The Lok Sabha today passed several Bills amid continuous protests by the opposition Members. The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 and the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, which seek to usher in better quality of nursing and dental education.
The National Dental Commission Bill seeks to repeal the Dentists Act, 1948. It proposes to set up National Dental Commission to regulate dental education and the profession in the country. It also aims at making dental education affordable and ensure quality oral healthcare accessible.
The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023 aims at setting up National Nursing and Midwifery Commission and to repeal the Indian Nursing Council Act, 1947. The Bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by nursing and midwifery professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a National Register as well as State Registers.
Moving the Bills for consideration and passing, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said these would help improve the quality of nursing and dental education in the country and strengthen the regulatory framework. The Minister said, the intention is to improve the quality of education so that the dentists, doctors and nursing staff provide the best service to people in India and abroad. The two Bills were later passed by voice vote amid slogan shouting by opposition members who were protesting on the Manipur issue.
The Lok Sabha also passed the Mines and Mineral Amendment Bill which seeks to open up mining of deep-seated and critical minerals for the private sector. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, also empowers the Central Government to exclusively auction mining lease and composite licence for certain critical minerals. Deep-seated minerals include gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cobalt, platinum group of minerals, diamonds, etc, which are difficult and expensive to explore and mine as compared to surfacial or bulk minerals. Thus share of deep-seated minerals in total mineral production is meagre at present and the country is mostly dependent on imports of these minerals.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons of the Bill, the proposed exploration licence would facilitate, encourage and incentivize private sector participation in all spheres of mineral exploration for critical and deep-seated minerals. Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi piloted the Bill in the Lok Sabha amid continuous slogan shouting by opposition Members over the Manipur issue. The Minister said, the Amendments in the Bill will be a game changer. So far we were granting only 2 kinds of licences composite and mining licence. Now we have brought in exploration licence through transparent auction route, he said. The Minister further said India will produce one billion tonnes of coal this year which will make the country self-sufficient in the energy sector. Earlier, we were talking only about coal imports, now we are thinking that by 2025-26 we will stop import of thermal coal, he added. The Minister also informed the House that the mining of beach sand minerals will be reserved for Public Sector Undertakings. Beach sand minerals include ilmenite, rutile, leucoxene, garnet, monazite, zircon and sillimanite. The Bill was later passed by voice vote amid the din.
A Bill to amend the Indian Institutes of Management Act, 2017 was introduced in the Lok Sabha today amid disruptions by opposition Members over Manipur violence. Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Bill after the House met following an earlier adjournment over the Manipur issue. When the Chair asked whether Manish Tewari of Congress wanted to say something on The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023 at the introduction stage, the Congress member raised the Manipur issue. Cutting short Tewari's remarks, the Chair moved ahead and the Bill was introduced by a voice vote amid din. The Bill will come up for consideration and passage next week. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal informed the House while listing out the Government business for next week.
Following the passage of the Bills, the House was adjourned for the day due to continued protests by opposition over the Manipur issue. As the House reconvened at 12 noon after the first adjournment, Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the Chair, took up the bills for passage and then adjourned the House for the day. Soon after the House met at 11 AM, the opposition members were on their feet demanding an immediate discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the Congress against the Modi government. Speaker Om Birla asked the opposition Members to take part in the proceedings. Don't you want to allow the House to function, he asked, underlining the importance of the Question Hour but in vain.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury of Congress said that on May 10, 1978, the debate on the no-confidence motion was started immediately after it was moved. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi reacted sharply to Chowdhary's remarks, saying everything is happening according to the rules and the debate on a no-confidence motion can be started within 10 days. The Government has the numbers and if the opposition has the numbers, then it can defeat the Bills, he said.
As the protests and sloganeering continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till Noon. The Manipur violence has rocked proceedings in both the Houses ever since the Monsoon session began on 20th of July, with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a discussion on the situation in the North-eastern state. The opposition subsequently moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government to force the Prime Minister to speak on the Manipur violence. A video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in a Manipur village on May 4 went viral online, triggering nationwide outrage. Seven people have been arrested so far in the case. Yesterday, the government informed the Supreme Court that the probe into the case has been transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
PROCEEDINGS IN RAJYA SABHA
The Rajya Sabha today bid farewell to its Member Vinay Dinu Tendulkar of BJP who represented Goa. He has been a Member of the House since July 2017. Tendulkar in his farewell remarks said it was a privilege for him to be a Member of the Upper House.
The Rajya Sabha also greeted Dineshchandra Jemalbhai Anavadiya on his birthday. He has been a Member of the House since February 2021. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar also wished M Mohamed Abdulla of DMK whose birthday falls on 30th of July. The Chairman said it has been his privilege and satisfaction of greeting Members personally on their birthdays.
The upper house could not transact any business in the House as the proceedings were adjourned by the Chairman after about half an hour. The Chairman ticked off Derek O'Brien of Trinamool Congress for engaging in "theatrics" in the House and abruptly adjourned the House for the day. O'Brien who was pressing for discussion on the Manipur situation and Dhankhar were interrupted by the TMC MP, who thumped the desk to make a point over non-admission of notices given by opposition Members under Rule 267 to discuss the Manipur situation. This prompted the chairman to adjourn the house proceedings.
As many as 47 Members of various opposition parties had given adjournment notices under rule 267 on Manipur violence after suspending the day's business. The Members who had given notices included those of the Congress, CPI, CPI-M, TMC, SP, AAP, NCP and DMK. A visibly perturbed Dhankhar said his behaviour will not be tolerated in the house. "We can't suffer this," he told O'Brien while adjourning the house for the day.
The House could only function for merely 27 minutes during which official papers were laid on the table and business listed for the next week. Dhankhar then read out names of the 47 Members who had given notices under Rule 267. Similar notices had been given since the start of Monsoon session on 20th of July. Many opposition Members have been giving notices under rule 267, but none of them have been accepted so far.
Dhankhar said he has already agreed to a short duration discussion on the issue and asked members to rise above partisan interests and agree to discuss the matter under that rule. The Chairman said the notices are being received from Members expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Manipur since the past week. He said "We in this House are to exemplify our actions that are nationally acclaimed, that inspire and motivate people at large. Having this scenario every day with the same situation, does not evoke the kind of respect to which otherwise we should be entitled," he said. Dhankhar said actions of members of the Upper House "have to be so exemplified that people at large are motivated to emulate them". He said he has been getting inputs from across the country and "they indicate worrisome, alarming concern".
As per Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States, Rule 267 relates to suspension of rules. A short duration discussion, on the other hand, is a brief discussion not exceeding two-and-a-half hours under Rule 176. "Everyday, including the last session and the session before that, we had a number of notices under 267. If I go into the precedent of it, in this century, in the last 23 years, the House is fully aware how many such notices have been admitted," he said. "This being the scenario, I face a prospect every day….Just imagine the consequence of it," he said. He stressed on the importance of the Question Hour, where MPs put questions to the government. "Question Hour is the heart of parliamentary working," Dhankhar said. At this point, O'Brien said, "we are aware of this" and sought to press for the motion that opposition parties have been seeking to move since the start of the Monsoon Session of Parliament last week. "I know you are aware of it. You don't have to state. Just lend your ears. Once you lend your ears, you will understand," Dhankhar said. But the Derek O'Brien of TMC leader was not in a mood to relent even when the chairman asked him to take his seat. "Mr Derek O'Brien, it has become your habit to engage in theatrics. Every time you rise, you think it is your prerogative. The minimum thing which you can exemplify is to show respect to the chair. If I am saying something, you rise and create theatrics," the Chairman said. The TMC leader objected to his actions being termed "theatrics" and said he was only pressing for the discussion under the rule that opposition parties want. "I am on the rule," he said, thumping his desk.
At this, the chairman got infuriated and said, "Don't thump the table. Don't thump it. It is not theatrics," he said. "We will not tolerate this. I am sorry." As O'Brien continued to make his point, the chairman adjourned the proceedings for the day. Before doing that he stated he would call leaders of political parties. "We can't suffer this," he said before leaving the House. The Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha reported that the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 and The Jan Vishwas (Amendment and Provisions) Bill, 2023 has been received from the Lok Sabha, after the bills were passed from the House.
Earlier, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan while listing out the government business commencing 31st of July listed the consideration and passing of the Mediation Bill, 2021 and the discussion on the statutory resolution seeking disapproval of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 and the consideration and passing of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. He also listed the introduction of The Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023.
Among the Bills for consideration and passage during the next week are The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as reported by the Joint Committee, The Multi-Sate Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2023 as reported by Joint Committee, the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, as reported by the Joint Committee, The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023, as reported by Joint Committee and the Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023.
Among the Bills passed by Lok Sabha, which will also be taken up by the upper house are The National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023, The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023, The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Inter-Services Organisation (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill, 2023, The Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023 and The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Besides the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment Bill, 2023 was also listed for consideration.
