The Parliament House building, shrouded in a thick layer of fog, on a cold winter morning, in New Delhi, December 20, 2022. (PTI)Parliament Winter Session 2022 highlights: Both Houses of the Parliament were adjourned sine die on Friday morning, a week ahead of the schedule. The Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 7, was to otherwise end on December 29. Adjourning Rajya Sabha, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar talked about the importance of taking necessary precautions to prevent Covid-19 spread. He thanked the members for their cooperation to organise the millets festival in the Parliament. This session saw Lok Sabha holding 13 sittings totalling 62 hours and 42 minutes, and recorded a productivity of 97 per cent.
The session saw heated debates over China’s transgressions in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, with the Opposition taking on the Centre over the lack of a discussion on the matter and deeming it a “national concern”. The session also saw amendments to the Constitution Scheduled Tribes (Order), 1950, being passed. Some of the other Bills that were passed are the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019. Amid a ruckus by the Opposition that saw the House being adjourned multiple times, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill in the Lok Sabha, aimed at amending certain enactments to decriminalise minor offences. A viral moment from the House came when Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra laid into the government, asking, “Who’s the Pappu now?”
Noting the rapid uptick in Covid-19 cases in China and few other countries, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who attended the Lok Sabha session wearing a face mask, Thursday briefed the Lok Sabha on the precautionary measures taken in light of the growing number of Covid-19 cases globally.
(From left, top row) AAP MP Raghav Chadha, BJP MP Prakash Javadekar, Congress MP Rajeev Shukla, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar; and (from left, bottom row) BJP MP S Phangnon Konyak, AAP MP Balbir Singh Seechewal, BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani, and Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey wear a face mask in Parliament Thursday. (PTI Photo)
Rajya Sabha too has been adjourned sine die. Adjourning the House, Jagdeep Dhankar talked about the importance of taking necessary precautions to prevent Covid-19 spread. He thanked the members for their cooperation to organise the millets festival in Parliament.
The Lok Sabha has been adjourned Sine die on Friday.
The proceedings of both the Houses of Parliament has begun for the day.
Bihar BJP MPs on Friday protested in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament, demanding compensation to the families of the victims who died in the Chhapra hooch tragedy. At least 30 people lost their lives in the hooch tragedy in the Saran district of Bihar last week.
Amid concerns about rising Covid-19 cases in many countries, including neighbouring China, maks were back in Parliament on Thursday. Several members were seen wearing masks both in Parliament complex and in the two Houses. Those who did not have a mask were handed one by Parliament staff.
Notably, not only did Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya make a statement on rising Covid cases across the world and emphasised the precautions needed to be taken in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, even the Speaker and chairpersons of the two Houses appealed to members to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour.
Read More
The Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 7, is expected to conclude on Friday. The session saw heated debates over China’s transgressions in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, with the Opposition taking on the Centre over the lack of a discussion on the matter and deeming it a “national concern”.
The session also saw amendments to the Constitution Scheduled Tribes (Order), 1950, being passed, among others. Some of the other Bills that were passed are the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021, the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019. Read the Political Pulse
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Thursday said members have freedom of speech but "it is not free for all" as he rejected as "factually incorrect" the charge made by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge that he disallowed him from speaking in the House.
Giving his ruling on the issue, the deputy chairman said the proceedings of the House have to be conducted in a structured manner and if everyone is allowed to speak at the same time, there will be chaos and this would send a wrong picture to the people outside.
"The Leader of Opposition had on 13th, 14th and 16th December, 2022 had demanded that I must express regret or say that I had no powers in allowing him and others to speak in respect of notices given under Rule 267," Harivansh said. (PTI)
Live-in relationships, which are in the nature of marriage, are covered under the provisions of the protection of domestic violence law, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, citing Supreme Court judgments.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju was asked whether the government intends to introduce a "system" for "registering" live-in relationships and whether it intends to provide a set of protections for people in these relationships. He was also asked whether the government intends to recognise non-heterosexual live-in relationships. (PTI)
The Rajya Sabha house has been adjourned till 11 am on December 23.
Parliament passed a bill on Thursday to include 'Betta-Kuruba' along with 'Kadu Kuruba' in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Karnataka.
The Rajya Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 through a voice vote on Thursday. The Lok Sabha had, on December 19, passed the bill that was piloted by Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda in the Upper House.
The minister said the bill seeks to provide justice to the Betta-Kuruba community of Karnataka, which has only about 5,000 members living in the southern state. (PTI)
A total of 22,238 complaints and second appeals were pending with the Central Information Commission (CIC) as on December 15, 2022, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
In reply to a written question, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said 20,756 complaints and second appeals filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act were disposed of during 2022-23 up to December 15. The CIC had registered 13,472 such cases during the period, he said.
"The CIC is making efforts to expedite disposal of the pending cases by making use of technology tools for efficient hearing of cases. This has reduced the pendency significantly," the minister said. (PTI)
Members in the Rajya Sabha members are currently discussing The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The fourth amendment Bill aims to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the states of Karnataka.
The rooftop solar capacity installations fell to 1.09 gigawatt during January-September 2022 due to reasons like supply chain disruption in solar modules and delay in tenders by state implementing agencies, Parliament was informed Thursday.
At 1.09 GW, the installation was over 4 per cent lower compared to 1.14 GW in the nine-month period of 2021, according to the data shared by Minister for New and Renewable Energy R K Singh in Lok Sabha.
"The reduction in rooftop solar capacity installation during 2022 compared to installations during 2021 as mentioned above is due to various factors including present supply chain disruption in solar modules, delay in tenders by state implementing agencies under Rooftop Solar Programme Ph-II, delays in approvals and installation of net-meters by DISCOMs, etc," Singh said in a written reply to a question. (PTI)
Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday as the Opposition pressed for its demand for a discussion on the border issue with China.
After the House reassembled at 4:30 pm following four adjournments, opposition members continued their protest when the House was taking up issues of urgent public importance.
The House functioned for just enough time to allow Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to introduce the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022. (PTI)
A proposal of the Election Commission to cap individual anonymous political donations to Rs 2,000 from the present Rs 20,000 is under examination, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
Asked whether all political parties were consulted, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju responded in a negative in a written reply.
"The proposal is under examination," he said on being asked whether the poll panel has proposed reducing anonymous political donations to Rs 2,000 from Rs 20,000 and cap cash donations at 20 per cent or at a maximum of Rs 20 crore. (PTI)
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday introduced the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022, to decriminalise minor offences to promote ease of business.
Besides the decriminalisation of minor offences, the bill envisages the rationalisation of monetary penalties, depending on the gravity of the offence, bolstering trust-based governance.
"Yet another novelty involved in the proposal is an increase of 10 per cent of the minimum amount of fine and penalty levied, after the expiry of every three years, once the bill becomes a law," according to the statement of objects and reasons. The bill was later referred to a 31-member joint committee of Parliament for scrutiny. (PTI)
The Rajya Sabha Thursday passed The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022.
The bills, moved by Tribal Minister Arjun Munda, aim to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the states of Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
The government on Thursday said it is examining a Supreme Court judgement which upheld Employees' Pension (Amendment) Scheme, 2014 and allowed employees to opt for enhanced pension coverage alongside their employers in four months' time.
"Yes, sir. The directions of the Supreme Court in the judgment are under examination," Minister of State for Labour & Employment Rameswar Teli said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. Teli was replying to a question on whether the government is aware about the Supreme Court verdict of November 4 on EPF pension scheme and by when it will implement the verdict and instruct the EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organisation) to take actions for giving higher pension.
In another written reply, Teli said the court judgement has legal, financial, actuarial and logistical implications. (PTI)
Embroiled in the Delhi liquor policy case, Telangana MLC K Kavitha, daughter of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, hit back at the Centre on Thursday, saying the BJP government was “anti-farmer, anti-poor, and pro-corporate”.
Kavitha, who is touring Nizamabad from where she was an MP from 2014 to 2019, announced that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) would hold a “maha dharna” at all district headquarters in the state on Friday against the BJP’s anti-farmer policies.
“On one hand, the government is targeting farmers and the poor, taxing necessities like milk and curd, and is unable to control inflation, on the other hand, the government is writing off loans worth an aggregate amount of Rs 8,16,421 crore and Rs 11,17,883 crore during the last six financial years,” she said, quoting a recent government response in Rajya Sabha. Read more
Projects of 5.86 GW out of the total 210.6 GW coal and lignite based thermal power generation capacities in the country are non-operational, Parliament was informed on Thursday.
