Page 4 - Monsoon Session Of Parliament

O'Brien allowed to attend RS after motion to suspend him not put to vote

Rajya Sabha on Tuesday witnessed high drama over the suspension of TMC MP Derek O'Brien with the Chairman first announcing that he has to withdraw from the House but later said the motion to suspend him was not put to vote and hence, he could continue to attend the proceedings. O'Brien was allowed to attend the House proceedings after Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he has taken a "far-sighted" decision to not allow voting on the motion to suspend him which did not fructify. The Chairman had earlier announced the suspension of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader for his unruly behaviour in the House. Several members, including Pramod Tiwari (Congress), urged the Chair to take a lenient view on O'Brien, but the Chairman asked why he should show leniency. "If O'Brien would have been suspended from the House for this session, do you think he would have been allowed to enter the House again? Can he come back again?" the chairman said, adding that for him action against any .

AI, machine learning used to detect potential frauds under Ayushman Bharat

The Indian government uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to detect suspicious transactions and potential frauds under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday. These technologies are used for prevention, detection and deterrence of healthcare frauds in the scheme implementation and are helpful in ensuring appropriate treatment to the eligible beneficiaries, Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel said in a written reply. Technology partners are engaged for development and deployment of anti-fraud measures using AI/ML. As on August 1, 2023, a total number of 24.33 crore Ayushman cards have been created under the scheme, the minister informed the Upper House.

Monsoon Session: Parliament clears inter-services organisations bill

The Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill which seeks to provide the commander-in-chief and officer-in-command of inter-services organisations disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel from other forces serving in such establishments. The bill was cleared in Rajya Sabha with a voice vote. Lok Sabha had had given its nod to the legislation on August 4. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India is fully prepared to face any type of warfare and the country's defence spending can be increased to 5-6 per cent of GDP if needed. In his reply to discussion on The Interservices Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, Singh said also said filling vacancies in the armed forces is a continuous process. The country's maritime interest is fully protected and there is no reason for the house to worry about it, he said, adding "Also, we are fully prepared for any type of warfare." This preparedness will continue going forward, Singh asserted. On low defence spendin

Gaurav Gogoi, TR Baalu invoke Atal Bihari Vajpayee to target PM Modi

The opposition on Tuesday invoked BJP veteran Atal Bihari Vajpayee to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and remind him of 'rajdharma', as it accused him of taking a "vow of silence" over crucial issues such as the ethnic violence in Manipur. Initiating the debate on the no-confidence motion against the government in Lok Sabha, Congress member Gaurav Gogoi recalled that former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited Gujarat after the 2002 communal riots. "Why did he (Prime Minister Modi) take about 80 days to speak on Manipur and (he) just spoke for 30 seconds. After that there has been no peace appeal on Manipur from him. Ministers are saying they will speak, but as prime minister, the power of his words cannot be matched by ministers," Gogoi said. "When people were gasping for breath during the Covid second wave, the prime minister was seeking votes in West Bengal. When women were being assaulted in Manipur, the prime minister was seeking votes in Karnataka. What kind of

Over 400,000 hectares brought under natural farming in 8 states: Govt

About 4.09 lakh hectares have been brought under natural farming in eight states with Andhra Pradesh leading the group, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in Parliament on Tuesday. The eight states are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu, the minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The Centre is promoting natural farming since 2019-20 through a sub-scheme, Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati (BPKP), under Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana. "So far, 4.09 lakh hectare area has been brought under natural farming in 8 states," Tomar said. About 1 lakh hectares have been brought under natural farming in Andhra Pradesh, 99,000 hectares in Madhya Pradesh, 85,000 hectares in Chhattisgarh, 84,000 hectares in Kerala, 24,000 hectares in Odisha, 12,000 hectares in Himachal Pradesh, 3,400 hectares in Jharkhand, and 2,000 hectares in Tamil Nadu, he said. Natural farming is chemical-free and based on the

