Parliament Live Updates: Opposition leaders stage a protest in Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. (RSTV/PTI Photo) Parliament Highlights: Opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the DMK, demanded from the government in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 be sent to a parliamentary select committee, saying it needs scrutiny as it is “unconstitutional and encroaches upon the states’ rights”.
The bill seeks to provide for surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams for the prevention of dam failure related disasters and an institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2019.
Earlier today, several Opposition parties staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday over the issue of inflation as well as the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha Members.
Outside Parliament in New Delhi
Members of opposition TMC and NCP on Thursday sought to know from the government its stand on booster doses for COVID-19, besides usage of money from the PM-CARES funds. Participating in a discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic in Lok Sabha, TMC member Saugata Roy accused the political leadership of 'complacency' in handling of the pandemic.
He said it is because of the 'mistakes' at the top level of the government that the country was caught 'unprepared' in both the waves of COVID-19. 'Till today, I do not know about what happened to other vaccines that have been discovered in the world -- Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson. Whether all these vaccines have come to India and whether they can be used?' he said. (PTI)
In reply to a question about the number of Judges appointed in the Supreme Court and various High Courts in 2021, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said: "In 2021, 09 Judges have been appointed in Supreme Court and 118 Judges have been appointed in various High Courts up to 29.11.2021. Government appoints only those persons as Judges of High Courts who are recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium. The total number of High Court Collegium proposals which are at various stages of consideration between the Government and the Supreme Court Collegium as on 29.11.2021 is 164. The number of proposals which have been remitted/returned by the Government to the High Courts on the advice of the Supreme Court Collegium is 55 during the current year."
Journalists on Thursday held a protest against certain restrictions imposed on the entry of scribes and camera people into Parliament, alleging the move is a precursor to a "complete ban" on spot coverage of parliamentary sessions by the media in the coming days.
They demanded that all restrictions imposed on journalists' entry into Parliament premises and the Press Gallery must "immediately" be lifted, and media persons be allowed to perform their professional duty. Several senior editors, journalists and camera persons working with various media organisations joined the protest. (PTI)
Opposition parties, including the Congress, the TMC and the DMK, demanded from the government in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the Dam Safety Bill, 2019 be sent to a parliamentary select committee, saying it needs scrutiny as it is “unconstitutional and encroaches upon the states’ rights”.
The bill seeks to provide for the surveillance, inspection, operation and maintenance of specified dams for the prevention of dam failure related disasters and an institutional mechanism to ensure their safe functioning, and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2019.
Several steps are being taken to help reduce air pollution levels in the country and monitoring stations have been set up in 132 cities, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday. According to PTI, while replying to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said the government has taken steps on changing BS4 norms in vehicles for fuel emissions to BS6 and is evolving schemes in various cities for setting up Metro rails.
"I would, on behalf of TMC, like to humbly appeal to the presiding officers of both Houses to rectify television coverage. All protests are censored on the TV and we demand this censorship to be stopped, Parliament cannot be converted into a closed chamber," TMC MP Derek O’Brien said during a press conference on Thursday.
The Opposition on Thursday hit out at the Modi government over the Covid-19 management, accusing it of favouring BJP-ruled states in the allocation of vaccines and dubbed the celebrations over the 100-crore vaccination mark as premature.
Initiating the debate in the Lok Sabha on the COVID-19 pandemic, Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut lamented that Parliament was discussing the issue 21 months after the outbreak of the disease and at a time when cases were on the decline. Referring to the Omicron variant of the virus, Raut demanded close co-ordination among state governments and the Centre.
“There should be clarity in the Centre's directives on Omicron,” the Lok Sabha member from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg in Maharashtra said.
On vaccination, Raut accused the Centre of allocating vaccine doses to BJP-ruled states in excess and at the cost of non-BJP ruled states. “The prime minister's responsibility is for the entire 130 crore population. It should not be so that you look at Maharashtra with a sly glance, help Gujarat in good measure and make maximum allocations to Uttar Pradesh because it is going to polls. Allocations should be made on the basis of the population,” the Sena leader said. (PTI)
"We will continue with our agitation, but we will also raise the issues concerning the common people in the House": Congress Rajya Sabha MP KC Venugopal.
Congress, NCP, RJD, TRS and IUML staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha over the issue of inflation on Thursday.
Addressing the Covid pandemic and concerns around the new Omicron variant in Lok Sabha, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the new variant is a “setback” as the government was working towards slowly increasing the number of flights.
"Our government has categorised 11 countries as 'at risk'," he said.
Rajya Sabha proceedings resumed at 12 pm, amidst continuous sloganeering by the Opposition.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 12 PM amidst sloganeering by the Opposition for the reinstatement of the 12 suspended MPs.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu addressed the suspension of the 12 Rajya Sabha members in Parliament today: "Some of the respected leaders and members of this august House, in their wisdom, chose to describe the suspension of 12 members as ‘undemocratic’. I have struggled to understand if there was any justification in that kind of a narrative being propagated but could not."
"While calling this suspension undemocratic both within and outside the House, not even a word is being said about the reasons given for the suspension, the disdainful conduct of some members during the last session, which I have categorically called as ‘acts of sacrilege’ on the last day of last session."
Amidst sloganeering by Opposition leaders, the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Parliament proceedings have begun in both Houses, amidst protests by the Opposition over the suspension of 12 Rajya Sabha Members
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday joined the Opposition leaders' protest against the suspension of 12 Opposition members of Rajya Sabha in Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top ministers on Thursday to discuss the strategy for the ongoing Winter session of Parliament. (ANI)
Funds released under the Poshan Abhiyan Programme, which is aimed at curbing malnutrition in the country, stand severely under-utilised, according to data released by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry on Wednesday.
The data, tabled by WCD Minister Smriti Irani in Rajya Sabha, shows that out of Rs 5,31,279.08 lakh released for Poshan Abhiyan in the country from Central funds, only Rs 2,98,555.92 lakh has been utilised.
The data show that of Rs 26,751.08 lakh released to West Bengal until March 2021, no money has been utilised so far. Similarly, of Rs 56,968.96 lakh released by the Centre to Uttar Pradesh, the state has utilised only Rs 19,219.28 lakh in the same period, according to the data. Read the full report here.
On a day Lok Sabha functioned without any major disruption, Speaker Om Birla took strong exception to sloganeering by a small group of Telangana Rashtra Samithi MPs who have been demanding that the Centre introduce a uniform procurement policy and procure paddy from their state.
The House also witnessed heated exchanges between the nine TRS members and a Congress MP from the state, Uttam Kumar Reddy, who alleged that the TRS government took no step to procure the Kharif season paddy.
Barring their protests, the House functioned normally. The Congress, DMK, NCP and Left parties did walk out over the Treasury benches’ reluctance to discuss farmers’ issues. But these MPs returned to their seats within 10 minutes and took part in the Question Hour. The Lok Sabha also passed The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 after discussion in the afternoon. Read more
The Lok Sabha has adjourned for the day. The House passed the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, TRS members had pushed for a discussion on farmers' issues in the House earlier in the day.
Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, India has granted 200 emergency e-visas to that country’s citizens, the government told Parliament on Wednesday.
“In view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan, the Government of India has started an ‘e-Emergency X-Misc visa’ for a period of 6 months for Afghan nationals. …As on 24.11.2021, 200 e-Emergency X-Misc visas have been issued,” Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
“Further, Stay visa is granted to Afghan nationals staying in India keeping in view present situation in that country. Presently, 4,557 Afghan nationals are staying in India on Stay Visa after extension of their visas,” he added. read more
The Uniform Civil Code; compensation for deaths due to Covid and during farmers’ protests; opening of universities and withdrawing UAPA cases against the students — these were some of the issues MPs raised when the Lok Sabha took up zero hour after a long time.
1. In what could be the next contentious issue that would rock the political discourse, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Wednesday asked the central government to expedite the process of bringing a law to implement a Uniform Civil Code in the country.
2. With the BJP stressing on popularising the Hindi language, BJP MP Satyadev Pachauri from poll-bound Uttar Pradesh wanted the government to see that the judgments given in Supreme Court are in Hindi, and not in English.
3. Congress MP Manish Tewari raised the issue of compensation for 700 farmers who lost their lives during the protests against the farm laws, which were finally repealed on Monday.
Read more
The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha. During its discussion, Congress's Karti Chidambaram suggested that the government consider including lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people (LGBTQ) in the bill's ambit.
BSP's Sangeeta Azad and TMC's Dastidar both raised the issue of exclusion of single parents and LGTBQ community from using this procedure. "They have a right to be parents too," both said.
NCP's Supriya Sule said that because of adoption rules of 2017, single men cannot adopt a girl and that is why they can not avail this bill's benefits. "This is something we, as a society, need to introspect... I think we should not deprive any human being who deserves or wants to have a child," she added.
BJD's Anubhav Mohanty also said the bill discriminates against the LGBTQ community. (PTI)
Airing its displeasure over ethical standards in the media, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, has recommended that the government set up a Media Council, on the lines of the Press Council of India (PCI), with statutory powers over print, television and digital media platforms.
In its report on ‘Ethical Standards in Media Coverage’, submitted to Parliament Wednesday, the committee said that current regulatory bodies like the PCI and the News Broadcasting Standards Authority are not as effective, that their “efficacy is limited” and the NBSA, a self-regulatory body, “depends on voluntary compliance with its orders”. Read more
The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2020 has been passed by the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The Bill seeks for the regulation and supervision of the assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics and the assisted reproductive technology banks, prevention of misuse, as well as safe and ethical practice of assisted reproductive technology service.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday that the Railways has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 36.87 crore due to the agitations by farmers and other organisations during this year. He added that the Northern Railway suffered the most losses of Rs 22.58 crore, PTI reported.
Members of the TRS, shouting slogans and displaying placards over farmer issues in Lok Sabha, on Wednesday briefly paused their protest to allow a woman member to raise the issue of maternity benefits, with the Chair hailing the gesture as "beauty of democracy".
As Pramila Bisoyi of the Biju Janata Dal got up to raise the issue of maternity benefits for more women, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, requested Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) members to allow the senior member to make her point without disruption, to which they obliged. (PTI)
The government on Wednesday moved the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill which proposes establishment of a national registry and registration authority for all clinics and medical professionals serving in the field.
Moving the Bill for consideration and passage in Lok Sabha, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the Bill was tabled in Parliament in September 2020 and the lower House referred it to the Standing Committee. Many suggestions came from the Standing Committee and government has considered those recommendations, he said.
Initiating debate on the Bill, Karti Chidambaram (Congress) said this law is a Victorian law as it is not all encompassing. It excludes those who could not afford this expensive procedure for a baby and the government should consider supporting poor childless parents for taking help of ART, Chidambaram said. He also suggested that the government should consider including lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ). (PTI)
Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that "The National Crime Records Bureau does not maintain specific data with respect to attacks on journalists." He added that 'police' and 'public order' are state subjects under the seventh schedule of the Constitution.
"An advisory specifically on safety of journalists was issued to the states/UTs on October 20, 2017 requesting them to strictly enforce the law to ensure the safety and security of mediapersons," he said, according to PTI.
MPs are required to adhere to certain rules of parliamentary etiquette. For example the Lok Sabha rulebook specifies that MPs are not to interrupt the speech of others, maintain silence and not obstruct proceedings by hissing or making running commentaries during debates. Newer forms of protest led to these rules being updated in 1989. Now, members should not shout slogans, display placards, tear up documents in protest, and play a cassette or a tape recorder in the House. Rajya Sabha has similar rules. To conduct the proceedings smoothly, the rulebook also gives certain, similar powers to the presiding officers of both Houses.
The presiding officer of each House can direct an MP to withdraw from the legislative chamber for grossly disorderly conduct. The MP then has to remain absent from the proceedings of the House for the remainder of the day. read more
The 12 suspended MPs from the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday sat near the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Parliament complex to register their protest. Speaking to PTI, the MPs termed the decision, "autocratic". They added, "our protest will go on until this illegal suspension is revoked. Our MPs have been protesting in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha."
Ripun Bora, one of the suspended MPs, told PTI, "Every day from 10 am to 11 am opposition MPs are protesting and will continue to do so. The suspended MPs are also sitting in protest and will do so every day from 10 am to 5 pm in front of the Gandhi statue."
He added, "Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu should explain why they have been suspended as they were raising farmers' and peoples' issues such as price rise and Pegasus snooping allegations. Is that an offence? Should we apologise for it?"
During the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Manish Tewari on Wednesday demanded that the government should provide Rs 5 crore compensation to the families of the farmers who died during the farm laws agitation and also accept other demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.
He said that over 700 framers have been "martyred" in the farmers' movement, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Loktantrik Party's Hanuman Beniwal demanded that the cases that have been filed against the farmers during the farm laws agitation be taken back.
Digital payment transactions have witnessed a multifold increase in the last few years, growing to 5,554 crore in FY2020-21 from 1,004 crore in FY2016-17, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
The number of digital transactions stood at 4,683 crore in the ongoing fiscal till mid-November, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Citing a report by the Reserve Bank of India, Chandrasekhar said India has a strong regulatory system and robust large value and retail payment systems that have contributed to the rapid growth in the volume of transactions in these payment systems. There has been a substantial growth in e-payments by Government and also in digital infrastructure in terms of mobile networks, the report said. (PTI)
BJP member Nishikant Dubey urged the government to bring a law to implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country, during the zero hour in the Lok Sabha, PTI reported.
He stated that the Allahabad High Court had last month asked the Centre to consider setting up a panel for implementing the mandate of Article 44 of the Constitution, which speaks about a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India. "Even after 75 years of Independence, we have not been able to bring in a Uniform Civil Code," he added.
Parliament question asked in Rajya Sabha on whether the Chinese crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh has been disallowed citing national security as the reason, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has alleged.
“It is hilarious if not tragic for Rajya Sabha Secretariat to inform me today that my Question whether the Chinese have crossed the LAC in Ladakh, cannot be allowed “ because of national interest”!!!” he tweeted on Wednesday. Read more
In a reply to the Lok Sabha, the Ministry of Electronics & IT stated that the government is aware of the growing risks of dominance of various big tech platforms on the internet and is deploying tools and capabilities to deal with the same including actively working with social media intermediaries. However, "presently, there is no proposal for enactment of a law by the Ministry in this regard," it added.
As the Opposition continues its protest against the suspension of the 12 MPs, the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day.
The Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, senior Congress leader, Mallikarjun Kharge stated that government's claim of no record on farmers who lost their lives during the year-long agitation against the farm laws is an "insult."
"More than 700 farmers lost their lives during protests against 3 farm laws. How can Centre say that they don't have any record of it?" he was quoted as saying by ANI.
"If the government doesn't have a record of 700 people then how had they collected data of lakhs of people during the pandemic? Over 50 lakh people lost their lives due to Covid-19 in the last two years but according to the governemt, only 4 lakh people died due to the virus," he added.
In a response to the question on whether it proposes to provide financial assistance to the family of farmers who died during the agitation, the government stated, “The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare has no record in the matter and hence the question does not arise.”
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the body spearheading the farmer protest, has put the figure to over 670 deaths. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the rollback of the farm laws, the farmers’ body stated, “So far, more than 670 protesters have sacrificed their lives in this movement. The Modi government has refused to acknowledge the high human cost. The martyrs also deserve homage to be paid to them in the Parliament session, and a memorial erected in their name.” read more
As soon as the House resumed in the afternoon, Deputy Chairman Harivansh, who was in the chair, asked Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to move The Dam Safety Bill, 2019 for consideration in the House.
The minister moved the motion for consideration of the bill by the House and thereafter the Deputy Chairman asked him to speak on the bill. In the meantime, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Deputy Chairman to allow him to speak on the issue of suspension of 12 members of the House. However, Harivansh did not allow him to raise the matter, and said he can speak on the Bill.
As the minster started his speech on the Bill, opposition members started raising slogans and demanded that Kharge be allowed to speak on the issue of suspension of members. Harivansh requested the opposition members not to come into the Well and to go back to their seats. He also told some members that photography in the House is not allowed when they tried to click pictures with their phones. But when opposition members refused to relent, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House till 3 pm. (PTI)
The proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 3 pm after opposition members continued their protests over the suspension of 12 MPs.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 2:35 pm, after which the zero hour is likely to continue.
Criticising the Opposition for sloganeering and creating a ruckus in the House, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Wednesday said their behaviour is not justified and the House cannot function if some members disturb the entire House.
Birla made the remarks during the question hour when some members of the Opposition came down to the Well and started raising slogans. Birla requested them to maintain decorum.
He said, “You are a member of the House. Senior members are speaking and you are waving placards in front of them. What decorum do you want to create in the House?”
The Joint Committee of Parliament examining the Personal Data Protection Bill was on Wednesday given an extension till the last week of the ongoing Winter session to submit its report. The Bill, seeking to provide for the protection of personal data of individuals and establish a Data Protection Authority for the same, was brought in Parliament in 2019 and was referred to the Joint Committee for further scrutiny on the demand of opposition members.
P P Chaudhary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved a motion seeking extension up to the last week of Winter session of Parliament for the 30-member panel to submit its report. The ongoing session ends on December 23. "That this House do extend up to the last week of Winter session of Parliament, 2021, the time for presentation of the report of the Joint Committee on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019," the motion read. It was passed by a voice vote. This is for the sixth time the committee's tenure has been extended.
As the House met earlier in the day, placard-carrying opposition MPs trooped into the well of the House and shouted slogans against the suspension. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu expressed dismay at their conduct, and said the suspended MPs have shown no remorse, and there was no question of revoking their suspension. "It is sacrilege of the House, I have said (on the conduct of the 12 suspended MPs during the last session in August). There is no remorse by members who have really insulted the parliamentary system," he said. Naidu ordered that nothing that the opposition MPs say would go on record but said their conduct in the Well of the House should be shown to the people of the country.
Jose K Mani of the Kerala Congress(M) on Wednesday took oath as a member of the Rajya Sabha. Mani was elected to the Upper House earlier this week in a bypoll from Kerala. His defection to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) and subsequent resignation from the Rajya Sabha seat he won on a United Democratic Front (UDF) ticket in 2018 had prompted the bypoll. Mani's tenure in the upper House will end in 2024. He took the oath in English, signed the member's register and greeted Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and other leaders present. MPs thumped their desks to welcome Mani.
In Lok Sabha, K. Shanmuga Sundaram, DMK MP, Pollachi, requests that trains be started between Pollachi and Coimbatore. Trains were stopped after the pandemic struck in 2020. The discontinuation of service has caused inconvenience to people, and now that the electrification process is complete, requests Railways Ministry to restart the service.
Deputy Chairman refuses to discuss on the issue of suspension of 12 MPs. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge rose to speak for the suspended MPs but was disallowed by the Deputy Chairman Harivansh. Soon after Congress, DMK and TRS MPs trooped into the well of the House. It ran for 3 minutes in total.
Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm
Opposition MPs continue protest outside Parliament
"If the 12 suspended members of Rajya Sabha want to come to the House, then they should express remorse. Let them sit on dharna...I pray Mahatma Gandhi gives them wisdom," Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said.
A minor fire broke out on Wednesday morning inside Parliament room number 59, officials said. According to fire officials, the Parliament fire post received a call at 8.05 am regarding fire at room number 59, opposite press room in Parliament house. The firemen rushed to the spot. The fire was in computer set, chair and table in room number 59 and no casualty was reported. It was brought under control and the firemen returned at 8:50 am, a senior fire official said. The winter session of Parliament is underway.
Lok Sabha adjourned till 12 pm
Ashwini Vaishnaw replies to a question on electrification, says that the work on the electrification is going on as per the schedule. 72% of the target has been electrified, 6000km more than last year have been electrified, he says.
Amid Opposition protests, Rajya Sabha adjourned till 12 pm
Leader of Congress Party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury raises the issue of the death of farmers during farm laws. Opposition MPs raise slogans of "We want justice" during the Question Hour in the House
Opposition MPs raise slogans against the suspension in Rajya Sabha. Responding to them, Naidu said, "I cannot allow this. There is no remorse. These activities are unparliamentary."
"The suspension of MPs shows the arrogance of those in the majority. When they were in opposition they also used to disrupt Parliament proceedings. We will continue our 'dharna till the time we don't get justice," Dola Sen, TMC MP said. Sen is among the 12 MPs who has been suspended from the Winter session
Proceedings begin in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha