Parliament Budget Session August 6 Highlights

Proceedings reconvene on Wednesday, August 7th at 11 a.m. 

Enumerating that 11 crore depositors of Sahara await their Rs 2.5 lakh crore in deposits combined, Mr. Prasad told the house that those in semi-skilled labour in urban areas or labour in rural areas would not know about the portal. He held, “The agent in their village who had introduced them to the scheme stands as the sole point of communication for all deposit matters. Thus, the government should consider according the refunds through an agent”. 

Mr. Punia reflecting on concerns about transitional paradigms possible with new regime, urged the government to retain one tax regime. Mr. Punia observed that savings have not been incentivised in the new regime. “Has the government contemplated the potential impact if the middle class does not save?” he stated. Furthermore, the Congress MP stressing on the imperative need for domestic savings, held that 95% of India’s debt was in foreign currency. 

Sharing his views in light of the increased GST collections, Mr. Reddy suggested that basic goods commonly consumed by the poor and middle classes should be exempted from GST. Furthermore, from the perspective of weavers the YSRCP MP suggested that GST be exempted for components used to make fishing nets, and the 5% GST on raw materials used by weavers. 

Mr. Reddy also joined other members who had earlier voiced withdrawing GST on health and life insurance products. 

Officiating Chair P.C. Mohan sought consent to extend the functioning of the house by one hour to accommodate members willing to speak on the budget. The house agreed. 

The Rajya Sabha is adjourned for the day. Proceedings will recommence at 11 a.m tomorrow. 

Elaborating on the principle behind reduction in taxation, the Pali (Rajasthan) MP stated that the resulting paradigm has stemmed towards ensuring higher aggregate tax collection and provides the government with more resources for their welfare schemes. 

Separately, he held the paradigm in the long term helps create a “virtuous cycle of lower taxes, higher compliances, increased revenue and enhanced welfare.” 

Mentioning about abolition of Angel Tax, he stated, it would ease paradigms for startups to pursue foster further innovation. Furthermore, he held, it would help increase flow of capital to new businesses, potential for job creation, bring more innovative ideas into the market and attractiveness of the ecosystem to domestic and foreign investors. 

Mr Chaudhary, addressing concerns raised about indexation, said a “misconception” was being spread which had “no leg to stand on”. Stressing on the need for uniform taxation across all asset classes, the Pali MP stated that indexation method was “complicated” and “led to discrimination and arbitrariness”. 

Mr Desai in his address aired his concerns about public sector insurance companies being asked to look for other “profitable” avenues than motor and health insurance. The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP emphasised about the imperative to ensure that claim payment must not be more than revenue from sale – which would result in losses. 

According to Mr. Desai, the public sector companies also serve as drivers of social sector scheme which the public sector would be unwilling to take up. He specifically referred to rural sector schemes to elaborate his notion. 

The member from Mumbai South-Central also observed about the aftermath of the government infusing capital into three insurance players, namely, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance. He observed that the infusion helped the three entities cut down on losses and move towards profitability. United India, he observed, in fact did turn profitable in FY 2023-24. 

Mr. Desai held that the government was being “very harsh”. Separately, he further stated, “If we don’t give them the impetus at this stage, things will not be interest for the Indian economy”. 

The Shiv Sena (UBT) MP also raised concerns about the GST on health policies and LIC policies – that deem to turn them “beyond affordability”. 

AITC MP Jawhar Sircar raises a demand for support to families of TB patients. 61% of TB-affected households experience catastropic costs, which includes healthcare costs of more than 20% of the households’ total income, he shares. 

AAP MP Sanjay Singh raises concerns about paramilitary forces. 

BJP MP Dr. Medha Kulkarni raises a demand to increase frequency of trains and reduce crowd in Mumbai suburban local trains. The network, which caters to 7.5 million commuters, is the lifeline of the city, but the current infrastructure is severely strainedm, Dr. Kulkarni highlights. Over 2000 deaths and over 3000 injuries were reported due to overcrowding related incidents, she says. 

There is a need to increase frequency of trains during peak hours, she says, also suggesting the deployment of more 16-coach trains, over the currently more widespread 12-coach trains.

Mr. Hooda said the central government has two policies. It has different policies for common people and the super-rich. The government is taking ₹1000 from Haryana, and giving back just one rupee. This is an injustice to the people of the State, he said. 