People of Delhi will give befitting reply to BJP: AAP on services bill

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday targeted the Centre over the Delhi services bill passed by Parliament and said the people of the national capital will give a "befitting reply" to the BJP in the upcoming elections. AAP chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the entire opposition "unitedly opposed" the bill. Party Delhi convener Gopal Rai said the bill is an "insult" to the people of Delhi. "The entire opposition unitedly opposed the unconstitutional bill yesterday. We are fighting the battle in Parliament and the court. The people of Delhi will give them (BJP) a befitting reply in the next elections," Kakkar told PTI. Parliament on Monday passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, that gives the central government control over bureaucrats in the Delhi government. Rai alleged that the bill was introduced in Parliament by the Central Government against the decision of the Supreme Court and called it a "murder of democracy". "Th

LS briefly disrupted as Oppn protests tickers on Sansad TV on govt works

Lok Sabha was briefly disrupted on Tuesday during a discussion on the no-confidence motion following opposition members' loud protest against tickers running on Sansad TV that highlighted development works of the government during the live broadcast of the debate in the House. Soon after BJP member Nishikant Dubey began speaking against the motion, several opposition members, including the Congress, TMC and the DMK, protested over the issue. Some members of the treasury benches, including ministers, were seen taking a swipe at the Opposition for its inability to come to terms with the development ushered in by the government. Speaker Om Birla sought to calm down opposition members, noting that a different system was in place to run the Sansad TV after it was created following the merger of the Lok Sabha TV and the Rajya Sabha TV. He later said he has given instructions, a suggestion that the tickers will stop running, and that happened in a couple of minutes. Opposition members we

Crop insurance claims worth Rs 2,761.10 cr pending under PMFBY till 2021-22

Crop insurance claims worth around Rs 2,761.10 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) were pending till 2021-22, with maximum pendency of claims in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. The admissible claims under the PMFBY are generally paid by the concerned insurance companies within two months of completion of harvesting period and one month of notification for invoking the risks of prevented sowing, mid-season adversity and post harvest losses. It is also subject to receipt of a total share of premium subsidy from the concerned government within time. "However, settlement of few claims in some states got delayed due to reasons like delayed transmission of yield data; late release of their share in premium subsidy, yield-related disputes between insurance companies and states...," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, in his written reply to the Lok Sabha, said. As per the data placed by the minister, about Rs 2,761.10 cr

Two BSF personnel, 21 civilians held for infiltration attempts since 2021

Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and 21 civilians involved in infiltration attempts have been apprehended since 2021, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik said that to stop infiltration along the Indo-Pakistan and Indo-Bangladesh borders, the government has adopted a multi-pronged approach which includes round-the-clock surveillance and patrolling on the borders and establishment of observation post, increase in number of the BSF personnel, construction of border fencing and floodlighting. Use of water crafts and boats and floating border out posts for domination of riverine areas, advance technological equipments such as hand-held thermal imager, night vision device, twin telescope and unmanned aerial vehicles, upgradation of intelligence setup, and enhanced coordination with the state governments and intelligence agencies were also part of the multi-pronged strategy, he said. "Two BSF personnel and 21 local persons/civilians

Day before no-trust debate, Rahul Gandhi returns to Lok Sabha as MP

On March 23, a Gujarat court convicted him for two years in a criminal defamation case, and the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified him the next day

Banks write off Rs 14.56 trn NPAs in last nine financial years: Centre

Banks have written off bad loans worth Rs 14.56 lakh crore in the last nine financial years starting 2014-15, Parliament was informed on Monday. Out of the total Rs 14,56,226 crore, written off loans of large industries and services stood at Rs 7,40,968 crore. Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) have recovered an aggregate amount of Rs 2,04,668 crore in written-off loans, including corporate loans, since April, 2014 and up to March, 2023, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. Loans written-off during the financial year, net of recovery in written-off loans during the financial year (net write-off) in public sector banks (PSBs) was Rs 1.18 lakh crore in the financial year (FY) 2017-18, which has declined to 0.91 lakh crore in FY 2021-22 and to Rs 0.84 lakh crore (RBI provisional data) in FY 2022-23, he said in another reply. Net write-off loans by private sector banks stood at Rs 73,803 crore (RBI provisional data) in FY 2022-23, he said. N

