Parliament opened today with the suspension of AAP MP Bhagwant Singh Mann for recording a video within the premises. Question hour in both the houses ran smoothly without further incidents.
As it happened:
6.30 p.m.: Lok Sabha adjourned for the day.
6.25 p.m.: Lok Sabha passes the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill 2016.
5.30 p.m.: HRD Minister Prakash Javedekar gives his comments on the Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill 2016.
3.35 p.m.: Increase the number if Ph.D students, think out of the box, Kumar says.
3.34 p.m.: For heaven's sake, please do not allow politics to enter IITs. That will spoil everything: Kumar
3.33 p.m.: There is a serious impediment in the functioning of IITs. There is a shortage of faculties and they have not met their deadlines: Kumar
3.30 p.m.: Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day after uproar over grant of special package to Andhra Pradesh - PTI
3.28 p.m.: Now Rabindra Kumar Jena, BJD MP from Balasore talks about the Bill.
3.27 p.m.: Now there will be 16 IITs, but you have to make special efforts to raise the new IITs to the level of the older ones: Prof Roy
3.25 p.m.: Mr. Javadekar, please think what you can do to improve patriotism. I hear these children from IITs go to America to work but they do not return. I am not in favour of forcing them to stay. But let us inculcate the values so they love the country and stay back. But don't do it the RSS way: Prof. Roy
3.23 p.m.: Mr. Javadekar does not assume the combative stance of his predecesser: Prof. Roy
3.22 p.m.: My suggestion is that you should go for associations with top institutes abroad to upgrade the standards of the IITs, so we can get to international standards: Prof. Roy.
3.20 p.m.: Inspite of good work being done in the past, none of our IITs are in the top in the list of best education centres. No IIT is above 50 in the Asian rankings: Prof. Roy
3.17 p.m.: IIT Madras was set up with German help, IIT Delhi was set up with British help. We've had foreign help for setting up most of our IITs: Prof. Roy
3.16 p.m.: Professor Saugata Roy, AITC MP from Dum Dum, opposes the increasing of IIT fees to Rs. 2 lakh. "I support the IIT Bill otherwise."
3.15 p.m.: Jeyasingh Thiyagaraj Natterjee, AIADMK MP from Thoothukudi requests more funds for IIT-Madras.
3.00 p.m.: The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill 2016 is currently being discussed in the Lok Sabha.
2.38 p.m.: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm following Congress uproar seeking immediate discussion on grant of special package to Andhra Pradesh.
2.35 p.m.: Accusing the government of being on “a selling spree” of PSUs, CPI(M) leader Tapan Kumar Sen warned that privatisation of state-run BSNL and MTNL will lead to “resistance” all over the country. Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour, Sen said there are reports that the government was planning the privatisation and stragetic sale of profit-making and strategic public sector units “which is not in interest of the nation“.
1.42 p.m.: First meeting of Committee formed by Lok Sabha Speaker on AAP MP Bhagwant Mann scheduled at 5 pm.
1.35 p.m.: Union Minister Y S Chowdary, who was recently re-elected to Rajya Sabha, took oath as a member of the upper House. Chowdary, who is the Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences in the Narendra Modi government, took oath in Telugu.
1.26 p.m.: Main opposition Congress threatened not to cooperate with the government on legislative business unless a private member’s bill on special package for Andhra Pradesh is taken up. The Bill, which was to be moved by Congress MP K V P Ramchandra Rao on Friday during private member business, could not be taken up as the House was adjourned following ruckus over AAP MP Bhagwant Mann’s controversial filming of Parliament.
1.10 p.m.: Trinamool Congress staged a walk out of Rajya Sabha demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over growing attacks against dalits.
1.00 p.m.: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) moved a privilege motion in Rajya Sabha against Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Renuka Chowdhury for allegedly misbehaving with SAD member and Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
12.55 p.m. : Acting tough, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said AAP MP Bhagwant Mann’s videography of the Parliament House complex had put its security “in peril” and asked him not to attend the House till a decision is taken on the matter while setting up a nine-member panel to probe the issue. > Read more
12.45 p.m.: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari is speaking in the Rajya Sabha
12.40 p.m.: Congress' Renuka Chowdhury asks what the government is doing to regulate taxi aggregators as per the Delhi High Court's order.
12.31 p.m.: Naresh Agrawal of the SP had said that 50 per cent villages in Uttar Pradesh were unelectrified and the UP CM's letters to the Centre are going unanswered. "173 villages of UP are unelectrified. Intensive electrifed means 100 per cent electrification in a village, which is much higher. These are data sent by states," said Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha.
12.26 p.m.: Hukumdev Narayan Yadav, BJP: "OBC commission does not have constitutional status. It can't hear atrocity complaints (OBC complaints are sent to SC Commission). OBCs are 54 per cent but dont get that much reservation. Please amend the constitution to give constitutional status to OBC commission and provide 54 per cent quotas to OBCs."
12.23 p.m.: G.S. Shekhawat, BJP: "We have discussed Kashmir here. In 2015, the govt had decided to give some preference to Kashmiri Pandit families in universities — 10 per cent relaxation. Punjab University first gave just 5 per cent reservation and then even took this away. The govt must ensure compliance and take action against such universities."
12.21 p.m.: "There is no such thing. But since members are saying this, I will get it examined. There will be no harm to OBCs," says Mr. Singh.
12..17 p.m.: "OBC selected candidates in UPSC exams have got a notice. This was sent since 2004. They are asked whether they are in creamy layer or not. This is done so that they dont get caught in litigation," said Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
12.15 p.m.: Ananth Kumar: "We have done nothing to harm OBC reservation in UPSC. It is as it is. We are doing what we always did." This was in response to Jai Prakash Narain Yadav who said that OBC quotas are being stealthily taken back by the government, citing letters sent by the government to OBC candidates.
12 noon: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor questions the rise in petrol prices despite the falling oil prices. "Are you in dialogue with the Finance Minister to reduce taxes on petroleum products?" he asks. MoS Dharmendra Pradhan says that international oil prices have no bearing on petrol prices here. "Their government also did the same thing. We have reduced the prices." With this Question Hour comes to a close.
11.52 a.m.: Tiruchi Siva of the DMK requests the Centre to take up the matter of the water dispute with Andhra Pradesh over the Palar river.
11.49 a.m.: In Rajya Sabha, Naresh Agrawal of the SP speaks on call drops and slow data speeds from Indian telecom providers.
11.47 a.m.: "We have taken over Duncan tea gardens and are in the process of a litigation with the Duncans," says Ms. Sitharaman.
11.46 a.m.: Saugata Roy of the AITC brings up the issue of small tea gardens coming up in West Bengal and large gardens are closing down.
11.45 a.m.: Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman says she will be visiting Assam to meet tea-growers and understand their issues. The tea control order will define what mini and micro tea processing units.
11.22 a.m.: "We will also take help from academics who have taught abroad in this strategising," says Mr. Javadekar.
11.20 a.m.: Prakash Javadekar says, "We want centres of excellence in higher education. The question is whether they are to be part of UGC norms or are given freedom to do whatever makes them best. This is within interministerial consultation."
11.15 a.m.: AAP MP Bhagwant Mann has been suspended from the Lok Sabha. A nine-member committee has been formed to investigate the matter. BJP MP Kirit Somaiya will head the panel. Mr. Mann will remain suspended for the duration of the Monsoon Session or until a decision is reached by the committee.
Updates from this week:
Day 5: Outrage over Bhagwant Mann's video > derails Parliament for the day.
Day 4: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday > replied in the Rajya Sabha to the discussion on atrocities against Dalits
Day 3: >Discussion on the Kashmir situation took the lead.
Day 2: The Rajya Sabha > discussed the Calling Attention on situation arising due to floods in the country.
Day 1: Burhan Wani was a Pakistan-sponsored terrorist, > said Rajnath Singh.
(With inputs from Nistula Hebbar and Vikas Pathak)