The government has forgotten Haryana, so the State would also forget the party during elections, he added. 

BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai, speaking in the Lok Sabha during the session said less has been said about the finance part of the bill, and more on the politics surrounding it. He went on to highlight the central government’s contributions to the Indian economy. “The government has created employment and given people the capacity to earn,” he said. 

“Since 1947, not one international alliance’s headquarters were in India. Under PM Modi, India is the global headquarters for the solar alliance. When we call for consultation meetings, West Bengal does not send even its officials and they blame us for not consulting? Inspite of sanctioning a 125 MW solar park, state has not implemented,” says Mr. Joshi. He places the onus on state governments for power cuts. 

Thanking members for their inputs, he ends his statement. Deputy Chairman Harivansh is presiding over the session.

Mr. Jaishankar said our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation. “In the last 24 hours, we have also been in regular touch with the authorities in Dhaka,” he said. 

He further sought the understanding and support of the House in regard to sensitive issues concerning Bangladesh. 

Continuing to speak on the issue, Mr. Jaishankar said the situation in Bangladesh is still evolving. “We are in close and continuous touch with the Indian community in the country. There are about 19000 Indian nationals, of which 9000 are students. The bulk of students have returned in July,” he said. 

“In terms of our diplomatic presence, in addition to the High Commission in Dhaka, we have Assistant High Commissions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet. It is our expectation that the host government will provide the required security protection for these establishments,” the EAM said. 

He added that the Indian government looks forward to their normal functioning once the situation stabilises. 

“We are working on installed capacity of 500 GW renewable energy generation. Budget allocation was Rs 10,000 crore and now it is Rs 21,320 crores. Renewable energy has six umbrella schemes - solar energy, buy energy program, wind and other renewable energy, supporting program, hydrogen mission, storage and transition,” says Mr. Joshi, in reply to debate in Rajya Sabha on his ministry’s budgetary allocation. 

“In hydro, installed capacity is 51.93 GW, under implementation 17 GW and in total it is 69.18 GW. Including nuclear energy, total non-fossil sources amount to 427 GW. Do not think that if you could not do it, we can accomplish our goals,” adds the minister.

Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar briefed the Lok Sabha on the ongoing Bangladesh crisis. 

India urged restraint when the crisis in Bangladesh started aggravating, the EAM said. 

NCP MP Supriya Sule speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday said we are happy that the GST was brought in, but unhappy with the way it is being implemented. 

“I’m very curious about what is happening in Infosys. Isn’t it GST mismanagement?” Ms. Sule asked. 

GST authorities slapped a ₹32,403 crore notice on Infosys for services availed by the company from its overseas branches for five years starting in 2017. 

In Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of New and Renewable Energy Prahlad Joshi welcomes constructive criticism to budgetary allocations. In reply, he says, “The Rig veda says that the Universe is full of energy and all living things are alive. Inspired by that, we try to harness all sources for renewable energy”. He condemns the Opposition for making many non-factual statements on the issue

BJP MP Sangeeta Yadav extols the achievements of Govardhan Scheme, ethanol blending and biogas plant installations. “In 2014, when they said that we will have 24-hour electric supply, I wondered how. In 2023, on average, villages have 23.4 hours of supply and the ratio between supply and demand which was 4.2% in 2013-14, has reduced to 0.1% in 2024-25,” says Ms. Yadav in the Rajya Sabha

Continuing his statment on the Bangladesh crisis, EAM Jaishankar says, “Army chief Waker-uz-Zaman assumed responsibility of forming a new government there. We are in close touch with the Indian community there. About 19,000 Indians are in Bangladesh, of which 9000 are students. Bulk of the students have returned in July. In addition to High Commission in Dhaka, we have additional commissions. We expect that the existing regime provide security to these establishments and look forward to normal relations once the situation stabilizes. 

He adds that the government is monitoring the situation on minorities and that the BSF has been told to extremely alert. Stating that the Centre is in touch with officials in Dhaka, he urges the counsel of the members to be sensitive on the issue. 

As members raise questions on the minister’s statement, Chairman does not allow any queries. The Upper House continues its debate on Renewable energy budget.

“Inspite of Supreme Court’s order nullifying the High Court’s decision, the protests continued. The agitation grew and now coalesced on a single point agenda - Sheikh Hasina should step down. On August 4, attacks on police station, government buildings intensified even though over all violence had de-escalated. What was most worrying is that properties of minorities and their temples came under attack. The full extent of which is unclear,” says EAM S Jaishankar in Rajya Sabha. 

“On August 5, protestors converged on Dhaka inspite of a curfew and Sheikh Hasina resigned after a meeting with the military establishment. In a short notice, she requested permission to travel to India and arrived in Delhi yesterday. The situation in Bangladesh is still evolving, he adds.

Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar briefs Rajya Sabha on the ongoing Bangladesh crisis. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar is presiding over the session. 

“India-Bangladesh relationship has been exceptionally close for decades. Concerns on violence is shared across political spectrum. Tensions, deep divides and polarisation in Bangladesh politics has been rising, agravating a student agitation started in June,” says EAM S Jaishankar. 

Highlighting the attack on public buildings by protestors, vandalism, he says that India urged restraint to all parties involved.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday said the Budget does not do anything for the people of India. 

Ms. Moitra said direct and indirect taxes must be balanced if we want an equitable economy. “65% of tax collection in India is from indirect tax, and about 35% is from direct tax. The super-rich pay the same tax as the middle class,” she said. 

The percentage of GST imposed on products in India is very high, she added. 

Direct taxes are levied on taxpayers’ income and profits and indirect taxes are charged on goods and services. 

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi informs that Maharashtra has the capacity to generate 98,213 MW of renewable energy as per 2023 estimates, however only 5% is being used. “700 MW capacity solar power plants have been sanctioned, but installed is zero in Maharashtra. 2.25 lakh solar pumps have been sanctioned, only 61,000 have been installed. No installation of solar agriculture pumps, grid-connected panels,” says Ms. Chaturvedi. 

Highlighting that three solar parks have been announced, none have been constructed in Maharashtra. “Why this biased treatment to the state?,” she asks, while voicing monopolization by several solar companies. She also condemned ease of norms for Chinese nationals to enter solar energy industry. 

Rajya Sabha is discussing budgetary allocation of Minstry of Renewable Energy and Seema Dwivedi is in Chair

SP MP Neeraj Maurya speaking in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday said the BJP government in the centre always says the country’s development has a global context, and that the government’s reforms should align with the aspirations of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India), but it has barely done anything to develop India at a ground level. 

“Villages, education, and agriculture remain undeveloped. The state of primary schools in the country is terrible, and the government only favours the rich,” he said. 

Referring to Anurag Thakur’s caste-related remarks during the Budget debate, BJP leader Nishikant Dubey said, “Anurag Thakur made a mistake by discussing caste. He shouldn’t have done that. But they don’t have any caste—they are sadhus. We don’t assign caste to sadhus. I ask Congress and the Opposition how a caste census will be conducted in a country where many people don’t follow any religion or caste.”

The BJP MP made remarks during discussion on the Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2024.

“Whether the government is doing enough to harness the solar energy is one thing which we have to examine,” he says.

Kerala is one of the good “solar energy States”, but it [harnessing it] depends on policies and help provided by the Union government, Mr. Beeran adds.

The Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2024 authorises the government to use certain sums out of the Consolidated Fund of India for the services of the financial year 2024-25. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bill in the Lower House on Monday.

Congress’s Amar Singh is speaking on the Bill. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is present in the House. 

“What are you doing to address issues of unemployment and low consumption? You [Finance Minister] didn’t say anything about inflation in your Budget speech,” Mr. Singh remarked. The Congress MP said the agriculture sector is in distress. “The Economic Survey says sectoral growth was 4.7% last year compared to 1.4% (2023-24). What happened to all promises you made?”

In the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, only the word “free” [muft] is added to the name but it is, in fact, a scheme of subsidy, Dr. Khan points out in her speech.

Satna MP Ganesh Singh urged the government to advise telecom companies to reduce mobile recharge costs. He highlighted that increased usage leads people in rural areas to buy new SIM cards instead of recharging, due to promotional offers. He criticised the irregular recharge durations which he said led to deactivation and forced users to purchase new SIM cards.

“Mobile phones are of great use. But with increased usage, people in rural areas buy a new SIM card instead of recharging because certain companies give free offers for two-three months. No recharge is for a month. Sometimes it is 28 days, sometimes 24 days, or lesser than that. And if the recharge doesn’t happen, the number is deactivated, which forces people to buy a new SIM,” the BJP leader said in Lok Sabha.

