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Amit Shah to move key bill in Rajya Sabha

Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2023-24. The Bill will be moved in the Upper House for consideration and return. It was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha…reports Asian Lite News

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to move the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha for its consideration and passage on Monday.

The Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to reserve 33 per cent of seats in the Jammu and Kashmir, and Puducherry Assemblies for women. The legislation has already been passed in Lok Sabha last week.

According to the agenda released, the Home Minister will also move the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023, which seeks to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019. The Bill was cleared in the Lower House on December 12.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is to move the Appropriation Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha today to authorise payment and appropriation of certain further sums from and out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2023-24. The Bill will be moved in the Upper House for consideration and return. It was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala will also move the Appropriation (No.4) Bill, 2023 in the Rajya Sabha today to provide for the authorisation of appropriation of moneys out of the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the amounts spent on certain services during the financial year ended on the 31st day of March, 2021, in excess of the amounts granted for those services and for that year. The Bill will be moved in the Upper House for consideration and return. It was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, several opposition MPs have given notices in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, seeking a discussion on the recent breach in Parliament security today.

Since two persons with gas canisters jumped into the Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery, triggering panic inside the House, the opposition lawmakers are demanding a statement from Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.

A total of 14 opposition MPs– 13 in Lok Sabha and 1 in Rajya Sabha– are currently suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session for creating a ruckus inside their respective Houses while demanding Shah’s statement.

Among the 13 MPs suspended from the Lok Sabha, nine are from the Congress, two from the CPM, one from the CPI, and one from the DMK. (ANI)

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Over 47 hrs lost in RS due to interruptions

Only 25 matters could be raised by members with the permission of the chair and only 60 Special Mentions could be made, during the entire session…reports Asian Lite News

Due to face-offs between the Opposition and the government, over 47 hours were lost while the business was conducted for more than 35 hours in the 257th session of Rajya Sabha that had commenced on July 18.

The House had 16 sittings. However, more than 47 hours were lost due to interruptions, “which is a sad reflection on the functioning of the Upper House of Parliament”, said the outgoing Chairman, M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday.

“The session was characterised by regular and continuous disruptions, which deprived members of the opportunity to discuss matters of urgent public importance and seek the accountability of the executive through questions,” he said.

Of the 235 starred questions admitted, only 61 could be answered orally, and the Question Hour could not be taken up on 7 days.

Only 25 matters could be raised by members with the permission of the chair and only 60 Special Mentions could be made, during the entire session.

The House discussed the issue of rising prices of essential items in the form of a Short Duration Discussion which lasted for more than 4 hours in which 33 members participated in the debate.

Only four government bills were considered and passed during the Session.

At total of 27 Private Members’ Bills were also introduced and only 1 Private Member’s Bill regarding ‘Right to Health’ could be partly discussed during the entire Session. No Private Members’ Resolutions could be taken up.

Parliament adjourned sine die

The Parliament’s Monsoon Session ended on Monday, four days before its scheduled completion, with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die.

The session, which began on July 18, was slated to go on till August 12.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, before adjourning the ninth session of the 17th LS sine die, said that the house met for 16 days wherein seven bills were passed.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the Upper House sine die, stating that detailed statistics of the session will be circulated during the course by the Secretariat.

As his tenure as Vice President will come to an end on August 10, the house bid him farewell at a function held in the G.M.C. Balayogi Auditorium of Parliament Library Building.

Speaking on the occasion, Naidu noted that these last five years have been the most eventful, enlightening, and energising years of his life.

He applauded the way Central and state governments galvanised the country into a resilient nation during the times of pandemic, while living up to the ancient Indian ideal of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ by reaching out to other countries with medicines and vaccines.

Highlighting his interaction with leaders from other countries, Naidu stated that he had witnessed a perceptible change in India’s image in the comity of nations.

Acknowledging the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in promoting India’s image in the global arena, he said everyone should contribute to India’s standing and not belittle the accomplishments made by the country.

Saying that he had worked in a close association with all political parties and their leaders, Naidu stressed that the rapport and understanding developed out of this experience helped him to enhance productivity in Rajya Sabha and oversee the passage of many landmark legislations. He expected that political parties and its members in the house act in a manner that befits the stature of the Indian Parliament.

