The Budget Session of the Parliament of India resumes on Thursday. In today’s agenda are discussions on Demands for Grants for various ministries, and on pending Bills. There is also expected to be a discussion on the Delhi violence .
Lok Sabha is scheduled to discuss and vote on Demand for Grants under control of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha is scheduled to discuss the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020, the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020, the Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019, the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2019, and the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019.
Here are the latest updates:
Hemant T. Godse (SS) says the many additions in the latest Budget for the Railways that include solar-powered rail lines, lines to promote tourism and other additions are welcomed.
Mr. Godse says if intercity trains were made faster, it would be helpful to the people. "Just like a high speed train is being planned between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, similar plans should be made between different cities including Nashik," he says.
Home Minister Amit Shah on hate speeches and Delhi violence:
The hate speeches started after CAA was introduced, post Dec 11. There has been a fear among minorities that their citizenship will be taken away. All parties were involved in these hate speeches. These are rumors. CAA was not introduced to take away citizenship, but to give it. All parties should unite and support the cause.
Kapil Sibal interjects and says - "Nobody is saying that CAA will take away citizenship. The law says when NPR happens, 10 more questions would be asked by the enumerator, and if information is not given then people will be marked 'D' for doubtful citizen and this will affect not only Muslims but also poor people and Dalit citizens.
Mr. Shah replies: "Let me say it on record, I can quote so many speeches of Sibal's party members who say CAA and NPR is against the minority. The members said under NPR several documents will be asked for. But I would like to clarify that no documents will be asked for NPR, it wasn't asked for in the one before, and it won't be asked again. You are free to give whatever information you want.It is optional. No one will be marked 'D' if columns are left blank in NPR. I am saying as the Home Minister, no one will be marked doubtful. Nobody needs to fear NPR."
The impression you are giving out that people will be marked D is false. I repeat, no one will be marked as doubtful citizens, he says.
Mr. Shah, addressing the Opposition, says "I would like to make it clear that if the Opposition members come to me to talk about it, I will be more than happy to clarify and talk to them. I invite Ghulam Nabi Azad ji, Anand Sharma and other Opposition leaders to discuss the NPR."
During the debate, both sides mentioned hate speeches, because of this a doubt was created in the minds of minorities. It should be dispelled, he says.
I would like to request the Opposition to stop attacking NPR and CAA. The anti-CAA protests converted into communal riots slowly, Mr. Shah adds.
We never said that Shaheen Bagh protest was wrong. But it is a matter of public convinience. There are designated places where people can protest, but it should not affect the public, he says.
On Feb 23, people said they will demonstrate and expose the government when Donald Trump, the most powerful man the the world, comes to our country. Is there any sense in that? Is it any better than any hate speech? Mr. Shah says.
On HC judge J. Muralidhar's transfer, Mr. Shah says that the it is the Collegium that does the transfer, not the government. There is a due procedure - the Collegium recommends, and the judge has to give their consent. Moreover, why do you think only one judge would do justice? I am against this mentality- why a particular judge? Won't others deliver justice? What message do you want to send to the judiciary?
People said that the Delhi riots were state sponsored violence. Have some common sense, when a foreign President is visiting our country, why will the government sponsor violence? Does it look good to have that image? Rioting is not our agenda, our agenda is to put those who riot behind bars, he said.
Several riots happened during Congress rule, 76% people who have died in riots, died under their incumbent government, Mr. Shah said, quoting a chronological sequence of examples.
I would like to request ministers and people on social media to not rub salt on the wounds of people. I can't compensate the deaths, both Delhi Govt. and Centre working together to compensate the victims, he said, adding that the compensation being planned is more than the usual average.
I only want to say that no rioter will be spared, they will be held irrespective of party and ideology, Mr. Shah says.
Parliament is adjourned after the Ministers lay their questions on the table.
Thomas Chazhikadan, KC(M) says the Railways should be seen as a service rather than an economic venture. "There is an initiative by this government to privatise the Railways. This should be refrained from.," he says.
"Railway lines in Kerala is inadequate. No new projects being taken up to increase connectivity. Moreover, funds for projects that have already been taken is not sufficient," he adds.
