On the third day of the ongoing Winter Session, the government introduced four Bills in the Lok Sabha that seek to modify the Scheduled Tribes list in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. A heated debate broke out between Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and BJP’s Nishikant Dubey over demonetisation, right before the House paused for lunch.
MP Kirodi Lal Meena introduced a Bill in the Upper House to provide for the constitution of the National Inspection and Investigation Committee for preparation of Uniform Civil Code and its implementation throughout India, but not without pushback from the Opposition. The House also discussed other Private Members’ Bills and Special Mentions.
On Thursday, the Rajya Sabha passed the Wild Life Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and took up the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022, for consideration and passing. Members of the Opposition, meanwhile, staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha in protest against the Speaker as they claimed that they were not being allowed to raise issues in the House.
Explained | What’s on agenda for the 2022 Winter Session of Parliament?
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Lok Sabha adjourned for the day
The Lower House will reconvene on Monday, December 12, at 11.00 a.m.
Lok Sabha discusses Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2019
“This Amendment does not seek to reduce the number of national parties but it enhances the responsibility of regional factions towards the public,” says BJP MP Manoj Kotak.
“Developed countries who are ahead of India have gone back to ballot papers from EVMs because people are losing faith in digital solutions in this field,” says Kunwar Danish Ali of BSP.
The BSP MP also raises concerns about media narrative that is only praising BJP for its victory in Gujarat but neglecting the party’s loss in Himachal Pradesh and in Delhi’s municipal elections as well.
Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day
The Upper House will reconvene on Monday, December 12, at 11.00 a.m.
Rajya Sabha takes up Special Mentions
BJP MP Rakesh Sinha thanks the Chairman of the Upper House for reintroducing the practice of providing the parliamentarians to present their Special Mentions.
Dr. L. Hanumanthaiah, INC MP from Karnataka, used his turn to draw attention to the stopping of pre-metric scholarships for SC, ST, OBC, and minority students of classes 1-8. “The step taken by the central government is wholly unjustified and a travesty of the marginalised sections of our society in the field of education,” he said. The MP was warned by the Chairman to confine himself to the text. “There have been violations on a number of occasions while you were reading it out,” Mr. Dhankar said.
Bill to ensure governors are elected by an electoral college
V. Sivadasan of the CPI(M) moved to consider and pass the The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2022 (amendment of article 153 and substitution of articles 155 and 156), which provides for the governor of a state to be elected by an electoral college, like the President.
Chairman Dhankar said the proceedings for consideration of the bill would continue on December 23, 2022.
The Right to Health Bill, 2021, withdrawn
Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD withdrew The Right to Health Bill, 2021, which was introduced by him on July 22 and August 5.
Private bill to prevent internet shutdowns introduced
DMK’s Thamizhachi Thangapandian introduced a private bill in Lok Sabha on Friday to prevent internet shutdowns. Private bills of MPs are different from the bills brought by the government.
Private members bills introduced
A string of bills were introduced by members including amendments to the Constitution, Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Indian Penal Code.
CPI(M) MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya introduced a bill introduce a Bill to regulate the procedure to be followed by the National Judicial Commission for recommending persons for appointment as the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court and Chief Justices and other Judges of High Courts and for their transfers and to lay down judicial standards and provide for accountability of judges.
At least 1,000 Khelo India centres to open by Aug 15: Anurag Thakur
Speaking on promotion of sports, Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur in Lok Sabha said that 1,000 Khelo India centres will be opened by August 15 across the country. Of the total, 733 centres have already been sanctioned.
Moreover 398 coaches have been appointed across 21 sports disciplines this year, he said.
Uniform Civil Code bill introduced
The Uniform Civil code bill has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha after an intense debate on it. Several members said that the government should strive to build unity and not uniformity. MP Piyush Goyal criticised the Opposition for casting aspersions on the government for introducing this bill.
Also read: Explained | The Uniform Civil Code
The DMK’s Tiruchi Siva said that he was agonised by the bill, “This country’s base is secularism and federalism, both of which are at stake now. I foresee what would be the mindset of the minority. We should not create apprehension in their minds. Muslims stayed back even when Jinnah called them to Pakistan, and they have contributed immensely to our society. Kindly protect the nation’s future.”
Jawahar Sircar called it brinkmanship and said this is an unconstitutional and anti-secular bill, while the NCP’s Fauzia Khan said that the UCC bill is not in consonance with the uniqueness of our country.
Bills introduced two revised ST lists in four States
Four separate bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on Friday to revise the lists of Scheduled Tribes in as many States.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda introduced the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bills for Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.
Govt seeks Parliament nod for additional spending of ₹3.25 lakh cr this fiscal
The Government on Friday sought Parliament nod for net additional spending of over ₹3.25 lakh crore in the current fiscal, which includes over ₹1.09 lakh crore towards fertiliser subsidy payout.
