriculture Department of Tamil Nadu, including one official from Tiruvallur district, three officials from Vellore district, three officials from Villupuram district and one from Salem district, he added. (PTI)
There is no official estimation how much worth of black money is lying in foreign accounts over the last five years, however, Rs 2,476 crore has been collected as tax and penalty under the one-time three months compliance window during 2015, government said in Parliament on Tuesday.
As many as 648 disclosures involving undisclosed foreign assets worth Rs 4,164 crore were made in the one-time three months' compliance window closed on September 30, 2015 under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
He said the amount collected by way of tax and penalty in such cases was about Rs 2,476 crore. "There is no official estimation regarding the amount of black money in foreign accounts during the last five years. However, the government has taken various steps against the black money abroad which have led to positive results," Chaudhary said.
He was responding to a query on details of black money brought back to India from foreign countries since 2014 till 30th November, 2021 (year and country wise), being asked by Members of Parliament Sukhram Singh Yadav and Vishambhar Prasad Nishad.
Bringing back black money stashed abroad was one of the key poll planks of the current government led by BJP, which assumed power in May 2014. (PTI)
Parliament has passed a Bill to extend the tenure of director of the Central Bureau of Investigation to a maximum of five years from the present two years.
The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed by Rajya Sabha with a voice vote on Tuesday. The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill on December 9, 2021.
Replying to a discussion on the Bill, Minister of Personnel Jitendra Singh observed that methodologies of crime have undergone a change and new technologies have come in.
"...and the relevance of head of the crime or investigation agency is that many-a-times quite a lot of information is privy only to him in person. So if in the middle of an important case if you change the head of the agency, others may not be able to carry it forward in same tone ...," Singh said.
The Bill seeks to extend the tenure of director of the Central Bureau of Investigation to a maximum of five years from the present two years. (PTI)
Leaders of various opposition parties took out a protest march on Tuesday in support of their demand for revoking the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha MPs.
Opposition MPs of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha participated in the march from the Gandhi statue in the Parliament complex to Vijay Chowk.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that the Opposition is not being allowed to raise issues in Parliament, which is now merely a building and a museum.
"Wherever the Opposition is trying to raise issues, they are suppressed. The government does not allow us to raise issues. This is murder of democracy. We want to raise issues against the government, but we are not allowed to do so," he told reporters.
Gandhi also said the prime minister does not come to Parliament and "this is not the way to run a democracy". "We have here our suspended members. This is the symbol of democracy of the country and this is the symbol of crushing of the voice of the people of India. They have been suspended for two weeks now. They are sitting outside and their voice has been crushed. We are not being allowed to discuss important issues.
"This is not the way to run Parliament. The prime minister does not come to the House. Whenever we want to raise an issue, we are stopped from doing so. This is a very unfortunate killing of democracy that is taking place," he said. (PTI)
“PM has such great 'respect' for Parliament that he will skip the Dec 13th homage to martyred security staff. He'll skip everything and go to Varanasi. You'll only find him in places like Varanasi and Ayodhya, not in the Parliament,” says Congress Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram. (ANI)
Jitendra Singh, (MoS) (IC), Personnel Public Grievances and Pension, moved the Bill to amend the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, as passed by Lok Sabha, be taken into consideration.
"The nation is faced with the triple menace of corruption, black money and international crime. The amendment does not seek to increase the tenure, rather it seeks to put an embargo on tenure, which is of 5 years," he said.
Later, while responding to the members' discussion on the Bill, Singh said the "importance of this goes beyond the party lines”. "In their misguided enthusiasm to oppose PM Modi they have gone to the extent of showing irreverence to an institution that enjoys the reverence of all citizens of the country," he added.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, MoS Home Nityanad Rai told the Lok Sabha that no amendments in the UAPA are under consideration currently, in a response to question on whether the government plans to amend the Act in the light of recent evidence about a large number of acquittals.
He said in another written reply that, “Occasional protests and incidents of violence are reported from some of the disputed border areas.” Boundary disputes are arising out of demarcation of bondaries and claims and counter-claims over territories.
“Some matters related to division of assets are pending between AP-Telangana and Bihar-Jharkhand,” the reply stated.
Opposition Mps walked out of the Rajya Sabha after Deputy Chairman Harivansh rejected their demand to revoke the suspension of 12 Mps. The walkout came after Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge was not allowed to raise the issue of their suspension. Soon after, sloganeering began dmeanding the revocation of suspension.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “Government is in talks with them (suspended MPs) on an individual level for withdrawal of their suspension. I have made it clear that they should at least express regret.”
The Lok Sabha proceedings will resume at 2.30 pm. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to introduce the
Appropriation (No.5) Bill, 2021, while the discussion on climate change initiated by DMP MP Kanimozhi is slated to resume.
While addressing the reporters at Vijay Chowk, the last point of the march by Opposition MPs to demand the revocation of 12 Rajya Sabha members' suspension, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said they are not allowed to raise issues of national importance. "Bills after Bills are being passed in Parliament in the din. This is not the way to run the Parliament. PM doesn't come to House. We are not allowed to raise any issue of national importance. It is the unfortunate killing of democracy," he said.
"A minister killed farmers. PM is aware of it. Truth is that 2-3 capitalists are against farmers. These MPs were not suspended by RS chairman or PM but by the power that wants to steal farmers' income. PM and the chairman are just implementors," Gandhi further said.
Opposition MPs led a protest march from the Gandhi statue to Vijay Chowk demanding that the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha members be revoked. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi joined the protesting members.
"This (suspension of 12 MPs) is a symbol of the crushing of the voice of people of India. Their voices have been crushed. They have done nothing wrong. We are not allowed to discuss important issues in Parliament," he said.