The Lok Sabha on Monday congratulated markswoman Manu Bhaker for winning the bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at Paris Olympics. Bhaker ended India’s 12-year wait for a shooting medal in the Olympics.
During Zero Hour, members cutting across party lines demanded stern action against those responsible for negligence leading to the death of three IAS aspirants at a coaching centre in central Delhi.
Later, the House resumed discussion on the Union Budget.
Dimple Yadav of Samajwadi Party questioned the government’s commitment to its promises.
Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition alliance will ensure legal guarantee of MSP for farm produce as well as a caste census.
He alleged that the sole aim of the Union Budget was to strengthen the framework of big businesses.
Defence Minister Rajanth Singh said Rahul Gandhi was misleading the nation on the sensitive issue of national security and the Agnipath scheme.
Vishnu Datt Sharma of BJP said the budget will fulfill Prime Minister’s vision of a Viksit Bharat.
PV Midhun Reddy of YSR Congress demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. K Francis George of the Kerala Congress said there has been a decline in allocation for agriculture in the budget.
Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel intervened in the debate and said the NDA government has been giving high priority to the interests of the poor, farmers and middle class.
On Monday the Rajya Sabha had a short-duration discussion on the recent tragic incident of death of three students in a coaching institute in Delhi.
Initiating the discussion, BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi pointed towards laxities of the Delhi Government’s various departments.
Randeep Singh Surjewala of Congress demanded a law to regulate the coaching institutes.
Tiruchi Siva of DMK stated that as the Delhi LG has all the powers in the National Capital and only he should be held responsible.
Surender Singh Nagar of BJP said that it was a criminal act and the persons responsible for this should be punished.
Harish Beeran of IUML sought a regulator to oversee the functioning of coaching centres.
Ram Chander Jangra of BJP sought concrete measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
AAP’s Swati Maliwal sought strict action against government officials and even public representatives of the area.
M Thambidurai of AIADMK sought a ban on coaching centres while Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT) demanded a serious discussion on the matter.
Fauzia Khan of NCP said it is a matter of concern that coaching classes have become an alternative to teachings in schools and colleges.
Replying to the discussion, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal blamed the Delhi government for its carelessness that led to the death of three IAS aspirants at the coaching institute. The Minister said the Delhi government should have initiated clearing of drains before the start of the rainy season.
He said that 1,120 institutes were issued notices in 2023 but no action was taken. He said that timely action could have prevented such incidents.
On Tuesday Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied to the debate on General Budget in the Lok Sabha saying all will work together to build a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
The Finance Minister said the Budget seeks to consolidate all the earlier accomplishments. She said there are two core elements- social inclusivity to reach out to all strata of society, and geographical inclusivity through equitable development of all regions.
She said the expenditure of the government has grown exponentially and it is today 48.21 lakh crore rupees. She said in 2013-14, agriculture and allied sectors had a budget of 30 lakh crore rupees, which is now 1.52 lakh crore.
In education, employment and skilling, 1.48 lakh crore rupees have been allocated as against 85 lakh crore rupees in 2013-14.
The Minister said the trajectory planned to bring down the fiscal deficit is being followed, and this year, the fiscal deficit is 4.9 percent.
Earlier, participating in the debate, Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi Party said the Budget has nothing for unemployed farmers and villagers.
Devendra Singh of BJP said the Budget will fulfill the dream of a strong India. Dr. K Sudhakar of the same party said the Budget strikes a fine balance between financial prudence and social welfare.
Heated exchanges were also witnessed during the debate on the Budget when Anurag Thakur of BJP made certain remarks that irked the opposition benches. The Chair said any unparliamentary remarks will be expunged.
On Tuesday Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha that seventy people have died in a landslide at Wayanad in Kerala and several people are injured.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keeping a close watch on the situation and Minister of state for minority affairs George Kurian has been sent to take stock of the situation in the affected area.
Participating in the general discussion on the Union Budget Praful Patel of NCP said the government should offer some concessions to the middle class in Income Tax as an exemption limit of three lakh rupees is not enough.
Manoj Jha of RJD, Bhubaneswar Kalita and Dinesh Sharma of BJP, AA Rahim of CPI (M) and Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, Independent also participated in the discussion.
Leader of House JP Nadda accused the Congress of shedding crocodile tears over OBC-related issues, minimum support price and Agniveer scheme.
On Wednesday, Home Minister Amit Shah told Rajya Sabha that the Centre had sent multiple advance warnings beginning 23rd July to the Kerala government about possible floods and landslides and nine NDRF teams were rushed to the state the same day.
However, the State government did not heed to the warnings and also did not get alerted even after the arrival of the NDRF battalions, Shah said while intervening in the Calling Attention Motion on the Wayanad landslide tragedy.
He assured the House that the Narendra Modi government was standing like a rock with the Kerala government and people of the state in this moment of tragedy. He also promised all help from the central government.
Replying to the Motion, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the House that 133 bodies have been recovered so far and death toll may rise.
Replying to the discussion on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Budget strikes a fine balance between growth, employment, capital investment, and fiscal consolidation, among others. She also said the Budget proposes unflinching support to cooperative federalism.
The total resources proposed to be transferred to the states in 2024-25 is estimated at Rs 22.91 lakh crore,an increase of 2.49 lakh crore rupees over 2023-24, the Minister said.
Mrs. Sitharaman also said the PLI schemes continue to remain attractive for the manufacturing sector.