Besides, approval for ₹80,348.25 crore has been sought for meeting expenditure of the food and consumer affairs ministry mainly towards giving free foodgrains to the poor.
As per the first batch of supplementary demands for grants tabled in Lok Sabha by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, approval is being sought for gross additional expenditure of about ₹4.36 lakh crore.
Opposition on Uniform Civil Code
Opposition members have pushed back against the Uniform Civil Code bill. MDMK leader Vaiko said that it was an agenda of the BJP and RSS that would lead to disintegration of society. “India consists of so many religions, languages, cultures, so it is a country of many nationalities. They are implementing the agenda of RSS and BJP. They have already finished Kashmir. It is leading to disintegration of the country. They could not do it last time, but they are bulldozing it again. This bill will lead to the destruction of the country. I am very sorrowed by it,” he said.
CPI(M) leaders Elamaram Kareem, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, John Brittas and A. A. Rahim also expressed their protest. Mr. Brittas noted that the 21st Law Commission said that a UCC is not desirable. “There are numerous civil code in several states especially in BJP states. This is an ‘Uncivil’ Code. We should not use a piece of legislation to create polarisation in society. I implead the member to withdraw this bill immediately,” he said.
MP Kirodi Lal Meena moves bill to introduce Uniform Civil Code
MP Kirodi Lal Meena moved to introduce a bill to provide for the constitution of the National Inspection and Investigation Committee for preparation of Uniform Civil Code and its implementation throughout India.
A commotion ensued in Opposition to the bill as Chairman Dhankar urged the MPs to not speak out of turn.
Upper House session resumes
The Rajya Sabha resumed with private members introducing bills for legislation
Discussion on promotion of sports resumes
A discussion has resumed in the Lok Sabha on the need to promote sports in the country and steps taken by the Centre.
The discussion is taking place under Rule 193. It allows discussions without a formal motion in the House.
Lok Sabha adjourned
The Lok Sabha was adjourned as Zero Hour was underway. Proceedings will resume at 2.05 p.m.
House adjourns post Question Hour
The Rajya Sabha stands adjourned till 2:30 p.m.
Why is there is a rise in price of rice: AAP MP
AAP MP Sushil Kumar Gupta asks about why the price of rice is increasing and highlights the issues facing the common man. Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary said that there was no appreciable increase in the price of rice.
Congress attacks Centre over demonetisation
A heated argument broke out in the Lok Sabha as Congress party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury attacked the Narendra Modi-led government over the issue of demonetisation. In response, BJP’s Nishikant Dubey said, “Congress is with corrupts, Bangladeshis, with Pakistan’s ISI and part of tukde tukde gang. That’s why they oppose demonetisation and since the matter is in the Supreme Court, they have no right to raise it.”
Government of Delhi a thief: Minister Piyush Goyal during PDS discussion
MP Jose Mani raises a question about the Public Distribution System, asking whether Government has data regarding State-wise allocation of foodgrains under PDS for the last two years and whether it plans to increase this. He also asked whether it will distribute millets under PDS.
Discussion in Rajya Sabha over allocation of foodgrains under Public Distribution System becomes heated, Mr. Goyal says that the Government of Delhi is a thief .A point of order is raised under Rule 47 Sub-rule 2 about his language.
Are we headed for a food crisis? asks AITC MP Jawahar Sircar. The country will not face any food shortage in the years to come, Mr. Goyal responds. We have buffer stocks and are calibrating import duties carefully, he says.
Minister Piyush Goyal fields questions about India-China trade, increase in milk prices
Question Hour commences with a discussion about India’s trading with China, with Digvijaya Singh asking about China being India’s largest trade partner, the value of total trading, the trade deficit and our reliance on Chinese goods. Minister of Trade and Commerce Piyush Goyal describes the steps taken by the government to curb this reliance.
The next question pertained to the rise in prices of milk. Mr. Goyal says the increase in prices over 4 years has not been very high. Supplementary questions are also raised about the rise of farmers’ earnings, and the rise in fodder prices.
Govt introduces Bills to amend ST list in HP, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh
Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda has introduced the following Bills to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in the States of Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh:
- The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022,
- The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022,
- The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022, and
- The Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022.
Centre presents statement for grants for current fiscal
Union Minister Of State For Finance Pankaj Chaudhary presented a statement showing demand for excess grants for 2019-20 and supplementary demands for the first batch of grants for 2022-23. The statement was originally set to be made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as per list of business.
Question Hour concludes
The Speaker has declined to allow suspension of business notices in the Lok Sabha. Leaders of the Congress protested against the Speaker’s decision, saying that matters listed are crucial and need to be discussed.