Command and control

Changes in the law will affect IIMs' autonomy

Expanding powers

The registration Bill is as draconian as the old one

14,277 GST appeals pending against disputed tax demands by authorities

As many as 14,227 appeals against disputed tax demands raised by Central GST authorities are pending as of June 2023, Parliament was informed on Monday. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said the 49th meeting of the GST Council had approved the setting up of GST Appellate Tribunals across the country. "It has been planned to establish the State benches in a phased manner based on the request of states," the Minister said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. He also gave details of the number of GST appeals against demands by Central GST authorities pending at various levels. During 2023-24 (up to June 2023), 14,227 appeals were pending. The number was gone up from 11,899 pending appeals as of March 2023. Setting up of GST Appellate Tribunal benches in states would help in faster dispute resolution. Currently, taxpayers aggrieved with the ruling of tax authorities are required to move the respective High Courts. The resolution process takes longer time as High Courts a

Population of tigers in India up from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022: Govt

The population of tigers in the country has increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022, the government informed the Parliament on Monday. Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response in the Lok Sabha. Reddy was asked whether certain bird, flower, animal etc. in the country have been designated as national bird, national flower and national animal and provided protection along with the special status keeping in view the sentiments of common people across the country. As informed by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF & CC), the Government of India had notified tiger and peacock as 'National Animal' and 'National Bird' respectively, the minister said in his response. "As the said notifications of the Government of India were not forthcoming in the official records of MoEF & CC for quite some time, the Ministry renotified Tiger and Peacock as 'National Animal' and National Bird' respectively, on 30th May 2011," he added. Tiger ..

Rs 16,484 cr from central fund under Jal Jeevan Mission lying unused: Govt

Rs 16,484 crore from the central fund under the Jal Jeevan Mission is lying unused with states and Union Territories, the government said on Monday. The mission aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households by 2024. Water, being a state subject, the states plan, implement, operate and maintain supply schemes, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel said in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha. According to data shared by Patel, Rs 16,484 crore of central fund under the mission is lying unspent with the states and Union Territories. Maharashtra has Rs 2,401 crore, Rajasthan Rs 1,552 crore and Karnataka Rs 1,225 crore under the scheme lying used.

Monsoon Session: RS takes up Bill to replace Delhi services ordinance

The bill was passed by Lok Sabha last week

Rahul's LS membership should be restored immediately: Cong after SC relief

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said he has sent all documents pertaining to revocation of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Lok Sabha to the Speaker and his membership should be restored immediately. He said Speaker Om Birla should restore his membership with the same pace as he was disqualified after a Gujarat court convicted him in a defamation case pertaining to Modi surname remarks. Chowdhury said he had called the Speaker last night as well as this morning and later sent the documents to the Speaker's office since the Secretary General's office was closed due to a holiday. "Rahul Gandhi's Parliament Lok Sabha membership should be reinstated with the same pace and swiftness as he was disqualified," the Congress leader in Lok Sabha said, adding he hoped this would be done before Lok Sabha sits on Monday. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said 26 hours after Gandhi was "convicted" by the sessions Court in Surat, the notification of his disqualificati

AAP's lone Lok Sabha member Sushil Rinku suspended for Monsoon session

The Lok Sabha on Thursday suspended newly-elected AAP member Sushil Kumar Rinku for the remaining part of the Monsoon session for unruly behaviour in the House. As the Lok Sabha passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, Rinku came to the well of the house, tore some papers and threw them in the direction of Speaker Om Birla. After the Bill was passed, Birla objected to Rinku's conduct in the House and asked Parliametary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi to move a resolution for the AAP member's suspension. Birla formally named Rinku for conduct unbecoming of a member of the Lok Sabha following which the minister moved a resolution for his suspension for the remaining part of the Monsoon session. The motion was adopted by a voice vote. The Monsoon session is scheduled to end on August 11. Rinku, who was elected to the Lok Sabha in a bypoll in May, took oath as member on July 20, the first day of the ongoing Parliament session.

RS nod to bill to replace British-era Press and Registration of Books Act

Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed a bill that replaces the existing legislation which governs the registration of print and publishing industry in the country. The Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023 was passed by a voice vote. Replying to the discussion on the bill, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said this will lead to ease of doing business for media and publishing companies, simplify the process of registration and decriminalise several colonial-era penal provisions. He observed that the bill traverses the journey from bureaucratic burden to ease of doing business. "Those involved in terrorist activities or unlawful activities against the state will not be granted permission to start a paper or periodical," he said. The bill replaces the existing Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867. The Union Cabinet last month approved the PRP Bill that seeks to simplify the registration process for periodicals and do away with the provision for ...