The Lok Sabha on Friday passed a Bill which seeks to empower the commander-in-chief and the officer-in-command of inter-services organisations with disciplinary and administrative powers over personnel from other forces serving in such establishments.
   
Moving the Bill for consideration and passage, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the Inter-Services Organisations (Command, Control and Discipline) Bill is part of a series of steps being taken by the government to strengthen the armed forces.
   
Amid slogan shouting by opposition members, who were also displaying placards, Singh took the permission of the Chair to speak from one of the seats in the back benches.
   
A parliamentary panel had recently recommended that the Bill be passed without any amendments.
 
In his brief remarks, Defence Minister said that as of now, personnel of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force are governed in accordance with the provisions contained in their specific service Acts — the Army Act, 1950, the Navy Act, 1957, and the Air Force Act, 1950.
   
At the time of enactment of these Acts, most of the service organisations largely comprised personnel from a single service-either Army, Navy or Air Force. However, now there are numerous inter-services organisations where personnel of the armed forces and other forces serve together.
   
Currently, the commander-in-chief or the officer-in-command of inter-services organisations is not empowered to exercise disciplinary or administrative powers over personnel belonging to other services.
   
Only officers of the respective services are empowered to exercise disciplinary powers over the service personnel under their respective Service Acts, the minister noted.
 
The officers serving in these organisations need to be reverted to their respective parent service units for exercising any disciplinary or administrative action which results in delays.
   
The Bill would also pave the way for much greater integration and jointness among the three services and lay a strong foundation for creation of joint structures in times to come and further improve the functioning of the armed forces, an official statement issued later stated. 
 
It also empowers the central government to constitute an inter-services organisation. The Bill was later passed after a brief discussion.
 
The Lok Sabha also passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which entrusts the management accountability of the institutes with the President of India.
   
The Bill, which was introduced on 28th of July, was passed by the House amid disruptions by opposition members over the Manipur issue.
 Replying to a debate on the Bill, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the government has no intention of interfering with the autonomy of the Indian Institute of Management.
   
The management accountability of the institutes has been entrusted with the President and the academic accountability will remain with the IIMs, Pradhan said.
   
According to the bill, which seeks to amend the IIM Act of 2017, the President will be Visitor to the Indian Institutes of Management with powers to audit their functioning, order probes and appoint as well as remove directors.
 
The Visitor may appoint one or more persons to review the work and progress of any institute, hold enquiries into affairs thereof and to report in such a manner as the Visitor may direct. The Board may also recommend to the Visitor an enquiry as deemed proper against the institute which has not been functioning in accordance with provisions and objectives of the Act, the bill stated.
   
Under the IIM Act, which came into force in January 2018 and granted the premier B-schools greater autonomy, the Board of Governors of each institute has 19 members which includes just one representative each from the central and state governments.
 
The board nominates its remaining 17 members from among eminent personalities, faculty and alumni. The board also appoints the search panels for the appointment of new directors and chairpersons, and later makes the appointments if it agrees with the search panels' recommendations.
 
However, according to the Amendment Bill, the search-cum-selection panel for the Director's appointment will have a Visitor's nominee.
   
A Bill to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh.
   
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill-2023 seeks to set up a Rs 50,000-crore rupees fund, with a sizeable contribution from the private sector, to "seed, grow and promote" research and development and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and research and development laboratories.
   
It seeks to set up different funds – the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Fund, for the financing of activities under the Act; the Innovation Fund for supporting outstanding creativity in the areas supported by the foundation; the Science and Engineering Research Fund for the continuation of the projects and programmes initiated under the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008; and one or more special-purpose funds for any specific project or research.
   
According to the government, the National Research Foundation will be an apex body to provide a high-level strategic direction of scientific research in the country as per recommendations of the National Education Policy (NEP).
   
National Research Foundation (NRF) will forge collaborations among the industry, academia and government departments and research institutions and create an interface mechanism for participation and contribution of industries and state governments in addition to the scientific and line ministries, Singh had said in June when the Union Cabinet approved the Bill.
 
He said the NRF will focus on creating a policy framework and putting in place regulatory processes that can encourage collaboration and increased spending by the industry on R&D.
 
The NRF will have a governing board consisting of 15 to 25 eminent researchers and professionals, and it will be headed by the prime minister. The education minister and the science and technology Minister will be the vice presidents of the NRF.
 
The proposed foundation will also have an executive council under the principal scientific adviser.
   
Earlier, the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 12 noon following protests by opposition members demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur issue.
   
As soon as the House met, opposition members came to the well of the House seeking a statement from the prime minister on the Manipur issue. They also demanded a debate.
 
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told the opposition members that there are important bills listed for today’s business.
   
Yesterday, when the House had taken up the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023 for discussion, most of the opposition members had participated in it.
   
Joshi said not only yesterday's bill, even today's bills are equally important. He said, the government is ready for taking up even private members' bills today. Please take part in the proceedings, he said.
 
As the opposition MPs ignored the pleas and continued their protests, Speaker Om Birla allowed the members to ask questions related to different ministries as per the schedule.
   
Despite the protests, the proceedings continued for about 20 minutes after which the Speaker appealed to the protesting members to go back to their seats and take part in the proceedings.
 
He said the Question Hour is important. The House has taken up the farmers' issue today but you are not interested to take part in it, he told the opposition members.
   
As the opposition members did not pay heed to Birla's appeal, he adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.   
     
Review of Proceedings in Rajya Sabha
 
Proceedings of the Rajya Sabha were disrupted today and the House was adjourned for the day amid uproar by both sides over the issue of law and order situation in Rajasthan.
   
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned first till 12 noon, within minutes after it met for the day, and was then adjourned for the day after heated exchanges and sloganeering between the opposition and the ruling party members.
   
Soon after the listed papers were tabled, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he has received 48 notices to suspend the scheduled business and take up the matters raised.
   
BJP members raised the issue of law and order in Rajasthan and wanted that there should be a discussion on it.
 
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said atrocities were being committed against girls and women in Rajasthan and there was a total breakdown of the law and order in the state. He demanded a short discussion on the issue.
 
When the Chair asked for guidance from Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, there was again an uproar by the treasury benches.
 
Kharge insisted that the Manipur issue should be taken up and asked the BJP to raise the Rajasthan issue in the state Assembly.
 
 As both sides were protesting, Chairman adjourned the proceedings till 12 noon.
   
When the House met at 12 noon, the ruling party members referred to the killing of a girl in Rajasthan and wanted the House to take up a discussion on the law and order situation in the state.
   
A 14-year-old girl was allegedly murdered and later burnt in a coal furnace in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, with locals claiming that she was also gang-raped.
   
Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said the situation is "very bad" in Rajasthan and that the state government has failed on all counts to maintain law and order.
   
Alleging that crimes against women were on the rise in the state, he said "our daughters and sisters in the state were not safe and urged the Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to take up the matter for discussion".
   
After the Chairman allowed the Leader of Opposition to raise his point, there was uproar in the House by treasury benches. The Chairman then adjourned the House for the day.
   
While the ruling party members raised slogans of "Rajasthan pe charcha ho" the opposition members chanted "Manipur, Manipur" While seeking to discuss the violence in the North-eastern state. 
 
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan said the government business for the remaining part of the session will consist of consideration and passage of The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023, The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023, The National Dental Commission Bill, 2023 and The Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment), Bill, 202, as passed by the Lok Sabha..
 
He said the house will also take up the statutory resolution seeking disapproval of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023 (No 1 of 2023) promulgated by the President of India on May 19, 2023 and consideration and passage of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, as passed by the Lok Sabha.
   
The minister also said the house will also take up the consideration of passage of The Inter-Services (Command, Control and Discipline), bill, 2023, The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2023, The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 and The Pharmacy (Amendment) Bill, 2023., after they have been passed by the Lok Sabha.
   
Earlier, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar gave birthday greetings to Venkataramana Rao Mopidevi of YSR Congress Party, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD and Imran Pratapgarhi of Congress.
 
The upper house witnessed some lighter moments when Chairman Dhankhar sought 'Guru Dakshina' from Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda.
 
Chairman Dhankhar informed the House he had a "distinction and privilege" of being Hooda's guardian at Mayo College when he was studying there, and asked the Congress leader to buy a birthday gift for Manoj Jha.
   
"So as a Guru Dakshina, Hooda will give a gift on my behalf from his pocket to Prof. Jha by the end of the Day…compliance will be ensured by Sushil Kumar Gupta of Aam Aadmi Party " he said, amid laughters and thumping of benches in the House.
   
Guru Dakshina is an ancient Indian tradition of repaying one's teacher after completing education.
 
The Chairman said, Jha has two daughters, "That puts me in the same club as that of Prof. Jha, the daughters' club".
Earlier, when Dhankhar was extending birthday greeting to Mopidevi there were sloganeering by ruling and opposition Members over Rajasthan and Manipur issue.
 
"If we can't greet our members on birthday, can't keep the House in order, that is not very wholesome," he said.
 
The sloganeering stopped and the House extended birthday greetings to the three Rajya Sabha Members.
   
Soon after, there were heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches. The ruling side raised the law and order situation in Rajasthan, while the opposition insisted on discussing the Manipur violence.
   
The Chair adjourned the proceedings for about 30 minutes till 12 noon. But similar scenes were witnessed when the House reassembled.
   
Ruling party members were raising slogans like "Rajasthan pe charcha ho" and the opposition chanted "Manipur, Manipur" while seeking to discuss the violence in the Northe-astern state. The Chair then adjourned the proceedings for the day.