Highlighting India’s celebration of 75 years of independence, he said that India has come a long way in these years but there are still many formidable obstacles to progress that must be identified and removed. He further stated that there is a need to ensure equitable access of all the citizens to resources and opportunities to study, work and grow into an enlightened, empowered individual.

At the end, Naidu requested members to follow “3 Ds” – dignity, decency, and debate and do not resort to the fourth “D”, or disruption. “Continuous disruption of Parliament is disruption of democracy”

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Opposition protests against ‘misuse’ of probe agencies by Centre

Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said that the law enforcing agencies were doing their work and the present government is not interfering in their functioning…reports Asian Lite News

Both the Houses of Parliament on Thursday witnessed protests by opposition members against the alleged misuse of investigating agencies by the government against political opponents.

Opposition members led by the Congress in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha protested against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids and summons against Opposition leaders.

The Lok Sabha proceedings were first adjourned until 2 p.m. and then adjourned for the day after opposition members continued loud sloganeering over the misuse of the ED against political rivals.

Congress members tried to raise the issue of the alleged misuse of the ED but Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu said that he will listen to them after papers are laid on the table. After the papers were laid, Naidu said he has received five notices under Rule 267 but none has been admitted and he was not admitting them as the issues can be raised in any other form.

The Rajya Sabha first adjourned till 12 noon as the opposition benches protested against the misuse of the ED. As the chairman gave permission, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said that the investigating agencies were being misused against the opposition parties to suppress them. Members from the treasury benches opposed Kharge’s remark and heated exchanges took place between the two sides.

As the disruption continued, the Chairman adjourned the Rajya Sabha till 12 noon. When the House resumed proceedings at 12 noon, Question Hour was held amid loud sloganeering and disruption from the Opposition, who were demanding a response from the Prime Minister. Kharge said that while the House was in session he had received a summons from the ED to appear before the agency at 12.30 pm. “I respect the law and will appear before the law enforcement agency,” Kharge said.

Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha Piyush Goyal said that the law enforcing agencies were doing their work and the present government is not interfering in their functioning.

After Question Hour amid sloganeering, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 p.m. for the lunch break.

Post lunch, the Rajya Sabha passed the ‘Family Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2022’ by a voice vote amid continuous sloganeering by the opposition members. As soon as the bill was passed, Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh adjourned the House for the day.

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Arsenic found in groundwater in 209 districts: Centre tells RS

There are 14,079 iron-affected, 671 fluoride-affected, 814 arsenic-affected, 9,930 salinity-affected, 517 nitrate-affected and 111 heavy metal-affected habitations in the country, the data showed…reports Asian Lite News

Arsenic has been found in the ground water in parts of 209 districts in 25 states and Union territories, while uranium has been found in parts of 152 districts across 18 states, the government informed Parliament on Monday.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu gave data that showed lead has been found in parts of 176 districts in 21 states, iron in parts of 491 districts in 29 states and Union territories, cadmium in parts of 29 districts in 11 states and chromium in parts of 62 districts in 16 states.

According to the data, arsenic has been found in water in parts of 209 districts in 25 states and Union territories, while uranium has been found in parts of 152 districts across 18 states.

Also, there are 14,079 iron-affected, 671 fluoride-affected, 814 arsenic-affected, 9,930 salinity-affected, 517 nitrate-affected and 111 heavy metal-affected habitations in the country, the data showed.

In a written reply to another question in the Upper House, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel said of the 10,182 samples collected and tested at the quality control laboratories of the Delhi Jal Board in south Delhi since May, the percentage of the samples found unsatisfactory ranges from 1.95 to 2.99, which is well within the 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water quality.

“Action is initiated as per standard operating procedure to stop contamination, if any. There is no proposal for constitution of any expert committee in this matter,” Prahlad Singh Patel said.

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RS to discuss price rise early next week

Ten leaders of the Opposition met Naidu on Wednesday over the suspension of 19 members of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and their demand for a discussion on price rise…reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha is likely to discuss price rise early next week after it failed to function properly amid protests from the opposition parties. Sources said that an understanding has been reached in a meeting Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu had with leaders of the Opposition and the government.

On the opposition demand to revoke the suspension of members, it is learnt that the Rajya Sabha Chairman said it could be considered only if the MPs realise their misconduct and regret it. Sources informed that Naidu said that naming and suspension of members are done as a last resort to uphold the dignity of the House and urged the opposition leaders to understand the agony that the presiding officer goes through before naming the erring members.

