INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Opposition alleged that the Centre was trying to throttle democracy by doing away with the Question Hour, which it
called the 'Golden Hour' of the House
Kicking off under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic, the Monsoon Session of
Parliament saw special arrangements made, including sitting of the two Houses in shifts without any days off, entry only to those having a
negative COVID-19 report and masks being made compulsory.In the run-up to the session, over 4,000 people, including MPs and staff, were
tested for COVID-19, most parliamentary operations were digitised, premises sanitised and doors made touch-free
But around 30 MPs and more than 50 employees of the secretariats have already tested positive for COVID-19, news agency PTI quoting sources,
reported.Many of them tested positive after undergoing compulsory coronavirus tests at the parliament premises before the start of the
monsoon session, while several of them had undergone tests in their respective constituencies.All parliamentarians and staff of the
secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha had undergone mandatory COVID-19 tests before the start of the session
Media covering Parliament's proceedings also underwent these tests and at least one of them has tested positive, the sources said."ICMR is
honoured to have carried out testing of 2500+ samples of Hon'ble Members of Parliament and other officials on war footing over the weekend
in service of the nation", the Indian Council of Medical Research said on Twitter.All those who have tested positive have been asked to stay
in quarantine and they did not come to Parliament, sources said.BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi took to Twitter to confirm she'd tested COVID
positive:Barring the first day (today), Rajya Sabha will convene in the morning from 9 am till 1 pm and Lok Sabha in the evening from 3 pm
to 7 pm.LS, RS adopt motion to suspend Question HourBoth the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adopted the motion to suspend the Question Hour,
with the government maintaining that it is not running away from any discussion and will reply to all questions raised by the
Opposition.Question Hour, the first business of the day, allows members to ask questions pertaining to the public interest from
ministers.The move was slammed by the Opposition, with the Congress stating that the Centre was depriving the people of the country and the
Trinamool Congress saying that the government had struck at the very heart of parliamentary democracyMoving the motion, Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Lok Sabha session is being held in extraordinary circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the
House resolves that starred questions and private members' business may not be brought before it for transaction during the session.Leading
the Congress' charge, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the argument and rationale put forth by Joshi is far from convincing
He said Question Hour is recognised as an essence of parliamentary democracy and executives are accountable and answerable during Question
Hour.In such an extraordinary situation, if the House is running, "why has the Question Hour been singled out?" he asked
"We get a chance to raise issues of common people
Question Hour is simply a golden hour of the House," he said, adding by doing way with this, the government is trying to "throttle
democracy".AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Question Hour and private members' business are a cornerstone of democracy and it is essential
for the existence of parliamentary democracy
"I urge the Speaker not to allow the executive to encroach on the territory of the legislature
It is a shameful day," he said.He also requested for a division, which was not accepted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.Meanwhile, TMC MP
Kalyan Banerjee said the Question Hour is an integral part of the basic structure of parliamentary procedure and "we cannot destroy that
"We also have our views to express, kindly do not take away this advantage
It will take the entire glamour, 50 percent glamour of running the Parliament," he added.Joshi said before arriving at this decision, deputy
leader in the Lok Sabha and defence minister Rajnath Singh spoke to almost all leaders of various parties."I would like to tell various
leaders who questioned the suspension of Question Hour that all state Assemblies, including Punjab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh
and Kerala, have run sessions for a day or two and passed several bills, whereas the Government of India decided to run for 18 days and hold
discussion on bills," Joshi said.People are saying this is the basic structure of Parliament then what had happened in 1975, he questioned
In the last five years, 60 percent of Question Hour in Rajya Sabha and 40 percent in Lok Sabha was wasted, he added
There are so many ways to question the government and it is not running away from discussion and "we are going to reply to all questions
which you are going to raise," he said.Rajnath said that he has discussed the matter with several leaders and noted that this session is
being held in an extraordinary situation."We apprised you (Speaker) of it following which decision was taken by you
I appeal to all members of the House to cooperate as the session is being held in an extraordinary situation
which will be replied to by ministers
If members are not satisfied from that reply, then you can seek clarifications during Zero Hour, Rajnath further added.A similar exchange
Business in the current session.Day 1 of Monsoon Session in Rajya Sabha
ANIIt has never happened before during a regular session he noted
MPs ask questions on behalf of the people of India
suspend the starred questions was carried through by a voice vote.Harivansh Narayan Singh re-electedIncumbent Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman
Harivansh Narayan Singh was re-elected to the post
