THE HEADLINES:
Parliament passes Women's Reservation Bill seeking to reserve one third of seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Assembly.
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die after passage of the landmark bill.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to interact with Team G20 at Bharat Mandapam in Delhi this evening.
Over five lakh beneficiary cards made in four days of Ayushman Bhav campaign.
In Wrestling, India's Antim Panghal wins bronze medal at World Championships in Serbia; Also secures Paris Olympics quota.
In Cricket, India to take on Australia in first One Day International of three-match series in Mohali this afternoon.
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The Parliament has passed the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 which seeks to reserve one-third of the total number of seats for women in the Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Assembly. The historic Women’s Reservation Bill which is called Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam was approved by the Rajya Sabha unanimously yesterday. Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar announced the passage of the Bill, after a division of vote with 214 members voting in support of the Bill and none against.
The Lok Sabha passed the Bill on Wednesday with 454 members voting in favour of the legislation and two against it.
In his remarks in the Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked all the members for their support to the legislation.
Replying to a marathon debate on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, women have always contributed to enhance the country’s traditions. Mr Meghwal said, 33 per cent reservation for women belonging to SCs and STs will also be provided within the existing quota and for this census and delimitation are essential.
Participating in the discussion on the Bill, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, bringing the legislation showed the government's commitment towards the social and economic empowerment of women.
Supporting the Bill, Congress leader Ranjeet Ranjan said the women’s representation in Parliament should go up. However, she questioned the delay in bringing the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament.
V. Vijayasai Reddy of YSRCP said that his party is extending full support to the bill and demanded that the women reservation should also be provided in the Rajya Sabha and State Legislative Councils.
Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge called for the inclusion of OBC quota under the Women’s Reservation Bill. He also questioned when the Adhiniyam will come into force.
Dola Sen of AITC, Saroj Pandey of BJP, Pramod Tiwari of Congress, Jaya Bachchan of SP, Mahua Maji of JMM, Sulata Deo of BJD were among those who participated in the discussion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the passage of Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam a defining moment in the nation's democratic journey and also congratulated the fellow citizens. In a social media post, Mr Modi said, with the passage of this bill in the Parliament, the country ushers in an era of stronger representation and empowerment for women.
Talking to media persons after the passage of Women's Reservation Bill, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur thanked parties across the political aisle for extending their support for this historic piece of legislation.
The Lok Sabha has passed the resolution congratulating ISRO scientists on the success of Chandrayaan -3 Mission and other achievements of the nation in the Space sector. Reading the resolution after the conclusion of discussion, Speaker Om Birla said, the success of Chandrayaan 3 is a testament of the country's technological capabilities which is a matter of pride for India.
Earlier, replying on the discussion on the success of Chandrayaan 3 Mission in the House, Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said, India is eagerly waiting for the waking up of Chandrayaan-3 mission's Vikram lander and Pragyan rover which have landed on the south pole of the Moon and establishing communication with it. He said, if India would be able to do so in a few hours, it will be the first country to achieve this feat.
Both the Houses of Parliament adjourned sine die last night, bringing to an end the Special Session of the Parliament. After the passage of the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House sine die.
Later the Lok Sabha adjourned sine die following the passage of the resolution on the success of Chandrayaan-3 Mission and other achievements of the nation in the Space sector.
Speaking about the legislative business conducted in the Lok Sabha during this special session, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, four sittings were held in which Members of Parliament devoted 31 hours discussing various subjects.
Our correspondents report that the Special Session of the Parliament began on 18th of this month and concluded yesterday, one day ahead of the scheduled date of today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with Team G20 at Bharat Mandapam this evening. Mr Modi will also address the gathering on the occasion. It will be followed by dinner. The interaction will see participation of around three thousand people, who have contributed to the success of G20 Summit. It will especially include those who have worked at the ground-level to ensure smooth conduct of the Summit. This includes functionaries like cleaners, drivers, waiters and other staff from across various Ministries. The interaction will also be attended by Ministers and officials of various departments.
Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant has said that over five lakh Ayushman Cards have been made in just the last four days, under the Ayushman Bhav' campaign. He said, over 20 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health Account IDs were generated. Mr Pant said, footfall of more than 20 lakh have been registered till now at the Health and Wellness Centres and Community Health Centres for availing free treatment and screening services.
The Ayushman Bhav Campaign is a comprehensive nationwide healthcare initiative of the Health Ministry that aims to provide saturation coverage of healthcare services, reaching every village and town in the country.
In Gujarat, relief work is going on in full swing in the four flood-affected districts of Gujarat. State Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said, the health teams will launch a week-long intensive surveillance campaign in the rain affected districts from today.
"Door-to-door surveillance is being conducted in the flood-affected villages of Bharuch, Narmada, Vadodara and Anand districts. The state government said, that during the last four days, over 4 lakh people have been covered in more than 120 affected villages. An intensive surveillance campaign will be conducted by a team of 435 health workers in the four affected districts for seven days to prevent the spread of water-borne and vector-borne diseases. More than 1200 Health Centers from District hospitals to Sub Centers are operational in the four affected districts. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has asked the district administration to complete the primary loss survey at the earliest. Aparna Khunt, Akashvani News, Ahmedabad."
The 4th Nadi Utsav will commence today at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi. The river-themed event will focus on Yamuna this year. Speaking to Akashwani News, National Mission on Cultural Mapping Assistant Director Abhay Mishra stressed on a need for a heightened awareness regarding the water bodies among the youth and public.
Young Indian wrestler Antim Panghal secured a bronze medal in the women's 53 kg category at the ongoing World Championships at Belgrade in Serbia. She also secured the Paris Olympics 2024 quota for India. 19-year-old Antim defeated two-time European Champion Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren, 16-6 in the bronze medal bout.
In Cricket, India will take on Australia in the first One Day International of the three-match series in Mohali today. The match will start at 1:30 PM Indian Time.
TODAY'S NEWSPAPERS HEADLINE:
The Most newspapers today open with passing of the reservation bill. The Hindustan Times headline reads, "Quota for women a reality as historic bill clears Parliament." The Pioneer says"Women's Reservation Bill gets Rajya Sabha nod."
Amid mounting political tensions between India and Canada, "India suspends Canada visas, Ottawa to cut Delhi staff size" inform The Asian Age.
And finally, in a bid to discourage farmers to burn crop remnants that add to the pollution in Delhi, "Improvised Decomposer for a better, and not bitter, Harvest", notices the Times of India.
THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN: