BackPolitical updates: Manohar Parrikar says govt is investigating AgustaWestland deal
The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday accepted the resignation of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya
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New Delhi: Responding to the debate on the AgustaWestland chopper scam in the Rajya Sabha, defence minister Manohar Parrikar assured the House that the government is investigating the alleged pay-offs in the scam. The government, however, rejected the opposition’s demands to hold a Supreme Court-monitored inquiry in the case. In other news, the sixth and final phase of assembly polls in West Bengal are being held today in 25 constituencies spread across two districts. Separately, finance minister Arun Jaitley has said that he would discuss the GST Bill with the Congress next week. This comes as the government lacks majority in the upper house to pass the bill. The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday also accepted the resignation of liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya.
Govt says action will be taken on AgustaWestland deal
On a day when the Congress party was politically isolated in Parliament, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) assured the Rajya Sabha that it is investigating the alleged pay-offs in the multi-crore AgustaWestland helicopter scam. The government rejected the idea of a Supreme Court-monitored probe, which was demanded by opposition parties. The Congress also demanded a time-bound probe monitored by the apex court, the non-acceptance of which led to the party’s walkout towards the end of the five-and-half-hour-long discussion. Read more
Rubbishing the Congress’s claim of having blacklisted AgustaWestland, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said he had as defence minister in June 2014 put the transaction to buy 12 helicopters from the Italian firm on hold and in July barred any future contract with it. Read more
To know who said what in the Rajya Sabha discussion, read here.
Arun Jaitley to discuss GST Bill with Congress next week
Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said the legislative business of Parliament will continue despite the uproar over the AgustaWestland helicopter deal and appealed to the Congress party to take a responsible position in the larger interest of the economy and cooperate in passing the goods and services tax (GST) Bill. Read more
Polling begins for sixth and final phase in West Bengal
The political battle between the incumbent Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the alliance between the Congress and Left parties in West Bengal entered its final leg on Thursday, when polling for the sixth and last phase in 25 constituencies began early morning. An electorate of over 58 lakh is eligible to cast their ballots at 6,774 polling stations between 7am and 6pm. In all, 170 candidates, including 18 women, are in the fray in the last phase. Read more
Vijay Mallya’s new Rajya Sabha resignation accepted
Parliament on Wednesday accepted Vijay Mallya’s resignation, after the embattled liquor tycoon resubmitted his letter in line with the correct procedures. Mallya had resigned from his seat in the Rajya Sabha on Monday but his resignation was rejected after chairman Hamid Ansari raised doubts over the veracity of his letter sent from Britain. Read more
Forecast on monsoon arrival on 15 May
The forecast for the arrival of monsoon in India will be announced on 15 May, science and technology minister Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabha during Question Hour. In April, the India Meteorological Department had said that monsoon rainfall will be 106% of the long period average, with a 94% probability that monsoon will be normal to excess. Read more
Owaisi questions govt on amendment to foreign funding act
Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, on Wednesday questioned amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010 (FCRA), and the RBI Act under Finance Bill, 2016. Owaisi, a three-time member of the Lok Sabha, hinted at the violation of Constitution during a debate on the Finance Bill on Wednesday. Read more
Centre actively considering floor test in Uttarakhand assembly
The Central government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it is “seriously considering" its suggestion to conduct a floor test in the Uttarakhand assembly. Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi sought time till 6 May to take a final decision on the possibility of holding a floor test to determine whether Harish Rawat-led Congress government had majority. Read more
Govt liberalizes coal supply procedure
The Union cabinet on Wednesday liberalized the way coal is supplied to central, state and independent power producers so that the fuel can be used optimally to generate electricity at the lowest cost possible. The idea is to move away from the government micromanaging the utilization of coal in specified facilities and to grant more flexibility to central public sector undertakings, states and private power producers at a group level to determine which of their facilities gets the fuel. Read more
Centre faces fresh calls to roll back levy on jewellery
Excise duty on jewellery dominated the debate on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with the opposition and the ruling NDA partners asking the government to roll back the budget provision. Political parties, including the Shiv Sena, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) and the All India Trinamool Congress, opposed the government’s move, citing undue harassment of small artisans because of the levy. Read more
HRD ministry to focus on three key budget announcements
With no education bills in the pipeline, the human resource development ministry has a new task at hand—to work on three key budget announcements on a priority basis. Progress on the three announcements—setting up 20 world-class universities, a higher education finance agency and digital academic repository—is being monitored almost on a fortnightly basis. Read more
Hunger strike by JNU students ‘unlawful’: VC
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) vice-chancellor Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday termed as “unlawful" activity the ongoing indefinite hunger strike by students against punishment awarded by the varsity in connection with the 9 February event, and asked them to use “constitutional" means to put forth their demands. Read more
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