Bringing to light the recent accident that took place near Coimbatore where 19 people lost their lives, Mr. Chazhikadan says that more travel by road because there aren't enough trains between Bengaluru and Trivandrum. "This is a very busy line and so more services between Trivandrum and Bangalore is needed," he says.
Home Minister Amit Shah's reply begins: I extend my sympathy to the people killed in the riots, none of the perpetrators will be spared.
He says that he didn't want sentiments to flare up again before Holi. "We didn't want to run away from discussions. We didn't want to hide anything. In democracy you cannot hide anything, we have reached that stage," he said. Police and administration was focused on relief, rehabilitation and investigation, he adds.
Members raised questions if rioters will be shielded on basis of ideology, whether innocents will be arrested. I want to inform you that more than 700 FIRs registered. Police didn't say no to anyone, Mr. Shah said.
"We have appointed public prosecutors at all the 12 police stations and police is working with the arrested based on scientific evidence," he said.
Mr. O' Brien said facial tech violates privacy. We have not used Aadhar data. I only said driving license and Voter ID card. someone has died, houses burnt,still you talk about privacy? Not violated SC guidelines. Police should be given all powers in such times, he said.
Till yesterday 1,170 faces were recognised, 1,922 faces recognised till today. 336 are from U.P. Border was sealed on 24 February. area densely populated, not possible to seal state borders in democracies. Vehicle numbers were noted, now they are being matched with driving licenses
"We had info before Feb. 24 through agencies that money was routed from foreign sources, money was distributed in Delhi. Investigation was at preliminary stage and riots happened. Five people arrested for hawala transactions.
All perpetrators involved in the killing of IB official Ankit Sharma and HC Ratan Lal have been arrested. We have the video of people who stabbed Sharma and opened fire at Ratan Lal. The probe into the conspiracy is still on.
You hurl accusations at me not the police. Police acted swiftly. The riots didn't spread and that success is of Delhi Police. This is essential for morale of the police.
The information about riots was first received on Feb. 24, and last call was made on Feb 25. Later, bodies were recovered. The postmortem showed the time of death as 'before 6 pm of Feb 25'.When I say 'only' 36 hrs, please don't misconstrue my words, riots shouldn't have happened evenFor a minute.
Sanjay Singh said Delhi CM asked for army. When we met on Feb 25, He never made any suggestions then. he demanded this on Feb 27 when riots had stopped. I can understand his emotions as his councillor was arrested.
Addressing Congress leader Kapil Sibal, Bhupendra Yadav (BJP), says, "You should have read the CAA and educated the people. Your opposition to the CAA has misled the people."
"Delhi undergone pain, but government has applied the balm. I want to congratulate the government," he says.
Ramesh Bidhuri (BJP) congratulates PM Modi and Railway Minster for increasing the budget for Railways which 'enables the common man' to commute to their work hassle-free. The increased direction of funds towards Railways has made it safer, he says. He also asks the railway authorities be made accountable for their responsibilities.
Dr. Gaddam Ranjith Reddy (TRS) says since there is no provision for new lines in Telangana, the Railway Ministry should extend of line from Lingampally to Vikarabad which he says will "ease the congestion" in Hyderabad. He also asked the Ministry to get Konark Express and Graeeb Rath to stop at Vikarabad.
The Speaker, Meenakshi Lekhi, along with the parliamentarians come to a consensus that the Session on Demands for Grants under the control of the Ministry of Railways for 2020-21 will be extended.
Vaiko (MDMK) says his heart goes out to the bereaved members of the families in Delhi. "The only silver lining was Hindus and Muslims coming forward to protect each other. The undercurrent of this country has not died. I salute them," he says.
"The Hindu carried several reports, but I could not bear to read them. We are the tallest democracy, we have to bow our head in shame when the U.N. Secretary General expresses his concern," he adds.
"The villain is the CAA. The second villain is the NRC and the third notorious villain is NPR. Revoke CAA, NRC and NPR," he concludes.
Vijay Goel (BJP) says he grew up in Chandni Chowk when the number of Hindus living there more. "Today, Muslims are more and Hindus less. Chandni Chowk is becoming Jafrabad. I won Chandni Chowk twice. I worked both for Hindus and Muslims," he says.
Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD) says he would wish to apologise on behalf of his colleagues to the people of Delhi for the violence. "Can we guarantee the people of this country that there will be no violence like this again?" he asks. If poison continues to flow like this, there will be no elections, there will be nothing left, he says. "We are losing the plot," he adds.
Referring to the protest in Shaheen Bagh, Mr. Jha adds, "What kind of narrative is being promoted that women are being used [for the protests]? This is an anti-woman mindset."
Sanjay Singh (AAP) says Delhi was burning for three days. "Hindus were killed. Muslims were killded. Police were killed. But, the Home Minister did nothing."
The Home Minister does not deserve to continue in his post, he adds. "The Home Minister was saying yesterday that Indians were killed in riots. Why didn't you go to meet the families and compensate them?" he asks.
Talking about the transfer of Judge S. Muralidhar, Mr. Singh says the Judiciary is in danger.
Mr. Singh says the Delhi Chief Minister had written to the Home Minister to impose a curfew and send the Army. "You were silent because your people were involved. Who were the 300 people? U.P has the Yogi Sarkar. What action was taken against them?"
Abdul Sahab (IUML) says the Home Minister should send a team to Kerala to see how the State handles communalism. "This should not be happening in India. Stop such hate statements," he says.
Kapil Moreshwar Patil (BJP) says that Bhiwandi and Surat are textile hubs which will benefit from the bullet train that is being introduced between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. He also requested the Railway Ministry for construction of stations in a few places in Bhiwandi.
₹5,000 crore proposed for bullet train in 2020-21
E. T. Mohammed Basheer (IUML) says that there have been encouraging signs like introduction of more Tejas-like trains for tourism and Kisan trains. "We must realise the ground realities of India. Economic viability should be coupled with Social viability. PPP should not come at a cost of Public sector companies," he adds.
Special focus should be given to cleaning the coaches in Kerala, he says.
Dhaal Sinha Besan (BJP) says there needs to be rail connectivity from Nagpur to Jabalpur, Katangi to Seoni.
Anand Sharma (Cong): "It was expected that Parliament would discuss the riots and express condolences on the first day, it did not happen. For 3 days capital kept burning. Our culture doesn't teach us this. It is a blot on our democracy and its our responsibility to clean it. You had face tech, despite technology and force such an incident took place. Investigation should be done how it happened then? Why wasn't curfew imposed the first day, why no shoot at sight orders? Despite security arrangements for Trump this happened.
Mixing religion and politics is a lethal combination. When we step out of the house, our dharm granth is the Constitution of India. To say that those opposed to CAA were behind riots is not correct. 11 States are opposed to CAA. The delay in SC is hurting the country, it should be settled...Let there be no politics on it. SC should expedite the hearing on CAA. Humanity did not die in this violence. Hindu, muslims,sikhs saved each other. Muslims protected temples, Hindus protected mosques. Don't give a certificate to police without investigation. We expected PM to be compassionate, PM took four days to tweet. He was silent till then. Didn't condemn the violence in his tweets, would Trump have stopped him?Administration would have listened to him.
HM said people from outside came and that it was a conspiracy. This country doesn't need private armies like Ram Sene, Hindu Sena or PFI. Take strict action. If it was a conspiracy then it was an intelligence failure, investigate that also. No blame game, time to provide relief."
Every FIR should be scrutinized. A judicial commission should be constituted,SIT is not enough, Mr. Sharma says. "SC should oversee this. How will you win back the trust of people. sabka saath sabka viswas are empty words."
Tiruchi Siva (DMK): "We don't expect resignation from HM, he is not Lal Bahadur Shastri. We expect him to come to the Parliament. Anti CAA protests not only in Delhi but across the country. Muslims organise protest and they say leg us protect the sovereignty of the country."
What are you going to do with Muslims excluded from Assam NRC? Are you going to quarantine them? Why no clarification from HM on NRC and NPR, so many States opposed to it. Why no action against goli maaro hate speeches. A speech triggered a carnage in the country. Silence has become the source of chaos. HM says police has done a good job, the police did not give protection. They were mute spectators.