Question Hour commences in Rajya Sabha
Question Hour is underway in the Upper House.
Cyberattacks, reservations and drinking water: Rajya Sabha Zero Hour wraps up
Dr. Amar Patnaik, BJD MP from Odisha raises the issue of cyber threats and attacks. He mentions the recent cyberattack on the AIIMs. He says that we need to focus on both restoration of data as well as how quickly we can resume normal operations again. We should raise this issue at G-20 and have international collaboration on the matter, he says.
V Vijayasai Reddy, YSCRCP MP from Andhra Pradesh, asks for appropriate reservations in public services and educational institutions, among others. Backward classes are more than 50%, but right now there is only approximately 27%. The Supreme Court has recently said that more than 50% reservations does not violate the basic structure of the Constitution, he says, and seeks proportional reservations to uplift the backward classes.
JD(S) MP H.D Devegowda brings up the issue of drinking water and speaks about the plight of the people of Karnataka. His speech is ended by the commencement of Question Hour.
Fund public libraries, librarians underpaid: CPI (M) Member
Dr. V Sivadasan, CPI(M) MP, raises to speak about the plight of public libraries in the country. Funds and basic facilities should be provided by the Union government. He also mentions that librarians are underpaid. Saying that some libraries in Kerela are well-run, the member says that other parts of the country are not equally well-placed. He also indicates that public libraries can help eliminate illiteracy.
Zero Hour continues interspersed with chaos
Chaos ensues in the House, members raise to their feet as the Chair appeals for silence and orderly hearing of matters.
No one who applies will be denied…: Centre on MP’s query on passport services
In his reply to a question asked by YSR Congress Party MP Chinta Anuradha, MoS External Affairs V. Muraleedharan said the Centre will make all efforts will be undertaken to see that no person who applies for a passport is denied. “We aspire to have at least one post office passport seva kendra in every Lok Sabha constituency. Anyone can apply for a passport from anywhere in the country. It is not compulsory for the person to apply from his/her State or UT,” the MoS informed.
Mild turmoil in House over farmers’ compensation matter
The Rajya Sabha erupted in chaos after MP Chaudhary Jayant Singh raised the issue of the Centre compensating families for the deaths of farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri, with members saying that his words did not deal with a State subject.
Congress seeks discussion on ‘tension’ between judiciary and Centre
Congress MP Manish Tewari has given an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha to discuss “confrontation” between the judiciary and the central government. The issue was part of Congress’ strategy to corner the Centre during the Winter Session.
Chair refuses to admit notices under Rule 267, Zero Hour commences
Two notices seeking suspension of business are brought to the attention of the Chair. BJP MP Harnath Singh gives Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha to discuss implementation of Uniform Civil code. KC Venugopal also submits a notice under Rule 267.
The Chair refused to admit two notices seeking suspension of business. Zero Hour commences with a matter raised by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits.
Zero Hour commences with a matter raised by BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi about the plight of Kashmiri Pandits.
On the table for the next week in the Rajya Sabha
The MoS of Parliamentary Affairs presented the statement regarding Government business for the week commencing Monday. These include
1. Further consideration of the Energy Conservation Amendment Act 2. The Consideration of the bills passed by Lok Sabha -The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Amendment Bill - The Constitution Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Second Amendment Bill, 2022 3. Consideration and passing of the following bills after they are passed by the Lok Sabha -Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022 -Anti Maritime Piracy Bill 2019 4. Consideration and passing of Bills after they are introduced in the Lok Sabha.
Congress MP submits adjournment motion notice
Congress MP Manickam Tagore has given an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the Centre’s move to “scrap the pre-metric scholarship for SC, ST, OBC and minority students” from Class 1 to 8 from academic year 2022-23, news agency ANI has reported.
Proceedings commence in Rajya Sabha
The House resumes business with the laying of papers and reports on the table
Proceedings resume in Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha resumed proceedings on the third day of Winter Session with Question Hour.
What is on the agenda in Lok Sabha today?
As per notified schedule, Union Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda is set to introduce the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2022 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha today.
The four Bills seek to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 to modify the list of Scheduled Tribes in Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh.
The Lok Sabha will also consider the Anti-Maritime Piracy Bill, 2019. The Bill was moved by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on December 7. Union Home Minister Amit Shah will, meanwhile, move the Multi-State Co-operative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The Bill seeks to amend the Multi-State Co-operative Societies Act, 2002.
Under Rule 193, MPs will resume their discussion on the need to promote sports in India and steps taken by the Centre in this regard. The discussion had started in Lok Sabha on March 31, during the Budget Session.
The Lower House will take private member’s Bills around evening. The proposals include draft laws on teaching of Sanskrit as a compulsory language in schools, population growth control, etc.