"Out of 210.6 GW (coal and lignite based) monitored capacity of thermal power plants, 5.86 GW capacity is non-operational due to various reasons such as no Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), under National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) etc," Power Minister R K Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
The minster also told the House that out of 5.86 GW (gigawatt) non-operational plants, one plant namely Bela Thermal Power Station (270 MW) was revived on October 2, 2022. (PTI)
Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar Thursday urged all members of the House to stay vigilant about the rising Covid cases across the world and follow related protocols.
'I urge all the honorable members to be extra cautious about the surging Covid cases around the world. It is our ardent duty to join hands and set an example before our countrymen,' the Rajya Sabha Chairman said.
He also lauded the country's healthcare taskforce for administering 2 billion Covid vaccine doses in record time. He asked all the MPs to wear masks and sanitise their hands regularly.
Noting the delay in the delivery of flats to several people at Noida and Greater Noida, BJP MP Mahesh Sharma has said in Parliament that the Centre should take appropriate action to safeguard the interests of homebuyers. The Lok Sabha MP from Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, adjoining Delhi, raised the matter with Speaker Om Birla during the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament on Wednesday.
"Crores of people in Noida and Greater Noida in my constituency Gautam Buddh Nagar, who dreamt of having their own homes, have got trapped in builder-buyer problems," Sharma said, raising the issue during the hearing of "matters of urgent public importance".
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the situation is such that middle-class families have invested their entire life's earnings and 25 per cent of the builders concerned have either been jailed or on the verge of being jailed, but the problems of the the homebuyers remain unresolved. (PTI)
The government has been receiving representations from "diverse sources" on lack of transparency, objectivity and social diversity in the collegium system of appointment of Supreme Court and high court judges with the request to improve the mechanism, Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
In a written reply, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju also said the government has sent suggestions for supplementing the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) for appointment of judges to the high courts and Supreme Court. MoP is a document which guides the appointment and transfer of judges in the higher judiciary.
He recalled that in a bid to make the collegium system of appointments of judges "more broad-based, transparent, accountable and bringing objectivity in the system", the government brought into force the Constitution (Ninety-Ninth Amendment) Act, 2014 and the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act, 2014 on April 13, 2015. (PTI)
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya Thursday said that the government has started random RT-PCR sampling for the passengers arriving at international airports in the country amid the recent surge of Coronavirus infection in various countries including China, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United States.
'We have also started the random RT-PCR sampling among passengers arriving at International airports in the country. We are committed to tackling the pandemic and are taking appropriate steps,' Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in his statement in the Lok Sabha while advising the States to make sure that people wear masks, use sanitizers and maintain social distancing even during the festive and the New Year season.
He also encouraged the states to increase awareness towards precautionary doses against Coronavirus. (ANI)
Tribal Affairs Minister Munda Arjun Thursday moved The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 for consideration and approval in Rajya Sabha.
The bills aim to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in relation to the states of Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi slammed the Opposition on Thursday for creating a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha, after a discussion on the Sino-Indian border issue was disallowed in the House.
Joshi blamed the Congress for not cooperating with the chair, accusing the party of "losing land to China" when it was in power. "The chairman requested the opposition with folded hands. He made a request to the leader of opposition and the leader of house to discuss the issue. It was flatly denied," he said.
Joshi further said in an attempt to diffuse the logjam, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar had suggested that a discussion on whether to raise the issue in the House can take place in his room, which was again thwarted by opposition leaders. "Despite losing our land to China (when the Congress was in power), not respecting the chair to have a meeting is an insult to the chair and the position. I appeal to them to mend their behaviour. They claim to be the oldest party that has ruled the country for 60 years. This behaviour of theirs will not be missed by the people of the country," he added. (PTI)
Lok Sabha has been adjourned till 4 PM
Speaking in Lok Sabha, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called for increased vigilance and urged people to take precautionary measures like wearing masks and maintaining social distance. He further said that measures like random testing of international travellers in airports has begun.