Ambulances were not allowed to move. Displaced people living are in relatives' houses. What has the govt done? The Indian economy is sinking. Women workforce shrunk from 37% to 18%. HM should have given a suo motu statement."
Swapan Dasgupta (BJP): "CAA was passed with due process on Dec 11. On Dec 13, first protest happen in Kolkata. It spread on 14 to Murshidabad district, railway properties were targeted. Efforts to cut off chicken neck from rest of India.
And from there we saw Shaheen Bagh, atmosphere of hate started from there (Bengal). The purpose was to show that only one community has the right to veto decisions in the country."
Naresh Gujral (SAD): "Feb 23 was a dark day in Delhi's history. Armed hooligans attacked Hindus and Muslims. The police response was inadequate to say the least. This reminded me of 1984 when an orgy of violence was unleashed by Congress leaders for 3 days on streets of Delhi. It is a mystery who started these riots, so many goondas descended. Our image internationally has certainly been tarnished. Tolerance, equality, compassion must come to centre stage. Harmony must counter hate. Time to apply balm.
We must never allow a repeat of 1984 where the perpetrators still haven't been arrested. When links were made between CAA, NRC, NPR, that created suspicion in the minds of muslims. I would request the govt to remove their fear. We need to provide health education jobs, our savings are low. We need FDI, FDI will never come when there is strife on the street, it will come when there is harmony.
Ashok Sidharth (BSP): "Question is not if the glass escaped, question is where did the stone come from? The first day protestors and police clashed. second day it took Hindu Muslim colour. Third day was horrific-people from particular religion were targeted and killed.
You should take inspiration from Mayawati ji, in her four tenures no communal riots took place. Political will is required to stop riots. We request judicial enquiry and adequate compensation for those affected by riots."
Benny Behanan (INC): "Indian Railways is truly PAN-India. Various people from various regions come and give up their invidual identity and become one. We have a major role to play in not only maintaining and upgrading, but also taking it to heights and achieve more. The semi high speed Vande Bharat has cut running time by so many hours. The Railway Minister has ruled out privatisation, but I have my fears. Privatisation would be a disaster. The Indian Railways touches the hearts of all Indians. Please do not do it."
S. Ramalingam (DMK) asks for railway connectivity between Mayiladuthurai and Tharangambadi and other places.
Ranjanben Bhatt (BJP) lists the developments with respect to the speed of trains, railway connectivity, completed projects and other proposed ideas.
AITC's Derek O'Brien says: "I want to start by quoting what West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said. Genocide didn't start with gas chambers. It started with inciting slogans.Mamata di said it was a genocide. Genocide is a process, in Germany it started with slogans. In Bengal, nine were arrested within 24 hrs of making provocative slogans. It is difficult to believe that it did not have consent from the top.
I salute Indian media, reporters went there, showed courage and conviction. I want to urge the media owners to stand up to them like their young colleagues. Of course this govt has achievements — lynching, pogrom, torn social fabric. TMC opened a small fund, tried to help them. Tell us, the Home Minister, how will you heal? He has come back after holiday.
This is a time for healing, reconciling, but it is also a time to ask hard questions. You are our Home Minister. Lead by example. Go through the social media accounts and stop the accounts that are spreading bigotry and hate. Assure us and those children in Delhi. Why was chain of command superceded and NSA sent to riot hit areas. You suddenly stopped talking about NRC, we have been warning that CAA-NRC-NPR a toxic combination.
Did you admit yesterday that personal data was used in facial recognition technology? You can use it, but assure that it is not being used to target innocent people. who is responsible? The Home Minister has to take responsibility. Assure there will be no other carnage."
AIADMK's S.R. Balasubramoniyan: "It is the moral responsibility of Govt to maintain law and order. This issue resonated in Parliaments of other country. Judicial enquiry should be conducted by a sitting judge. The image of the Home Minister as a strong administrator has taken a beating. I hope you will reach out to the minorities."
Javed Ali Khan (SP): "Till the time Delhi Police replies satisfactorily to Naresh Gujral's letter I am not ready to believe the clean chit given by HM to Delhi Police. He wrote that DP didn't help people who were stuck in the riot affected areas. His phone calls were ignored. Let's not do one upmanship on riots. Yesterday HM said you did not have dinner and lunch with Trump, it would have been better had you stepped down as HM after taking responsibility for the riots."
