Page 4 - Parliament

Parliament logjam: Congress asks govt to allow both houses to function

Amid continued disruptions in Parliament, the Congress on Wednesday asked the government to allow both the houses to function and not run away from a discussion on the Adani issue. "Dear Modi Government, On behalf of the people of India, we humbly request you to not further sell our country, and allow the Parliament to run - don't run away from discussion. Enough is enough!," AICC general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said in a post on X. Parliament proceedings were washed out in the first week of the winter session starting November 25 due to protests by opposition members demanding discussion on issues like the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court and Sambhal violence. Since last week, the ruling BJP MPs have been raising the issue of alleged nexus between Soros and the Congress posing a threat to national security. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said his colleague Gaurav Gogoi has written to the Lok Sabha Speaker to ensure th

Parliament highlights: Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day amid ruckus over George Soros

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

GST officers detect Rs 35,132 cr ITC evasion by over 17k fake firms: Govt

GST officers have detected cases of ITC evasion of Rs 35,132 crore by 17,818 fake firms between April-October and arrested 69 persons, Parliament was informed on Monday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said regular action is taken to detect fake firms through data analytics and other intelligence by the central and state authorities. Also, a coordinated special drive was launched between August 16 and October 30 to detect fake firms. "A total of 18,876 ITC fraud cases were detected involving 17,818 fake firms with suspected ITC evasion of Rs 35,132 crore during fiscal 2024-25 (April-October)," Chaudhary said. This has saved Rs 6,484 crore of which Rs 5,422 crore by blocking of ITC and Rs 1,062 crore by way of recovery. A total of 69 arrests have been made in the cases during the current fiscal till October.

Parliament Winter Session: Opposition MPs hold protest over Adani issue

Lok Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition protest over Adani issue

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday adjourned the House till 12 noon after opposition members, mostly Congress MPs, persisted on raising their issues. When the House met at 11 am, the opposition members were on their feet trying to raise their issues. A visibly agitated Birla asked the MPs to go back to their seats and allow the House to function. "Question Hour is significant. Allow the House to function properly. But you don't want to allow the House to run. The country wants the House to run. You are disrupting the proceedings of the House," he told the protesting members and adjourned the House till 12 noon. The adjournment came within a minute of the House resuming business after the weekend break. The proceedings of the House were washed out in the first week of the winter session starting November 25 due to protests by opposition members demanding that they be allowed to raise issues like the indictment of industrialist Gautam Adani in a US court and Sambhal violence. Las

Congress demands debate in Parliament on full gamut of India-China ties

Attacking the government over its statement in Parliament on India-China ties, the Congress on Sunday asked whether the Modi government has agreed to a "new normal" over the "old normal" prevailing prior to April 2020 and demanded that Parliament must be given an opportunity to debate the full gamut of the relationship between the two countries. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said a discussion in Parliament on India-China relationship should focus on both strategic and economic policy, especially since our dependence on China has increased economically, even as it unilaterally changed the status quo on our borders over four years back. In a statement, Ramesh said the Congress has studied the recent suo motu statement made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in both Houses of Parliament titled "Recent Developments in India's Relations with China". It is unfortunate, but typical of the Modi government, that MPs were not permitted to seek any ..

73 complaints against vulgar ads on private TV channels: Govt tells Parl

Seventy-three complaints have been received against obscene and vulgar advertisements on private television channels by the regulatory bodies over the past three years, the government has told parliament. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan said the complaints were "suitably" addressed by a three-level grievance redress system. Murugan said the mechanism, established under the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, includes self-regulation by broadcasters, self-regulation by self-regulating bodies of the broadcasters, and an oversight mechanism of the central government. The minister said appropriate action is taken wherever violation of the Advertising Code is found by issuance of "Advisories, Warnings, 'Apology Scroll' Orders and Off-air orders." In reply to a separate question, Murugan said OTT platforms are required to adhere to the Code of Ethics under Part-III of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital

Political business: Fadnavis' Maha return, Sukhbir Badal dodges death

Devendra Fadnavis' return to Maharashtra throne, assassination attempt on Sukhbir Singh Badal in Punjab and more in this week's political news wrap

Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am of December 9

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla made a fervent appeal for order and cooperation during the winter session

Several Oppn MPs take out protest march in Parliament on Adani issue

Several Opposition MPs led by the Congress on Friday held a protest march inside Parliament complex on the Adani issue, wearing black masks that read "Modi Adani bhai bhai". The protest saw several leaders from some of the INDIA bloc parties marching, holding a copy of the Constitution and raising slogans against industrialist Gautam Adani. RJD, JMM and left parties' MPs were among those who joined the protest. TMC and Samajwadi Party, which did not participate in demonstration, have so far stayed away from any such denunciation of Adani. The decision has been seen by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as a "division" in the opposition bloc. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the newly elected MP from Wayanad , were among those present in the march. Priyanka later alleged that the government was scared of holding a discussion on the Adani issue and wondered why was it so. The Congress and several other opposition parties hav

Privilege notice against BJP's Patra submitted for 'traitor' barb at Rahul

Congress MP Hibi Eden has submitted a notice to move a privilege motion against BJP MP Sambit Patra for his remarks calling Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi "traitor of the highest order", asserting that the usage of "completely defamatory and unparliamentary words" has clearly violated constitutional norms. In his letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Eden said, "I wish to raise a motion of privilege and bring to your attention the completely unparliamentary conduct of Sambit Patra, MP Lok Sabha, against the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi." In a press conference held on December 5, Patra has referred to the Leader of Opposition as "traitor of the highest order" while making unfounded allegations against the LoP, he said. "The usage of such words against the LOP, while being defamatory and unacceptable in public life, is also a complete breach of parliamentary privilege of the LoP," Eden argued. "I wish to highlight that the position of the Leader of Opposition is

Parliament session highlights: Congress lead Opposition walkout in RS over farmers issue

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

INDIA bloc MPs hold protest in Parliament over Adani issue, seek JPC probe

Leaders of several INDIA bloc parties protested on the Parliament premises on Wednesday over the Adani indictment issue and called for a joint parliamentary probe into the matter. MPs of the Congress, AAP, RJD, Shiv Sena (UBT), DMK and the Left parties, among others, raised slogans in favour of their demand and held a banner reading "Modi-Adani are one" at Parliament's Makar Dwar. The TMC kept away from the opposition protest. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was not part of the protest. He left for the violence-hit Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh along with a Congress delegation in the morning. The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Tuesday issued an advisory urging the MPs not to hold protests in front of Parliament gates, saying that such obstruction of movement could affect their safety and security. The opposition MPs held a protest at the same spot on Tuesday. The Congress and some other opposition have been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe ...

Rajya Sabha passes bill to boost investment in oil and gas exploration

Aims to de-link petroleum operations from mining, renewable projects at oilfields

South Korea Parliament rejects President Yeol's martial law declaration

The South Korean parliament has voted to defy the country's president and immediately lift his martial law declaration. President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late Tuesday, vowing to eliminate anti-state forces as he struggles against an opposition that controls the country's parliament and that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea. The surprising move harkened back to an era of authoritarian leaders that the country has not seen since the 1980s, and it was immediately denounced by the opposition and the leader of Yoon's own conservative party.

Parliament updates: Lok Sabha passes The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024

Parliament winter session news updates: Catch all the latest news developments related to the proceedings in the Parliament here

Health coverage for all above 70 is to address their challenges, RS told

The aim of expanding health coverage to all aged 70 years and above under the Ayushman Bharat scheme is to address the distinct challenges faced by senior citizens and to reduce the economic vulnerabilities of this group, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Responding to a question, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said that on October 29, 2024, the government expanded Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to provide free treatment benefits of up to Rs 5 lakh per year to all aged 70 years and above, irrespective of their socio-economic status. "The aim of this expansion is to address the distinct challenges faced by senior citizens, including limited access to affordable healthcare and a significant disease burden. Many elderly individuals suffer from chronic illnesses and disabilities, highlighting the urgent need for targeted healthcare interventions," he said. The initiative also strives to reduce the economic vulnerabilities of this group, as a ...

Lok Sabha will be convened on Sunday, warns Om Birla amid House disruptions

The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Nov 25 and is set to continue until Dec 20, has faced significant disruptions due to Opposition protests

SP, TMC skip Congress protest: Is Parliamentary deadlock coming to an end?

The Winter Session of Parliament, which began on Nov 25 and runs until Dec 20, has been marred by repeated disruption due to Opposition protests

Centre targeting Muslims with Waqf Bill; lacks majority to pass: CM Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday slammed the BJP-led central government over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, accusing it of targeting Muslims and expressing doubts on its passage in Parliament. Touching upon the reduction of the minority Hindu population in Bangladesh and the ongoing unrest in the neighbouring country, she questioned the Centre's alleged inaction in the matter. The chief minister, during a debate in the West Bengal assembly on a resolution opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led central government, accusing it of "fostering divisiveness, neglecting Constitutional norms, and mishandling issues like Bangladesh's minorities, the NRC, UCC, and CAA". Banerjee alleged that the Centre had "bypassed" state governments over the matter and criticised the "lack of dialogue" on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024. The Centre did not consult us on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, she claimed. Banerjee also questioned the timing and ..