Ten leaders of the Opposition met Naidu on Wednesday over the suspension of 19 members of the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday and their demand for a discussion on price rise. Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal and MoS (Parliamentary Affairs) Muraleedharan were also present at the meeting.

The opposition leaders suggested that the suspensions may be revoked to have good attendance in the House. They also suggested that a specific date be indicated on which price rise could be discussed. It is learnt that some opposition leaders felt that unconditional revocation of the suspensions would be appropriate. Naidu urged the opposition leaders to advise their party members not to disrupt the House proceedings. 19 members were suspended on Tuesday and one more, Sanjay Singh was suspended on Wednesday.

Opposition members continuously disrupted the House proceedings since Day 1 demanding discussion on price rise, hike in GST and other issues.

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Rajya Sabha discusses WMD amendment bill

Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday were adjourned thrice before being adjourned for the day…reports Asian Lite News

Amid disruptions and continuous sloganeering from opposition members, the Rajya Sabha on Monday discussed The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022.

The house was later adjourned for the day after scheduling the consideration and passing of the Bill and the minister’s statement on Tuesday.

As members of the BJP continued to participate in discussion on the bill amid sloganeering from opposition members, the Chair announced that the minister’s statement on the bill and its consideration and passing will take place tomorrow.

Rajya Sabha proceedings on Monday were adjourned thrice before being adjourned for the day.

Opposition members continued to protest demanding a discussion on price rise, inflation by shouting slogans and displaying placards. Amid the protests, BJP’s Sikander Kumar, and Ajay Pratap Singh and Tamil Maanila Congress-M’s G.K. Vasan spoke in favour of the bill.

Participating in the discussion, BJP’s G.V.L. Narsimha Rao said the bill is an important tool in controlling financing of terrorist activities and Mahesh Jethmalani said that the genesis of the bill lies in global apprehensions that nuclear weapons could fall into unwanted hands. The latter also hit out at the opposition members for disrupting the House during the discussion of such an important bill.

Earlier, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 3 p.m. as opposition members continued protest demanding discussion on price rise and inflation. Proceeding for the day started at 2 p.m. instead of usual 11 a.m. due to swearing in ceremony of President Droupadi Murmu. As opposition members continued to protest when the House resumed, Rajya Sabha once again adjourned till 4 p.m. Later Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the third time for 10 minutes till 5 p.m. before being adjourned till Tuesday

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PT Usha, Ilaiyaraaja nominated to Rajya Sabha

The four nominated members have had illustrious careers in their respective fields and received national and global recognition for their contributions…reports Asian Lite News

Legendary athlete P.T. Usha, iconic music composer Ilaiyaraaja, noted philanthropist Veerendra Heggade and acclaimed screenwriter-director K.V. Vijayendra Prasad were on Wednesday nominated to the Rajya Sabha.

Incidentally, all the four members nominated to the Rajya Sabha are from southern states. While Usha is from Kerala, Ilaiyaraaja hails from Tamil Nadu, Heggade belongs to Karnataka and Prasad is from Andhra Pradesh.

Government sources said that the Rajya Sabha nominations is another instance of the Narendra Modi-led government recognising outstanding Indians who have made a mark in diverse fields.

The four nominated members have had illustrious careers in their respective fields and received national and global recognition for their contributions.

“The four nominated representatives represent various southern states and expand the region’s representation in the Upper House. The Modi government has consistently ensured adequate representation of various under-represented groups. The four nominated members include a woman, a Dalit, and a member of a religious minority (Jain community),” the sources said.

Usha, a celebrated athlete born in a small village in Kozhikode district in Kerala, is one of India’s most iconic sportspersons. She has been a role model and inspiration for lakhs of young girls across the country who have dreamt of taking up a career in sports, especially track and field events.

Popularly known as the ‘Payyoli Express, Usha has won medals for the country at various international sporting events, including the World Junior Invitational Meet, Asian Championships and Asian Games. She has set and broken many national and Asian records during her career.

At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, she missed winning India’s first medal in a track and field event at the Games in a photo-finish as she stood fourth in women’s 400m race, missing out on a bronze by 1/100 second.

Post-retirement, she started the Usha School of Athletics, which offers world-class facilities to talented youngsters. Usha is a recipient of the Arjuna award and the Padma Shri.