A day after the Centre directed states to be ramp up testing after a Covid surge in China, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Lok Sabha on Thursday said that the government was “keeping an eye on the global situation and taking steps accordingly”. Calling for increased vigilance, he urged people to wear masks, maintain personal hygiene and social distance.
A day after the Centre directed states to be more vigilant after a Covid surge in China, Union Health Minister is set to address both Houses on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Opposition MPs walked out of Rajya Sabha over their demand for a discussion on Chinese action and infrastructure along LAC and Leader of House in Rajya Sabha and Union Minister Piyush Goyal's remarks against Bihar, ANI reported.
A day after the Centre directed states to be more vigilant after a Covid surge in China, Union Health Minister is set to address both Houses on the Covid-19 situation in the country.
Scenes of chaos played out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday morning, with Opposition leaders entering the Well as they continued to demand a discussion on China. A visibly perturbed RS Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankar told Opposition leaders that their behavious would "haunt" them for ages. He asked the Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to meet him in his chambers at 1 PM.
A day after he came under fire for his remarks on Bihar, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday morning clarified that he had no intention of "insulting Bihar or the people of Bihar". He went on to say that he was willing to withdraw his statements if they had hurt sentiments.
Earlier that morning, a group of RJD-JD(U) MPs had gathered in front of the iconic statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament to protest against Goyal's remarks.
On Tuesday, during RJD MP Manoj Jha's intervention in a debate on the Appropriation Bill, Goyal interjected to say, “ inka bas chale, toh desh ko Bihar hi bana de” (If they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar). Since then, party leaders have been demanding an apology from the Union Minister.
Ruckus broke out in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday morning, with Opposition leaders continuing their demands for a discussion on the recent Chinese transgression in Arunachal Pradesh.
A day after the Centre urged states to remain vigilant amid a surge in Covid cases in China, several MPs were seen wearing a face mask in Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha. Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla wore face masks.
Within minutes of commencing, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 PM amid ruckus in the House.
Ahead of Parliamentary proceedings, a group of like-minded Opposition Parties' floor leaders met in the chambers of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss their strategy.
A group of RJD-JD(U) MPs gathered in front of the iconic statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Parliament to protest against remarks made by Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Bihar.
On Tuesday, during RJD MP Manoj Jha's intervention in a debate on the Appropriation Bill, Goyal interjected to say, “ inka bas chale, toh desh ko Bihar hi bana de” (If they have their way, they will turn the country into Bihar). Since then, party leaders have been demanding an apology from the Union Minister.
The Lok Sabha on Tuesday referred the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill 2022 to a joint committee of Parliament.
The Bill was introduced on December 7, when Opposition members argued that it seeks to “take away” state governments’ rights, and demanded that it be sent to the standing committee. The Bill is aimed at overhauling the existing law, which was enacted 20 years ago.
Why amend the existing law?
The Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, piloted by Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, was introduced by his deputy, BL Verma, in Lok Sabha. The existing law—the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002, was enacted by the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
Since then, many changes have taken place in the field of cooperatives. At that time, Cooperation was a department under the Ministry of Agriculture. However, on July 6, 2021, the government carved out a separate Cooperation Ministry and Shah became the first Cooperation Minister of the country. Soon after taking charge of the Ministry, he announced the bringing in of a new National Cooperative Policy. Read more.
Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a Bill which the government said would provide an effective legal instrument to combat maritime piracy. The Bill provides for stringent punishment to those convicted of such crimes.
The Bill was passed by Lok Sabha earlier this week. Moving The Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, “Ensuring maritime security is key to safeguarding India’s security and economic well-being.”
He said the security of sea lanes of communication is critical as more than 90 per cent of India’s trade takes place by sea routes and more than 80 per cent of the country’s hydrocarbon requirements was sea-borne. Read more.
Good morning! Welcome to our Parliament Winter Session Live blog. Follow this space for the latest updates from the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.
To start with, here's what to look out for:
In the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda is set to move further three Bills to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950. The Bills seek to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. All three Bills have been passed by the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju is set to move a Bill to repeal certain enactments and to amend an enactment. Piloted by Rijiju, the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022, is one of the periodical measures by which enactments which have ceased to be in force, or have become obsolete or the retention as separate Act is unnecessary, are repealed, according to PTI.