Prasanna Acharya (BJD): "If it was preplanned conspiracy, is it not the failure on part of the govt that it didn't get a hint of it. Why didn't it take preventive measures. Isn't it an intelligence failure?"
Dr. Banda Prakash (TRS): "I endorse Kapil Sibal that communalism is not less than Coronavirus. We shouldn't encourage communalism in this country. We should encourage diversity. TRS always stands for unity and diversity."
Elamaram Kareem (CPI(M)): "Communal riots is nothing but a state-sponsored terror. The primary culprit in the Delhi riots was the Home Ministry. The inaction despite receiving reports of the violence, made situation worse. New riots happened and Delhi police was merely watching the show. Delhi police was under Central govt. This reminded me of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The reactions of the authority then was the same as now.
Shocking speech of NSA, whatever happened, happened. The DCP appointed to probe the case was criticised by EC also. We want judicial enquiry. You have blood on your hands, take stringent action."
BJP's Uday Pratap Singh welcomes the Railway PPP mode which would be a revolution in the railways. He says that the new developments in railways would help farmers take their produce to places.
BJP's Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi says, "These riots were unique, there was no abrupt reaction, simmered for 2.5 months, just like tandoor. No opposition leader appealed for peace. This protest did not have any objective. There was no leader and no demand. The representatives were available on media but when HM said my doors are open, when SC sent mediators — then no rep was visible. Riots were unique as it started when U.S president Trump was here. This deepens the conspiracy. You are happy when foreign media raises questions, we don't need to be heard in London."
He lists the steps taken by Home Minister from February 24 to 27 with regard to the Delhi violence. "You ask where was HM? He met NSA at 7 pm on Feb 24, continued meeting till 1 am, he was taking minute by minute updates."
"The fire that was smouldered for 72 days was doused in 36 hrs by police. Did you see the police running away? Delhi Police is like Iraq, whoever finds an opportunity criticises the police.
All the other riots were secular but only 2002 was a communal riot. What happened with Ankit Sharma, his body was mutilated as done along the Pakistan border. This was a message. Shows the nature and character."
Shiv Sena's Arvind Ganpat Sawant mentions that elevated trains for the local routes are a must. He also says that the general managers should have some financial/administrative powers.
JD(U)'s Santosh Kumar says, "We have an interlocking system that has brought down the number of mishaps.
Short discussion on the recent law and order situation in some parts of Delhi is on. INC's Kapil Sibal speaks: "There are 47,000 policemen in Delhi, even then riots couldn't be controlled. HM said on Feb 25 that riots were "spontaneous", yesterday in Lok Sabha he said it was a conspiracy, what changed?
There are two types of virus — Coronavirus, that spread internationally and a communal virus here, that is spreading; who are the collaborators of the virus being spread? We've seen videos of police hitting a wounded man who later died, but later the cops said they don't know anything about this.
HM admitted yesterday that rioters came from U.P. It's clear police was supporting the rioters. NSA Ajit Doval said implementing laws is duty of police and if it doesn't, it's a blot on democracy, may be Doval was referring to HM? I don't know.
Law has become a weapon in Delhi. Delhi was never like this.
The moment a cognisable offense is committed, an FIR has to be lodged. Home Minister must tell us why an FIR wasn't lodged till now.
What were you doing Home Minister? Delhi never saw riots, surprising that Northeast Delhi has a population of 22 lakh, 68% are hindus. Why no FIR against hate speeches? 'Desh ke gaddaron' speech is a cognisable offence. It was a license to kill."
He asks the Home Minister, "You filed a case against Harsh Mander. If you want to control this virus (communal), you can. But you won't stop it, you want to spread it. We might not be there, but if virus spreads democracy will not survive. You are sitting the place of Sardar Patel. Where were you? You were in Ahmedabad for Trump visit.
Did you arrest the rioters shooting from terrace of Mohan Nursing home? Did the facial recognition technology help you in catching them? Cylinders from Ujjwala scheme were used to burn houses, This was happening in Delhi, PM was silent for 70 hrs. Why are u destroying Constitution?
