A month-long Monsoon session of Parliament began on Monday. Parliament is meeting at a crucial time when the nation has recently adopted the new indirect tax regime of Goods and Services Tax.
The political atmosphere is also charged with the recent spate of attacks in the name of cow protection, the communal tensions in West Bengal's North 24 Paraganas district and the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Then there is also the standoff between Indian and Chinese armies in the Sikkim sector of the border.
Here are the updates:
11:23 am: The Rajya Sabha is adjourned. It will meet again tomorrow.
11:19 am: Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari mentions about the loss of lives and property due to incessant rains in the North and Northeast India. The House expresses sympathies for the dead and injured. The Vice-President also condemns the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in a terrorist attack.
11:17 am: Elders raise in their places and observe silence as a mark of memory to the departed.
11:12 am: Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow
11:10 am: In the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan reads out a obituary reference. The members observe silence as a mark of tribute to the members who passed away. The members also mourn the death of Amarnath terror attack victims.
11:10 am: In the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Ansari reading out a obituary reference. Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave, Dasari Narayana Rao, Akhilesh Das Gupta, Era Sezhiyan, Palvai Govardhan Reddy, C. Narayana Reddy, U.K. Lakshmana Gowda, and P.N. Sukul passed away recently.
11:00 am: Rajya Sabha proceedings begin. Mr. Ansari is in the Chair. This is ikely to be his last session in Parliament.
11:00 am Lok Sabha session begins. The Speaker arrives. First on the agenda is the swearing-in ceremony. Farooq Abdullah and P. Kunhalikutty are sworn in as members of Parliament.