Sickle Cell Anaemia is an inherited disease, which lowers haemoglobin levels making it difficult for red blood cells to carry oxygen to various parts of the body. Read more here

“We provide support to States for testing kits, screening, and ensuring availability of basic drugs,” MoS Anupriya Patel says in the House.

Congress MP Manish Tewari asked the government what steps it plans to take to ensure political uncertainty in Bangladesh and other South Asian countries does not negatively impact India.

“India has a special relationship with Bangladesh. The latest developments in the neighbouring country are extremely worrying. There has been political uncertainty in several other South Asian countries as well. Disturbances in South Asia directly impact India,” the MP remarked.

The External Affairs Minister will make a statement on the Bangladesh situation in Rajya Sabha at 2.30 p.m. and Lok Sabha at 3.30 p.m.

After INDIA bloc parties staged a protest in on the steps leading to the Makar Dwar of Parliament on Tuesday to press for the rollback of 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on life and health insurance premiums, Speaker Om Birla asked MPs not to protest in the area in front of the gates.

The House then proceeded with Zero Hour, with Members raising issues of urgent public importance. 

The MoS makes the statement in response to a query posed by BJP MP Samik Bhattacharya. “Aspirational States like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir each have two AIIMS. Will West Bengal be granted a similar opportunity to enhance its healthcare infrastructure, especially in North Bengal?” Mr. Bhattacharya asked.

After the Question Hour concluded, Speaker Om Birla informed the House that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will make a statement on the situation in Bangladesh at 3:30 p.m.

Samajwadi Party MP Birendra Singh asked why the benefits of crop insurance are not extended to standing crops destroyed by fire. 

In reply, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan said if the reason is natural, it is covered under the scheme. When the MP insisted on a specific reply to his question, the Minister said that if the fire is caused by natural reasons, it will also be covered in the scheme.

After addressing concerns about the empowerment of persons with disabilities, queries on Left Wing Extremism were taken up. In his reply, the MoS for Home Affairs informed the House that there has been a significant decline in violence related to LWE in the country. 

Mr. Yadav had a hard time beginning his address as MDMK MP Vaiko continued to raise the issue of Tamil Nadu fishermen being targeted by Sri Lanka even after his time to speak was exhausted.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi joined the INDIA bloc protest demanding rollback of GST on health and life insurance premiums, outside Makar Dwar in Parliament.

Proceedings in the Lower House have started with Question Hour. 

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While arrangements for Ms. Hasina, and ensuring the safety of Indian diplomats at the High Commission and Consulates in the neighbouring country as well as thousands of Indians still in Bangladesh are immediate priorities, experts said that the Modi government must move quickly to engage the new establishment in charge in Dhaka, where anti-Hasina protests have frequently been mixed with an anti-India sentiment. In July, the government had evacuated more than 7,000 students and professionals in Bangladesh. 

Read more here

(Credit: Special arrangement)

The government has called an all-party meeting in Parliament House at 10 am on Tuesday on the Bangladesh issue.

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, EAM Jaishankar, Parliamentary Affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and 

Leaders of Opposition (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge will attend the government’s all party meet on Bangladesh. - Nistula Hebbar

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will move the Finance (No.2) Bill, 2024, for consideration in Parliament on Tuesday to give effect to the financial proposals of the central government for the financial year 2024-25. 

Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) is expected to make a statement in Lok Sabha regarding the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the 70th report of the standing committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing on ‘Employment Generation and Revenue Earning Potential of Fisheries Sector’ about the Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.- ANI

The non-performing assets (NPA) associated with Mudra loans given out by public sector banks have come down in the current financial year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on Monday.

She said that in 2023-24, the NPAs on Mudra loans have declined to 3.4%, a siginificant improvement from 4.77% in 2020-21, 4.89% in 2019-20, and 3.76% in 2018-19. Read more

The Lok Sabha, on August 5, approved by voice vote the Demands for Grants, for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (2024-25) after discussion. Replying to the discussion Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda said that the budgetary allocations for the health sector had gone up from ₹33,278 crore in 2013-14 to ₹90,958 crores in 2024-25 registering an increase of 164%.

The Minister also urged State governments to spend more on improving healthcare infrastructure and dismissed Opposition allegations on reduction of allocations under the PM-Ayushman Bharat Healthcare Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). Read more