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu declared Harivansh elected after a motion moved by BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda, and seconded by Leader of
the House Thaawarchand Gehlot, was carried by a voice vote.Opposition parties led by the Congress and the DMK had moved motions to elect
RJD's Manoj Kumar.Congratulating Harivansh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his impartial role in the Parliament has strengthened
democracy."He has conducted proceedings in an impartial manner
He has been an outstanding umpire and will continue being so in the times to come," Modi said.Modi lauded the JD(U) leader for his efforts
to ensure productivity and positivity in Parliament during his first term as deputy chairman
"He is a torchbearer of democracy, hailing from Bihar, a land known for its democratic ethos," the prime minister said.'Future doctors have
committed suicide'The issue of NEET aspirants in Tamil Nadu was raised by DMK leaders in both the houses
"I would like to draw the attention of this House and the government to the plight of 12 students who had committed suicide, all from rural
background, because of NEET," DMK MP R Baalu said in the Lower House.He added that these students had passed Class 12 through state board
without knowing much of the CBSE syllabus, helpless students are ending their lives.In the Rajya Sabha, DMK leader P Wilson raised the issue
India-China border tensions, but the Speaker asked him to raise it in the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee
Birla said this is a sensitive issue and it should be raised in a sensitive manner.Chowdhury said, "I would like to seek the attention of
the government and the defence minister that for the last several months, Indian citizens are worried because of the situation at the border
Today also, there is a news report that China is watching our president".Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to make a statement on the
Singh had met his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow recently
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had also met in Moscow a few days ago.Meanwhile, the Union
Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs are also likely to meet over video conferencing on Tuesday afternoon, government
sources said.Over 1 lakh cases in 13 statesRajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said the COVID-19 pandemic was the biggest disaster since the
Spanish Flu, but stated that India has been able to contain the damage from the pandemic despite its population.Health minister Harsh
Vardhan informed the Lok Sabha that four months of lockdown helped prevent approximately 14-29 lakh cases and 37,000-78,000 deaths due to
critical elements such as PPEs, N-95 masks and ventilators
A case in point is the increase in dedicated isolation beds 36.3 times and dedicated ICU beds above 24.6 times to what existed in March 2020
Whereas there was no indigenous manufacturing of PPE, with the requisite standards, at that point in time, we are now self-sufficient and in
3,328 and 55 respectively, which is one of the lowest in the world as compared to similarly-affected countries.The maximum cases and deaths
have been primarily reported from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana,
Odisha, Assam, Kerala and Gujarat
planning in advance for the future has averted a major crisis as was faced by many developed countries
RBI ambit introducedFinance minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill 2020 to protect the depositors of
Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and Multi State Cooperative Banks (MSCBs) in the Lok Sabha
applicable to scheduled commercial banks.Replying to objections raised to the introduction of this Bill, Sitharaman said that the Bill is
therefore receiving and dealing with deposits.The finance minister also rejected the contention that the Lok Sabha has no legislative
competence for this Bill as it related to a subject of cooperatives, which is in the States List of the Constitution
Regulation of Banking also comes under Entry no 43 of Union List
Bill, Sitharaman said there is no interlocutory relief that has been provided in the court and also there are no directions given by the
court in the matter against the operation of this ordinance.She highlighted that cooperative banks in the country have been regulated by the
RBI since 1965 and this Bill only seeks to extend the applicability so that some of the banking regulation laws also apply to them
She asserted that State Cooperative laws are not being proposed to be amended
also introduced three bills in Lok Sabha on the farm sector amid vociferous opposition from Opposition parties.Agriculture minister Narendra
Singh Tomar introduced 'The Farmers' Produce Trade And Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill' and 'The Farmers (Empowerment and
Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill', while Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Raosaheb Danve introduced 'The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill' to replace the ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.The
proposed legislations will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their
choice, said Tomar.The minister said that almost 86 percent of farmers have agricultural land of less than two hectares and they are often
unable to benefit from minimum support price (MSPs) but assured the House that the MSP will stay."I want to assure on behalf of the
government that MSP was there, is there, and will continue to be there," Tomar asserted.Taking part in the debate, members of the Congress
and the Trinamool Congress claimed that the legislations will only benefit capitalists and accused the Centre of attacking the federal
structure of the Constitution.Tomar countered the charge, stating that the bill will help the farmers as they are unable to invest much in
their farm and do not attract investments from others.Opposing the bills, the leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury
said constitutional provisions are very clear that agriculture is a subject on the State List
"Such a law can only be brought by state governments
Through this bill, the centre will nullify Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) law enacted by various state governments," Chowdhury
said.Chowdhury pointed out that farmers of Punjab and Haryana are protesting against these bills.Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said the bill
violates the basic tenets of federalism enshrined in India's Constitution
"It is beyond the legislative competence of this house to enact any law on agriculture, which is a domain of the state governments," Tharoor
saidTomar rejected the criticism, saying Opposition members should trust the Centre
The minister asked Opposition members to study the content of the bills deeply before "running to oppose them".He stressed that farmers will
benefit a lot from these laws as they can enter into an agreement with private traders for selling their produce
These agreements will be about the produce and not the farmland, he asserted, rebutting suggestions that farmers may lose ownership of their
land.TMC member Saugata Roy claimed that farming will move into the hands of capitalists due to these legislations and that it endangers the
right to food.The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to increase competition in the agriculture sector and enhance
farmers' income was also introduced
Removing fully the stock limit of farm produce and edible items like fruits and vegetables will be damaging for farmers.This will lead to
black marketing and only a few entrepreneurs will benefit, Chowdhury said
"I oppose the way the bill has been presented," he said.Congress' Gaurav Gogoi said that the bill does not define extraordinary
circumstances.The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill provides a framework for the
protection and empowerment of farmers with reference to the sale and purchase of farm products.The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce
(Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, bars state governments from imposing taxes on sale and purchase of farm produce undertaken
outside the mandis and gives farmers the freedom to sell their produce at remunerative prices.Besides, any conflicts arising from the
transactions will be dealt with exclusively by the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and District Collectorate within 30 days and not in the
jurisdiction of civil courts.At present, farmers are allowed to sell their agriculture produce at 6,900-odd APMC (Agriculture Produce
Marketing Committees) mandis spread across the nation
There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside the mandis.The ordinances were promulgated on 5 June and notified on 20
July.Bill to reduce MPs' salaries introducedThe Salary, Allowance and Pension for Members of the Parliament Bill was introduced in both
Houses, in order to replace an ordinance to the effect cleared by the Union Cabinet on 6 April and promulgated on 7 April
The ordinance had come into force to amend a law to reduce the salaries of Members of Parliament by 30 percent for one year "to meet the
exigencies arising out of COVID-19 pandemic".It inserted a new sub-section in the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament
Act 1954 to give effect to reduction in salaries.The Lok Sabha passed the National Commission for Homoeopathy Bill and the National
the bill, saying the Centre needed to undertake wider consultation.Health minister Harsh Vardhan said the proposed laws will help in better
Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and The Indian Medicine Central Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill,
2020 were introduced in the Upper House towards the fag end of the proceedings.The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill provides for converting three
existing bodies under the Ministry of Civil Aviation into statutory bodies under the Act while the Aircraft (Amendment) Bill seeks to
replace an ordinance brought by the Centre earlier this year.BJP seeks apology over comments on Nirmala SitharamanPersonal comments aimed at
remarks targeting Sitharaman while referring to the stress in the economy.Targetting Roy, Joshi said, "We can also do it
But this is not our culture
What is he talking? He should apologise unconditionally
It is an insult to womenfolk," he said.Other BJP members, including Union minister Smriti Irani, were also seen reacting angrily to the TMC
member's remarks.Sitharaman strongly defended the bill during her statement and referred to Roy's personal dig, saying, "If only Prof
Saugata Roy can listen rather than get distracted by other factors."Roy's comments were expunged by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.MPs bring
up EIA notification, drug traffickingIn the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh termed the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Environment minister Prakash Javadekar denied the charges, saying that the draft EIA adhered to High Court and Supreme Court
judgments.Congress MP PL Punia raised the issue of state governments suspending labour laws.In the Lower House, BJP MP Ravi Kishan raised
the issue of drug trafficking in the entertainment industry, appealing to the Centre to thwart any attempts of drug smuggling from
neighbouring countries."Problem of drug trafficking and addiction is on the rise
A conspiracy is being hatched to destroy the country's youth and our neighbouring countries are contributing to it
Smuggling of drugs from Pakistan and China is done every year
Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu read out obituary references to former president Pranab Mukherjee, Amar Singh, Pandit Jasraj and others,
attended Parliament proceedings for the first time since the revocation of Article 370 on 5 August last year.Congress interim chief Sonia
Gandhi will miss a large part of the Monsoon Session as she left for the US on Saturday for a routine medical check-up and will return after
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