Parliament Monsoon Session July 26 updates | Lok Sabha passes the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023

Proceedings of the Upper House will resume on Thursday at 11.00 a.m.

The Bill has been adopted through a voice vote.

Haryana BJP MP Ram Chander Jangra lists more communities that he wants to be included within the ambit of the Bill, which prompts the response from Mr. Singh.

The Bill aims to include the Hattee community in the Trans-Giri region of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh in the Scheduled Tribes list of the State.

The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 was cleared by the Lok Sabha in December 2022.

Lok Sabha passes Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023 via voice vote, adopting all recommended changes in the Joint Committee report. Amid Opposition’s demand to debate on no-confidence motion, Chair adjourns Lok Sabha till Thursday, 11:00 AM

Highlighting the features of the Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav states that the Bill would promote agro-businesses, private forestation, impact India’s carbon footprint. He assures that the Bill will not diminish India’s forest cover, infringe upon Tribal rights or forest land rights

Amid the debate on Forest Conservation Amendment Bill, 2023, RSP MP from Kerala, N K Premachandaran raises a point of order, demanding a debate on no-confidence motion. The Chair says that the Speaker can take up to 10 days to schedule a debate and until then legislative work can be taken up. The motion has already been accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

As Lok Sabha debates the changes made to The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 which underwent a Joint Committee scrutiny, several MPs raise placards reading ‘INDIA wants PM to speak on Manipur’

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change tables the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023 in the Lok Sabha after the Joint Committee’s report

What is the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill? Read here

With Mr. Rajendra Agarwal in the Chair, Lok Sabha resumed proceedings. Opposition raises slogans demanding debate on Manipur violence. Earlier in the day, Congress Gaurav Gogoi has moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government in a bid to force the Prime Minister to speak on the Manipur crisis.

Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda moves a motion for a discussion on the Bill.

Deputy Chairman of the Upper House responds and says that the business of the House can only be transacted in accordance with the rules of procedure.

“The country should question who set these rules in the first place,” Deputy Chairman says.

“We were expecting a statement from the Prime Minister on the issue we want to discuss (Manipur violence). We don’t understand why he is unwilling to do this,” Mr. Kharge says.

Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh allows Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to speak in the House.

Following continued protests and back-and-forth between the Chair, Leader of Opposition, Leader of the House and opposition members, the Upper House was adjourned till 2 p.m.

LoP in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the logjam in the Parliament over Manipur issue. “We have been urging the Prime Minister to come and speak in the Parliament but it seems that will hurt his prestige. We are committed to the people of this country and we will pay all price for it...Despite being in power for long, we know that records of the conduct of both the Ruling as well as Opposition sides are registered in the pages of history...”

Amid sloganeering, and protests by the Opposition members demanding discussion on the Manipur issue, the Upper House took up special mentions in the Parliament.

Special Mentions are made by MPs on matters of public importance.

As the Opposition drowns Question Hour in intense sloganeering, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar requests silence in the Upper House.

He says that the Question Hour is the heart of the Parliamentary debate.

Amid chants of Manipur, the Question Hour gets underway in Rajya Sabha.

On the question on Poshan Abhiyan, Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani said that under the Union Government’s Poshan Abhiyan scheme, the impetus has been given to Anganwadis across the country.

Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lower House for the second time in the day till 2 p.m. after the government, as per list of businees, introduced six Bills amid loud Opposition protests.

Centre pushes legislative agenda in Lok Sabha, introduces six Bills.

1. The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023
2. The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023
3. The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023

4. The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023

5. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023
6. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023

Amid protests from both sides, the Opposition MPs demand the discussion on the Manipur issue.

According to rule 198 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of the Lok Sabha, a no-confidence motion is “a motion expressing want of confidence in the Council of Ministers.”

Once satisfied that the motion is in order, the Speaker asks the House if the motion can be adopted. Those Members that support the motion will have to rise in their seats, and with a minimum of 50 Members’ approval, the motion can be moved.

A no-confidence motion needs a majority vote to pass the House. If individuals or parties abstain from voting, those numbers are removed from the overall strength of the House and then the majority will be taken into account.