Born in a Dalit household at a village in Madurai district, Ilaiyaraaja is regarded as one of India’s greatest music composers. During his long career, Ilaiyaraaja had to face innumerable hardships and caste-based discrimination. However, he overcame all such hurdles and emerged as one of the country’s leading music composers.

In a career spanning more than five decades, Ilaiyaraaja has composed over 7,000 songs for more than 1,000 films and performed in more than 20,000 concerts across the globe.

In 2018, he was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan award. He has also been awarded with Padma Bhushan.

Veerendra Heggade has served as the ‘Dharmadhikari’ of the Dharmasthala Temple in Karnataka since the tender age of 20. He has been a devoted philanthropist for more than five decades. He has led various transformative initiatives for rural development and promotion of self-employment. He established the Rural Development and Self-employment Training Institute (RDSETI) to spread awareness about self-employment opportunities and train rural youth.

Heggade has also conceptualised the Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, an initiative for inclusive rural development and self-employment in Karnataka. Currently, the project has more than six lakh SHGs and over 49 lakh members.

He also heads the Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Educational Trust, which provides quality and affordable education through more than 25 schools and colleges. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.

Vijayendra Prasad is an acclaimed screenwriter and film director, who has penned the scripts of many prominent Telugu and Hindi movies. His notable works include some of the highest-grossing Indian movies such as ‘RRR’, the ‘Baahubali’ series, and ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’. Some of the movies he wrote have transcended sharp regional boundaries and become blockbusters across the country.

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Rajya Sabha misses 100% productivity by 10 minutes

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu did not make the customary valedictory remarks on the last day of the Session as some sections of the House created a ruckus, reports Asian Lite News

The Rajya Sabha clocked productivity of 99.80 per cent during the Budget Session that concluded on Thursday while it missed the 100 per cent landmark by just 10 minutes.

“This has been the third best productivity of the House during the last 14 sessions since the Monsoon Session (243rd Session) of 2017,” the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said in a statement.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu did not make the customary valedictory remarks on the last day of the Session as some sections of the House created a ruckus.

As against the scheduled 29 sittings, the House held 27 sittings including 10 during the first part of the Budget Session and 17 during the second part that concluded on Thursday. Two sittings were given up ahead of Holi and Ram Navami on the suggestions from leaders of various parties in the House, the statement read.

The Budget Session started on a positive note without disruptions and forced adjournments during the first 12 full sittings, the best such a stretch during the last about three years. The House witnessed forced adjournments on six days, all during the second part of the session. The Members sat beyond the scheduled hours on 11 days. In all, 21 of the 27 sittings were free of forced adjournments.

While functional time of nine hours 26 minutes was lost due to disruptions and forced adjournments, the House gained nine hours and 16 minutes with Members sitting beyond the scheduled hours.

During the session, the Members discussed four ministries of Railways, Development of North-Eastern Region, Tribal Affairs and Labour and Employment for a total time of 22 hours and 34 minutes. This was the best performance in this regard in the last 12 years, after five ministries were discussed in 2010.

Of the total functional time, 37 per cent was spent on debates on Motion of Thanks to the President for his Address to both the Members of Houses, Union Budget for 2022-23 and the working of four ministries. Twenty-three per cent of the time was spent on the Government’s Bills and 10 per cent on raising issues of public importance through Zero Hour and Special Mentions.

During this Budget Session, the House has passed 11 Bills, including the six on Appropriation and Finance Bills that were returned. One Bill, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022 was introduced in the House on Thursday.

A total of 135 starred questions, accounting for 37.50 per cent of the total 360 listed, were orally answered in the House. Members raised issues of public importance through 248 Zero Hour and 168 Special Mentions, the statement said.

During the second part of the Budget Session, the eight Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committees of Rajya Sabha held a total of 16 meetings for a total duration of 19 hours 30 minutes.

The average attendance in these meetings has been 50.10 per cent with the Committees on Home Affairs, Education and Health and Family Welfare reporting average attendance of over 60 per cent. The average duration of these 16 meetings has been one hour 13 minutes. These Committees submitted 36 reports during the second part of the session, including 30 on the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

The productivity of the House of 99.80 per cent during this Budget Session has been the third best since the Monsoon Session of 2017. Productivity of 100 per cent or more was recorded during the Monsoon Session (249th) of 2019 and the Monsoon Session (252nd) of 2020.

The productivity of the House during this session has improved from 94 per cent of the Budget Session last year.

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