Page 3 - Rajya Sabha

RS proceedings suspended till Monday amid protest over Adani, other issues

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Friday as opposition MPs protested the rejection of adjournment notices for a discussion on allegations against the Adani Group, and the violence in Manipur and Sambhal. The House will meet again on Monday. Soon after laying of listed papers in the morning session, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received 17 notices for adjournment of scheduled business under Rule 267 of the House. The Chairman said he was rejecting all the notices. This led to a protest by several opposition MPs who began raising slogans. Expressing anguish, Dhankhar said, "I call upon you (MPs) for deep reflection. Rule 267 is being weaponised as a mechanism of disruption". The remark was protested by opposition MPs including those belonging to the Congress. Before adjourning the proceedings for the day, he said similar issues had been raised repeatedly, leading to a loss of three working days. The notices from MPs belonging to opposition parties were

38.9% children under 5 years of age in anganwadis found stunted: Govt data

Over a third of children under five years of age enrolled in anganwadis across India are stunted, the government has told the Rajya Sabha. In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister of State Savitri Thakur said 7.54 crore children up to five years of age are enrolled in anganwadis and registered on the Poshan Tracker. Of these, 7.31 crore were measured for growth parameters, and findings show that 38.9 per cent of children are stunted, 17 per cent are underweight, and 5.2 per cent are wasted. Stunting, wasting, and underweight are all types of malnutrition, which is a condition caused by an imbalance in a person's energy or nutrient intake. For the broader age group of 06 years, the data shows similar concerns. Of the 16.1 crore projected population of children up to six years in 2021, 8.82 crore are enrolled in anganwadis. Measurements of 8.55 crore children in this group indicate that 37 per cent are stunted, while 17 per cent are underweight,

RS proceedings washed out again amid uproar over Adani, Sambhal issues

Rajya Sabha proceedings were washed out for the third consecutive day on Thursday after uproar by opposition MPs over the Adani issue and violence in Manipur and Sambhal. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar's appeals that Parliamentary disruption was not a remedy but a malady which weakened the foundation of India's democracy went unheeded as the opposition members continued to protest. The proceedings of the Upper House were adjourned within minutes after it met at 12 noon, following one adjournment shortly after 11 am. Recalling that Wednesday marked a historic milestone -- the beginning of the final quarter-century before India's Constitution turned 100 -- Dhankhar lamented that the House members missed the opportunity to engage in productive dialogue. "This was a moment for our House of Elders, guided by the spirit of nationalism, to send a powerful message of hope to 1.4 billion Indians, reaffirming our commitment to their dreams and journey towards Viksit Bharat at 2047," he said. "Ye

Lower courts have over 5,000 vacancies; no forward movement in AIJS: Govt

The subordinate and district courts face shortage of over 5,000 judges, while the 25 high courts have collective vacancies of over 360, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. In a written reply, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwwal also said the Supreme Court, with a sanctioned strength of 34 judges, including the chief justice of India, has two vacancies. Following the retirement of Justice D Y Chandrachud as the CJI and Justice Hima Kohli earlier, the top court has two vacancies. The minister also said that amid divergence of view among states and high courts, there is no forward movement in the creation of an all-India judicial service. He said as on November 21, the lower judiciary had a shortage of 5,245 judicial officers while the HCs were short of 364 judges. The sanctioned strength of the 25 HCs is 1,114 judges. Responding to a sub question, Meghwal noted that Article 312 of the Constitution provides for the establishment of an All India Judicial Service (AIJS), which will n

Parliament session highlights: Both houses adjourned for the day amid massive Opposition protests

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

Govt blocks 669K SIM cards, 132K IMEIs to curb cybercrimes, Centre tells RS

The Centre has blocked 6.69 lakh SIM cards and 1.32 lakh International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers reported by police authorities to check cyber crimes in the country, Rajya Sabha was informed Wednesday. In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar said the central government and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers appearing to be originating within India. "Such international spoofed calls have been made by cyber criminals in recent cases of fake digital arrests, fedex scams and impersonation as government and police officials," the minister said. Directions have been issued to the TSPs for blocking of such incoming international spoofed calls, he said. "Till November 15, 2024, more than 6.69 lakh fake SIM cards and 1.32 lakh IMEIs as reported by police authorities have been blocked by the government of India," he ...

India to spend over Rs 9 trn on power transmission infra by 2032: Govt

A total expenditure of Rs 9.12 lakh crore has been planned to augment power transmission infrastructure capacity in the country by 2032, according to Union Minister Shripad Yesso Naik. The National Electricity Plan (Transmission) covers the transmission plan till 2031-32, said Minister of State for Power Shripad Yesso Naik in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Monday. As per the Plan, 1,91,474 circuit kilometres (ckm) of transmission lines and 1274 Giga Volt Ampere (GVA) of transformation capacity would be added (at 220 kV and above voltage level) in the 10-year period from 2022-23 to 2031-32. In addition, he stated that 33.25 GW of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) bi-pole links are also planned. The inter-regional transmission capacity is planned to increase to 143 GW by 2026-27 and further to 168 GW by 2031-32, from the present level of 119 GW. The Plan also highlights new technology options in transmission, cross-border interconnections and private sector participation in

Opposition leaders criticise govt over repeated adjournments in Parliament

Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Randeep Surjewala raised the issue of corruption, especially related to the bribery allegations against the Adani Group

Parliament session highlights: Both Houses adjourned for the day amid protests over Adani charges

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

Opposition demands debate on Constitution in both Houses of Parliament

Opposition leaders on Tuesday demanded a debate on the Constitution in both Houses of Parliament, stressing it was needed in the light of the recent developments in the country. Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said he and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi have written to the Chair in the two Houses requesting that a discussion should be held on the Constitution for two days in both Houses. "Time should be allotted for that so that the good things about the Constitution can be discussed, and the wrong things that are happening today can also be discussed. Rahul Gandhi ji and I have written letters, we are waiting for the government's response," Kharge told PTI as the country celebrated the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh questioned if the Preamble of the Constitution is being implemented in letter and spirit. "Are people getting justice, liberty? Is there freedom of expression? Where is ...