Check out The Hindu explainer on no-confidence motions

The Rajya Sabha takes up Question Hour as Opposition members continue to chorus “Manipur, Manipur” and raise protests.

As the Question Hour starts in the Upper House, the questions and answers are drowned out in loud protests by Opposition members.

Opposition protests continued as the Lower House reconvened.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP has been suspended from the Rajya Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar’s words are drowned out by a chorus of protests from members. He adjourns the Rajya Sabha till noon.

Hitting back at the Opposition alliance, led by the Congress, which brought a no-confidence motion against the Centre in the Lok Sabha, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday said they made a similar move ahead of the 2019 and the people taught them a lesson in the subsequent general elections.

“Let them file a no-confidence motion. The government is ready to deal with any situation. We do want a discussion on Manipur. Before the Parliament went into session, they put forward a demand for a discussion on the Manipur situation. When we agreed to a discussion, they brought up rules and other issues to stall proceedings in the Parliament. When we reached an agreement on the rules, they put forward another demand that the PM issue a statement on Manipur in Parliament. These are merely excuses,” the Union Minister told ANI.

-ANI

Chairman of the Upper House Jagdeep Dhankhar said the mic of the Leader of the Opposition Mallikharjun Kharge was not turned off.

He said it’s been falsely reported in the media that the mic was turned off when the Leader was speaking.

Amid sloganeering from the Opposition, the Chairman of Rajya Sabha said he would fix the date and time for the discussion on the Manipur issue.

Following disruption in the Question Hour due to loud sloganeering by the Opposition, the Speaker adjourned the House till noon.

The Chair receives 49 notices under rule 267 to suspend the business of the House to discuss the situation in Manipur.

The Chairman, replying to the notices, says, “The Leader of the House Piyush Goyal agreed to the discussion.”

He further says that since the Government agreed to the discussions, these notices will not be allowed.

On the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, AAP’s Sanjay Singh said PM Narendra Modi has lost the faith of the people. “Through the no-confidence motion, Team India (opposition alliance) will put their views on Manipur in the House,” the MP told PTI.

The Rajya Sabha was suspended earlier this week for the remaining duration of the Monsoon session for his “unruly behaviour”.

The Chair moves on to the laying of papers and reports on the table of the Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar begins the proceedings in the Upper House by paying tributes to Indian soldiers on the Kargil Vijay Diwas.

Kargil Vijay Diwas is commemorated on July 26 every year to observe India’s victory over Pakistan.

The House convened proceedings at 11 a.m. with tributes to soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the 1999 Kargil war. The Opposition, meanwhile, resorted to sloganeering against the Centre and pressed for its demand for the PM’s statement on Manipur.

Amid loud sloganeering, the House proceeded with Question Hour.

Leaders of the Opposition alliance INDIA met on Wednesday morning to chart out a strategy for the day in the Rajya Sabha.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi has issued a whip for its MPs to vote against the bill seeking to replace the Delhi Services ordinance.

The no-confidence motion was filed by 9.20 a.m. at the Lok Sabha table office.

Deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha will be moving a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi Government on Wednesday, the party’s leader in the Lower House Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told The Hindu on Wednesday.

Only 13 working days of the monsoon session are left and the Lok Sabha Speaker can take up to 10 days to schedule a no-confidence motion debate as per procedure.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told The Hindu that Lok Sabha member from Assam Gaurav Gogoi will move the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi Government. Mr. Gogoi is the deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha.

“Manipur has been suffering and we have tried for so many days to get a statement from the Prime Minister,” Mr. Chowdhury said.

Aam Aadmi Party floor leader Sanjay Singh was suspended for the remainder part of the Monsoon Session on July 24 by Chairman Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Zero Hour

Bills to be introduced and considered in Rajya Sabha:

- The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023

1. Question Hour

2. Any item of Government Business entered in the Revised List of Business for July 25, 2023 and not concluded on that day, will be considered.

Bill for consideration and passing:

1. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, as Reported by Joint Committee.

The document seeking the no confidence motion is ready, and the Congress issued a three-line whip, asking all its Lok Sabha members to be present, for a parliamentary party meeting at 10.30 a.m. on July 26.