Parliament Live: LS adjourned for the day, Opposition to move privilege motion in RS against Sushma Swaraj
Parliament reconvenes for the ongoing monsoon session with key bills up for consideration in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha today. Here are the live updates
New Delhi: Parliament reconvenes for the ongoing monsoon session on Friday with the opposition trying to corner the Narendra Modi government over external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement in the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The opposition parties are going to move privilege motions against her. The Lok Sabha has listed two important bills for discussion.
Here are the latest developments and updates from both Houses:
■ Lok Sabha adjourned for the day after heated exchanges between BJP, Congress members over bribery allegations made by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya. (PTI)
■ With six months maternity leave, more and more women workers would be inclined to seek employment, Parliament was informed today.
The response comes on a query whether the government has taken cognizance of the fact that six-month maternity leave could cause non-recruitment of female employees in the corporate sector.
“The government is of the opinion that with enforcement of Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, more and more women workers would be inclined to seek employment which will lead to increase in employment preferences for women,” minister of state for corporate affairs, Arjun Ram Meghwal said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. (PTI)
■ Lok Sabha passes the Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill, 2017.
■ All party meeting decides to send Motor Vehicles Bill to Rajya Sabha’s select committee, says Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari. He said the select committee will be appointed today. Besides, the committee will submit its report on the first day of Winter Session of Parliament, Gadkari added. (PTI)
■ The number of caesarean deliveries or C-Section surgeries have increased in the country, which is a matter of concern for all, health minister J. P. Nadda said today.
“C-Section (surgeries) have increased, specially in private institutes. It is a matter of concern for all of us,” he said during Question Hour.
Nadda said there were a number of reasons for increase of C-Section, including personal preference, risk factor, time constraint, among others.
“But our efforts are on to bring down the number of C- section. We are initiating the process of counselling,” he said.
The minister said as per the information received from the Central Government Health Services-empanelled private hospitals, a total of 17,450 C-Section surgeries have been conducted out of 31,296 deliveries, which is about 55.75%.
He said the CGHS has already asked all CGHS empanelled hospitals to display the number of C-Section being conducted on voluntary basis prominently near reception of the hospital. (PTI)
■ Pakistan has increased attempts to push terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir through the border but there is a high number of casualties on their side, defence minister Arun Jaitley said today.
Jaitley said in the Lok Sabha that the Indian Army has “domination and impact” along the western border and all steps have been taken to check infiltration from across the border.
“Pakistan has increased efforts of infiltration,” he said during Question Hour. (PTI)
■ TRS members in the Lok Sabha today demanded that the GST should not be imposed on the existing government schemes, saying it “severely impacted” them as the tax burden has been raised from 5% to 18%.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley said he will bring their demand to the notice of the GST council, which meets tomorrow. (PTI)
■ The government proposes to enhance the human milk bank facility which was recently launched in at the Lady Hardinge Medical College hospital in Delhi, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Responding to a supplementary question on whether more such banks will be set up, Health minister J P Nadda said plans are to “enhance” the facility. The bank here will collect and store milk donated by lactating mothers for the infants who are in need. (PTI)
■ Referring to the infrastructure in major government hospitals where patients have to wait to get treatment, the minister said the AIIMS in Delhi will soon get 1563 additional beds.
He said the number of patients visiting central government hospitals for treatment was much more than their handling capacity in terms of number of beds, manpower and resources.
“However, all the patients registered in the OPD are attended to by the doctors on that particular day,” he said in his written reply. (PTI)
■ Congress leader Rajeev Shukla took objection to Swaraj’s statement calling him a supporter of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying he had never advocated India giving a go-ahead to that plan.
Shukla said while replying to the debate on foreign policy in Rajya Sabha yesterday, Swaraj had criticised him for supporting CPEC. (PTI)
■ To Naresh Agarwal (SP) giving privilege notice against the publication of an article in a Hindi daily having critical references to the Upper House of Parliament, Kurien said his notice has been received and it is being dealt with. “Chairman is allowing (the notice),” he said. Agarwal said he had given the notice after the Chair had directed to move a relevant notice, rather than raise it through a point of order. (PTI)
■ Rajya Sabha proceedings were today briefly adjourned after opposition Samajwadi Party and BSP created a furore over the renaming of the historic Mughalsarai railway station in Uttar Pradesh after Deen Dayal Upadhayay.
SP members trooped into the well of the House shouting slogans and disrupted taking up of listed business, forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes.
The issue was raised by Naresh Agarwal (SP), who had given notice under rule 267 seeking suspension of business to take up discussion on the issue. But Kurien disallowed it saying the subject can be raised in some other form like a zero hour notice. However, the parties from Uttar Pradesh continued to protest. (PTI)
■ Telangana Rashtra Samithi will move adjournment motion on Good and Service Tax in Lok Sabha, News18 reports.
■ The Congress along with other opposition parties will move privilege motions against external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, according to News18. The opposition parties allege that Swaraj misled the House over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lahore visit in 2015 and the Bandung conference in Indonesia the same year, the report adds.
■ On Thursday the government and opposition engaged in a verbal duel in the Rajya Sabha over India’s statement at the last Bandung Conference in Indonesia.
— Senior Congress member Anand Sharma alleged that first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s name had been omitted from the address delivered by minister of state for external affairs V. K. Singh at the 60th anniversary of Bandung Conference. Sharma was supported by Derek O’Brien of Trinamool Conference.
— Rejecting this charge, Swaraj said India did not address the Bandung Conference as only three heads of states spoke there. She said the speech which Sharma was referring to was delivered at another Afro-Asian Conference held separately.
Nehru was one of the founder members of the Bandung Conference founded in 1955. Swaraj added that she had attended the Bandung Conference and saw large pictures of Nehru at the venue, which made her feel proud.
— The second privilege is for allegedly “misinforming the House on PM Modi’s 2015 Lahore visit, claiming that there was no terror incident after that”. The opposition, however, said that the Pathankot terror attack happened immediately after PM Modi’s visit and there were five other terror-related incidents after that too.
Sharma also demanded to know why PM Modi made that “dramatic” visit to Pakistan and “why, till date, nobody knows the details of the meeting”. “You were going to Afghanistan and got down at Lahore mid-way; till date the Prime Minister hasn’t told the nation what talks took place. On one hand, you get miffed and cancel talks after Pakistan invites separatists on a tea party, and on the other hand, you make a dramatic visit breaching all protocols,” he said.
■ Following is Friday’s legislative business for the two Houses of Parliament:
Lok Sabha: Bills for consideration and passing:
— The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy Bill.
— The Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill.
— Private Members’ Business.
Rajya Sabha: Private Members’ Business.
Bill for consideration and passing:
— The Companies (Amendment) Bill.
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Business NewsPoliticsPolicyParliament Live: LS adjourned for the day, Opposition to move privilege motion in RS against Sushma Swaraj
First Published:4 Aug 2017, 11:44 AM IST
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