Bypolls to six vacant Rajya Sabha seats in four states to be held on Dec 20

Bypolls to six vacancies in Rajya Sabha across four states will be held on December 20, the Election Commission announced on Tuesday. Three vacancies were created in Andhra Pradesh when YSRCP members Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi, Beedha Masthan Rao Yadav and Ryaga Krishnaiah had quit their membership in August. The terms of Yadav and Krishnaiah as Rajya Sabha members were to end on June 21, 2028, while Mopidevi was to retire on 21 June, 2026. A vacancy occurred in Odisha when Sujeet Kumar quit his seat following which he was expelled by the Biju Janata Dal. His term was to end on April 2, 2026. Jawhar Sircar of the TMC had resigned in April following the rape-murder of a woman doctor in Kolkata, creating a vacancy in the state. He was otherwise to retire in April 2026. Krishan Lal Panwar of the BJP had quit his Rajya Sabha seat from Haryana following his election as an MLA in the recent state polls. After the recent assembly polls, TDP in Andhra Pradesh and BJP in Odisha will have a

Winter session: Houses adjourned amid ruckus over Adani bribery case

Oppn demands JPC probe; BJP terms it 'retaliation' tactic

Prez to address joint sitting of Parliament to mark 75 yrs of Constitution

President Droupadi Murmu will address a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament in the historic Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan on Tuesday, kick-starting year-long celebrations to mark 75 years of the adoption of India's Constitution. The government on Monday announced that a new website -- https: //constitution75.com -- has been created to enable citizens to engage with the legacy of the Constitution through interactive activities and resources. Mass readings of its Preamble will take place in schools, cities and villages around the country, it also said. The Constituent Assembly met for the first time in New Delhi on December 9, 1946 in the Central Hall of the old Parliament House building. Decorated elegantly for the occasion, the chamber wore a new look on that day with "a constellation of bright lamps hanging from the high ceilings" and also from the brackets on its walls, according to the Lok Sabha website. "Overwhelmed and jubilant as they were, the hon'ble members sat in

Parliament winter session: Both Houses adjourned, to meet again on Nov 27

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Monday as opposition parties led by the Congress tried to raise the issue of the indictment of Adani group founder chairman Gautam Adani and others in a US court on charges of paying bribes to secure solar power supply contracts. The House will meet again on Wednesday (November 27). There will be no sitting of Parliament on Tuesday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Constituent Assembly's adoption of the Constitution in 1949. Earlier, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar disallowed 13 notices served under rule 267, including seven that sought a discussion on the US indictment on the alleged payment of USD 265 million in bribes. But the Congress and Left parties insisted on a discussion, forcing a 15-minute adjournment of proceedings. Soon after listed papers were laid on the table of the House and obituary references read out on the death of former MPs, Dhankhar said he had received 13 notices under rule 267 but was not convinced to

Parl panel to discuss code of conduct, post-retirement jobs for judges

Tribunals are institutions set up to reduce the case load on the judiciary with experts from various fields looking into the disputes

'Compelled to reply in Malayalam': Kerala MP questions Hindi responses

Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas argues that responses to MPs from southern India should be provided in English as per established conventions

Sebi Chair Madhabi Puri Buch's meeting with Parliament committee postponed

Madhabi Puri Buch and three to four senior Sebi officials are likely to be questioned by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee

BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari appointed ethics committee chairman in upper house

BJP MP from Rajasthan, Ghanshyam Tiwari, has been appointed as the chairman of the Ethics Committee of Rajya Sabha by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Committee has has been reconstituted by the Rajya Sabha chairman with effect from October 10. Among other members appointed as members of the Committee are Pramod Tiwari (Congress), Derek O'Brien (TMC), Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Sanjay Singh (AAP), V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP), Sasmit Patra (BJD), Prem Chand Gupta (RJD), Medha Vishram Kulkarni and Darshana Singh (both BJP). The Rajya Sabha chairman has also changed the nominations of members in the department related to Parliamentary Standing Committees, with Fauzia Khan changed from Social Justice and Empowerment to Committee to the Committee on Coal, Mines and Steel, V Vijayasai Reddy from Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture to Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. Babubhai Jesangbhai Desai has also been nominated by the chairman to the Committee on Health and Family ...

EY employee death: TMC MP to raise 'toxic work culture' issue in Parliament

Highlighting the condition of employees in private firms across India, TMC MP Saket Gokhale has called for an urgent investigation into the working conditions at EY

Cong to get chairship of external affairs, agri, rural dev, edu committees

The Congress will chair the parliamentary standing committees on external affairs, agriculture, and rural development in the Lok Sabha and education in the Rajya Sabha, party sources said on Monday, with talks between the government and the opposition over the panels' chairship concluding. In all, the Congress is set to have the chairship of four department-related standing committees -- three in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress will chair the Department Related Standing Committee on External Affairs; Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing; Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in the Lok Sabha; and Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports in the Rajya Sabha, a source told PTI. Significantly, the Congress will chair the crucial committee on external affairs after a gap of five years. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor headed the panel on external affairs between September 2014 and May 2019. The Congress last held the chairship of two ...