Over the Agniveer scheme, she said it will help keep armed forces battle-ready and young, and there is no need to do politics over it. Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu introduced the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak in the House amid protests from a section of the opposition over the Hindi nomenclature of the Bill.
Participating in the resumed discussion on Demands for Grants for the Railways Ministry BJP MP Anil Baluni termed the last decade as a golden period for the Indian Railways.
Dilip Saikia of BJP said that the entire northeast has been connected with a rail network under Prime Minister Modi’s government.
DMK MP TM Selvaganapati said during the UPA rule many railway projects were approved in Tamil Nadu, but they are waiting for allocation of funds.
Bapi Haldar of Trinamool Congress raised the issue of passenger safety in the context of the recent rail accidents.
Home Minister Amit Shah asserted that advance warnings on heavy rainfall in Kerala were issued to the state government at least a week ahead of the deadly landslides in Wayanad.
Mr Shah said all verticals involved in relief and rescue operations have been deployed, including the Army, Air Force and even a small unit of CISF which was posted in the region.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi urged the government to extend all possible help to the people of landslide-hit Wayanad.
He also urged the Centre to come up with a high-tech solution for preventing such tragedies in the future.
Earlier, on the Calling Attention Motion, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said that 33 guidelines have been issued for the management of disasters, including guidelines related to floods and landslides.
The House also congratulated shooters Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh for winning the bronze medal in 10 meter air pistol mixed shooting event at the Paris Olympics.
The Lok Sabha on Thursday approved the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Railways to the tune of 7.89 lakh crore rupees.
Replying to the debate, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw listed out a series of steps taken by the government to ease travel for its over two crore daily passengers.
The Minister said the Railways was the preferred ride of the common man and over the last 10 years, many steps have been taken to ensure that the middle class and aspirational middle class can afford its services.
Vaishnaw said in response to an increase in travel demand, approximately 2,500 additional general coaches will be produced in the coming months.
On the safety aspect, Vaishnaw said the railways has eliminated unmanned railway crossings through the construction of rail over bridges, and underpasses.
Vaishnaw assured the Lok Sabha that the government will leave no stone unturned in the roll out of Kavach on the entire railway network.
Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai introduced the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill. The Bill seeks to amend the Disaster Management Act of 2005 to bring more clarity and convergence in the roles of authorities and committees working in the field of disaster management.
The Lok Sabha later took up the discussion on the Demand for Grants of the Ministry of Education.
Initiating the debate, BJP member Tejasvi Surya said the Union Budget would empower the youth through education and skilling.
Congress member Mahammad Javed slammed the NDA government over the recent incidents of paper leaks, and demanded that scholarships and other schemes for minorities should be restarted.
Pratima Mondal of Trinamool Congress said government policies have not only failed to enhance the educational standards but also systematically eroded the foundational principles that ensure equal opportunity and holistic growth of the students.
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday resumed discussion on the working of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
Participating in the debate, Fauzia Khan of NCP said the common man is in anguish and despair because of the rapidly collapsing urban infrastructure in the country.
Shambhu Sharan Patel of the BJP stressed the need to improve basic facilities not only in metro cities but also in smaller towns.
Replying to the discussion, Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal said that besides providing houses to people under the PM Awas Yojana, the government has implemented several schemes for providing them free LPG cylinders, free electricity and providing clean water through water taps.
On the problems of water logging in Delhi, he said that the drainage master plan has not been properly implemented by the Delhi government in the city. Later, the House took up discussion on the working of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Initiating the discussion, Randeep Singh Surjewala of the Congress said that the NDA government had promised doubling of farmers income by 2022, but the country was far from achieving this goal.
Participating in the debate, Surendra Singh Nagar of the BJP said that under the NDA government, the budget for agriculture has been increased five times.
H D Devegowda of the JD(S) lamented the lack of livelihood opportunities in the agriculture sector.
On Friday, the Rajya Sabha concluded discussion on the working of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Replying to the discussion, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the government has taken all constructive measures to improve the welfare of farmers.
He said that the government will implement all constructive suggestions given by members.
The Minister said, the NDA government has prepared a road map for agriculture and is working on it. He also rejected the allegation of reduction in the Agriculture Budget.
On the MSP for crops, he said the government will make all efforts to ensure that the farmers get the right price for their produce.
The reply of the Minister remained inconclusive. In the post-lunch session, the House took up Private Members’ Business.
The House witnessed heated arguments between the Treasury and the Opposition benches after M.M. Abdulla of the DMK moved a resolution urging the government to move education from Concurrent List to State List and allow medical admissions based on the criteria of the State government by repealing NEET and NTA.
Minister of State for Skill Development and Education, Jayant Chaudhary said that the resolution goes against several precedents and parliamentary norms and practices.
He urged Mr. Abdulla to withdraw the resolution.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also urged the member to withdraw the resolution.
Members from the Opposition benches said that moving a resolution is the right of a member.
Deputy Chairman Harivansh allowed member to introduce the resolution.
In his opening statement, M M Abdulla said that bringing NEET is an infringement of the rights of the states.
Defending the introduction of NEET, Health and Family Welfare Minister, J P Nadda, said pre NEET medical education had become an open business. He said that NEET is a robust system and it has helped students from government schools are able to enter medical education.
The Lok Sabha concluded the debate on the demands for grants of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Health Minister J P Nadda will reply to the debate on the Demand for Grants of his ministry on Monday.