You can do anything to protect cows, but you cannot protect human beings. There is massive internal displacement. FIRs not being registered. Cases where people have identified rioters, cases not being registered.
Who are the masked people from U.P who were destroying CCTVs, ask them to stop striking at their own people. I want to tell my party too that it's time to leave the comforts of our home, we are the only answer to this virus. Won't let you break this country."
Lok Sabha discusses demand of grants for the Ministry of Railways.
AITC's Sougata Roy says the government should have a separate Railway Budget. "I think the bullet train will never happen," says Mr. Roy. He says the Railways is facing the problem of staff crunch. The ministry should fill up vacancy instead of reducing the number of staff, he says.
YSRCP's Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu appreciates the Railway Ministry for speeding up trains. He requests a train from Visakhapatnam (Vizag) to Chennai since it is considered as a growth corridor.
Rajya Sabha passes the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
House adjourned till 2.45 pm.
Parliament passes amendments to IBC
Parliament on Thursday passed amendments to the insolvency law that will help ring-fence successful bidders of insolvent companies from risk of criminal proceedings for offences committed by previous promoters.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020 was passed by voice vote in Rajya Sabha. It was approved by Lok Sabha on March 6.
The Bill replaces an ordinance.
Will ensure all support for Indians in Iran, Italy: Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar assured the Parliament on Thursday that India is equipped to handle the coronavirus pandemic , and appraised the House on the situation of Indian nationals in Iran and Italy.
Reiterating that travelling in itself is not recommended, the Minister said in Lok Sabha that India is effectively addressing the problem by reacting responsibly and soberly to address the probelm without spreading panic. "Excessive sense of alarm wouyld only be top detriment," he said.
With regard to the situation in Iran, Mr. Jaishankar said that the embassy and Consulates have reached out to the Indians in the country to ensure that they have access to adequete provisions. "There are around 6,000 Indian nationals in various provinces of Iran, of which around 1,000 are pilgrims from Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. Around 1,000 are fishermen from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, and 300 are students - most of them studying medicine, and hence aware of precautions to be taken - from Jammu and Kashmir," said the Minister. "The province in which the fishermen are concentrated have not been much affected by the virus," he added. He assured that the government will facilitate the safe return of the Indian nationals.
To help manage the medical situation, six doctors were sent. As many as 108 samples were taken in the first round of testing, and 529 in the second round, he said, adding that he had visited the parents of some of the students from Srinagar and reassured them.
The Minister appraised the House of the visa restrictions announced on Wednesday , and said that the situation in Italy is cause for "great concern." He said that steps have been initiated to take samples from Indians in the country, primarily students, and if the sample is negative, they will be allowed to travel to india and quarantined for 14 days.
The Minister also commended the efforts of medical teams, airport crew, embassies, air india crew, and all those working selflessly to contain the pandemic, and "strongly emphasised" that the government remained fully committed to ensure security and safety of Indian nationals worldwide, and that of India.
Port Authorities Bill to be introduced
The Lower House attempts to introduce the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020.
Kerala's Congress MP Hibi Eden opposes the introduction of Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020. He says it is a part of the current government's policy of privatising critical public sector, and ports. "Withdraw, redraft and reintroduce the bill," he says.
Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh L. Mandaviya says this is untrue - the ports will not be privatised, he assures. We are delegating some powers because our ports need to compete with those of private authorities, he says, adding that the main powers will remain with the Government of India.
"We are just giving some powers to the ports so that they can compete according to the time," the Minister states.
The Bill is introduced.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury again attempts to bring up the Yes Bank issue. "Common man's money is being looted," he says.
Discussion on Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill continues
In the Upper House, discussions on the amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill continues.
BSP MP Satish Chandra Mishra points out that sometimes companies goes into insolvency because they work with the government and they are not paid on time. This affects MSMEs too, he says, and needs to be addressed.
YSRCP MP V. Vijayasai Reddy supports the bill on behalf of his party, and says that there are inherent advantages to the bill. He says that it empowers resolution professionals, and that the contractual obligations will be respected.
The Question Hour in the Lok Sabha was completed without any adjournment. The House has been repeatedly adjourned over the past few days due to protests over various issues, including last month’s riots in northeast Delhi. Speaker Om Birla had also kept away from attending the House for a few days.
It is the first time since the House reconvened for the second leg of the Budget Session on March 2 that the Question Hour was completed without any adjournment.
Six questions, including one on khadi wrist watches, were taken up during the Question Hour.
The Question Hour is a crucial part of the legislative process where members grill the ministers over a range of issues. It is usually taken up in the first hour of convening of the House. - PTI
Congress brings up Yes Bank issue, and is ignored
As Question Hour comes to an end, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury brings up the issue of banks defaulting in India. One after the other, five banks have collapsed in the country, says Mr. Chowdhury. This is a testimony of this goverment, banks are being looted, he says.
"What happened in Yes Bank," he shouts as the Speaker ignores him.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill is against Article 50: P. Wilson
DMK MP P. Wilson speaks on the amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill. He says it is going against Supreme Court ruling - authorities have been treated as financial creditors, and any one of them can invoke the process.
But this is diluted in the Act, he says, adding that it is against Article 50 of the Constitution.
Coronavirus: All passengers screened at all airports, says Minister
DMK MP from Tamil Nadu Dayanidhi Maran asks about the expansion plans for the facilities at the Chennai airport. He also questions the Aviation Minister about the measures taken to screen passengers with reference to the recent coronavirus outbreak. "Are there hand sanitizing provisions for passengers coming in?" he asks.
Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri
Minister of Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri answers his query by pointing out that on an average, around 70,000 passengers are processed through various airports in India. He goes on to explain that while initially, passengers from the 12 most-affected countries were screened, now, all incoming passengers are subjected to basic thermal screening tests regardless of where they come from.
After the outbreak, the number of passengers fell to around 62,000 per day, says Mr. Puri, adding that after the travel advisory issued on Wednesday, this number is expected to come down to 40,000 per day.
He goes on to add that even at peak hours, the time taken for screening passengers in two of the biggest airports in India (volume-wise) - Delhi and Mumbai - is 8 to 10 minutes on an average, and 20 to 25 minutes maximum. "Some passengers have been saying that they were not screened. That is not true, every single passenger is screened," says the Minister. He adds that the passengers coming from affected countries are provided a separate bay and lane, and have a different procedure to check for the virus.
As for the Chennai airport expansion plans, the land availability process, which is the duty of the State government, has not been completed, says the Minister. He adds that the Central government is supportive of the project that is being executed by Larsen & Toubro.
Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill taken up in Rajya Sabha
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman raises motion to move the amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, 2020.
The Lok Sabha had passed the amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code in August 2019, with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stating that the intention of the bill was to help struggling business survive and grow stronger.
Economist and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh says that this is the fourth time that the bill is being discussed in the House. He brings up the dissent notes in the report from the Standing Committee; in particular a note that is unanimously approved by all members of the committee. He points out the clause that will affect MSMEs, saying that they will be forced to provide goods to a bankrupt company as it interferes with the relationship between the suppliers/vendors and debted companies. "Safeguards to protect interests of the vendors should be introduced," he says.
Economist and Congress MP Jairam Ramesh
We need a special regime for MSME sectors, says Mr. Ramesh. MSMEs do not become sick because of wilful measures, it is caused by delayed payments, he says.
Mr. Ramesh goes on to congratulate the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) for putting out a quarterly newsletter on the health of various cases under its purview. He goes on to point out the issues in recovery rates of bad loans, and that we need to pay attention to why it is so.
During the Question Hour, MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal asks on the power transmission line project. He asks whether the Zanskar and Nubra power transmission line project is still pending and whether the Government proposes to expedite the completion of this project.
Minister of State for Power R. K. Singh says the tender is for 120kV line, and the project will be completed as soon as possible.
The proceedings at the Upper House kicks off with the reading out of obituaries.
Here is the agenda in Parliament today:
Lok Sabha
Bill for Introduction
- Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020
Bill for Consideration and Passing
- Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Discussion and Voting on Demands for Grants
Rajya Sabha
Bills for consideration and passing
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
- Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020
- Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019
- National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Bill, 2019
- National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill, 2019
Discussion on the working of the Ministries, and the law and order situation in northeast Delhi.sd
