INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the Lok Sabha, acknowledged that India was facing a 'challenge' at the
border, but assured that the armed forces were prepared to deal with all contingencies.
On the second day of the Monsoon
Singh, addressing the Lok Sabha, acknowledged that India was facing a "challenge" at the border, but assured that the armed forces were
prepared to deal with all contingencies.He also said that India had relayed its concerns over the "unilateral attempts to alter the status
following Rajnath's statement.'Embarrassed and ashamed'In the Rajya Sabha, veteran actor and MP Jaya Bachchan charged that the film
industry was being defamed and slammed those from the entertainment industry indulging in it, saying they are biting the hands that feed
them.Though Jaya did not take any names, her remarks come a day after BJP's Lok Sabha MP and Bhojpuri actor Ravi Kishan said there was
problem of drug addiction in the film industry and also actor Kangana Ranaut's recent remarks calling Bollywood a "gutter".Through a Zero
Without taking names, the Samajwadi Party MP said she completely disagrees with those who called the entertainment industry a
"gutter"."People who have made a name in this industry have called it a gutter
I completely disagree and I really disassociate [sic]," she said
In a reference to Kishan's statement in Lok Sabha on the alleged Bollywood drug cartel, Jaya said she was "really embarrassed and
violent conduct of its troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC)."China has mobilised a huge number of army battalions and armaments along
There are many friction points in eastern Ladakh, Gogra, Kongka La, Pangong Lake's north and south banks
minister said Indian soldiers "inflicted costs including casualties on the Chinese side"
He further said that the House should have "full confidence" that the armed forces will always rise to the challenge and make the country
proud.Giving details on the current situation, Singh said that China continues to be in "illegal occupation" of approximately 38,000 square
the so-called Sino-Pakistan 'Boundary Agreement' of 1963,He said China also claims approximately 90,000 square kilometres of Indian
territory in the Eastern Sector of the India-China boundary in Arunachal Pradesh.The defence minister also provided a historical perspective
of the dispute, noting that China does not accept the customary and traditional alignment of the boundary between the two countries.The
minister called on the House to pass a resolution supporting the armed forces, who have been "defending our motherland at great heights and
most inclement weather conditions".Even though the situation this year is very different, both in terms of scale of troops involved and the
number of friction points, India remains committed to the peaceful resolution of the current situation, Singh said."At the same time, the
with the Chinese defence minister General Wei Fenghe in Moscow, stating that India's concerns have been conveyed in clear terms.Rahul
slams PM, Congress stages walkoutAfter Rajnath's statement, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter to claim that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had misled the nation about the situation at the LAC."It is clear from the defence minister's statement that Modi ji misled
the country on Chinese intrusions
Our country has always stood behind the Indian Army and continues to do so
avoiding discussion as it did not have the answers.After the defence minister's statement, the Congress wanted to raise certain issues
which was not allowed by Speaker Om Birla
Congress MPs walked out of the house and staged a protest outside Parliament."The country is supreme for our Congress party and we take
pride in the bravery and courage of our armed forces
We wanted to speak in favour of our armed forces and had sought only one minute, but were not allowed to talk
There are many questions but we know that this government does not want to answer any," Chowdhury told reporters.Chowdhury also gave the
example of the 1962 war with China when the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru convened a session of Parliament as Atal Bihari Vajpayee
wanted to discuss the issue in Parliament."We wanted to see the same tradition carried forward, but we know that this government is not
willing to discuss the China matter in Parliament," he said.Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the country stands in
support of the Indian Army but questioned the prime minister's absence."But where is the prime minister? Why has the prime minister run
away from admitting in Parliament the failure of the political leadership
Has China captured Indian territory? Depsang plains, Pangong Tso Lake, Lipu Lake and Y-Junction, has there been any transgression by China?"
he asked.The Congress wanted to send a message of solidarity to the armed forces and a strong warning to China that they should not test the
country's patience, Congress leader Gauav Gogoi said after staging a walkout."But no doubt there was an intention behind silencing the
Congress party because the prime minister does not want to answer certain tough questions When his own minister was making a statement on
China, the prime minister should have been there
wise, but pound foolish."While Chowdhury pointed out that the government was giving tax relief to corporates, NCP's Supriya Sule drew
attention to the Central Vista Project."The estimated cost of the proposed development of the Central Vista is Rs 20,000 crore and "you (the
Union government) are saving around Rs 10,000 crore from MPLADS for a building which we have not asked for," she said."Do you want a central
vista and an office, or a ventilator and a good hospital in your constituency
Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020, Chowdhury called for passing a unanimous resolution for the restoration of the MPLADS funds, stating
villagers."Everybody has called for the restoration of the funds, so why not pass a unanimous resolution that the fund should be restored,"
parliamentarians can be taken away, but the fund should be given back
He also stressed that the government should cut down on bigger expenses.Continuing in a similar vein Sule expressed support for the bill,
stating that the salary cut was a drop in the ocean but urged the government to rethink the freezing of the MPLADs funds.DMK's Kalanidhi
Veeraswamy too drew attention to the Central Vista project, stating that there other ways to raise the funds
"We had given the proposal that the amount of about Rs 20,000 crore proposed to be spent on Central Vista project could instead be used to
combat COVID-19," The Hindu quoted him as saying.Congress Member Dean Kuriakose said the total collection from the salary deduction would be
around Rs 50 crore, which is very less compared to the economic package announced by the government in view of the COVID-19 outbreak
Nageswara Rao were among the others who objected to the funds being taken away.While the Congress, TMC, BJD, NCP, TRS, TDP and other parties
pitched for the restoration of the funds, the Central government maintained that the funds were needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and
the suspension of the funds was a temporary measure.Responding to the debate, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said that funds
are needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and stated that"charity should begin from home".He also said that the economy was affected due to
the lockdown, and in such a situation, the government has taken important decisions to deal with the crisis
savings of around Rs 54 crore
This is less than 0.001 percent of Rs 20 lakh crore which is the amount of the Centre's special economic package announced in light of the
The money would be transferred into the government's consolidated fund.'Centre should support Maratha quota'In the Rajya Sabha, the
Satav of the Congress said the Supreme Court has referred the issue of quotas for Marathas in jobs and education to a larger bench.The
Central government, he said, had not placed its view when the issue was considered by a three-judge bench
But before the larger bench, "the central government should along with state government (of Maharashtra) support Maratha reservation," he
said.Sambhaji Chhatrapati (BJP) too raised the issue of quota for Marathas.Last week, the Supreme Court imposed an interim stay on quotas in
jobs and education to Marathas and referred the matter to a larger bench to examine if the 2018 law, which breached the 50 percent apex
court-mandated cap in the cast-based reservation, was legal.Rajya Sabha passes aircraft billThe Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which
provides for statutory backing to the DGCA, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau
(AAIB), was passed by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha.The bill that was passed in Lok Sabha on March 17 also entails an increase in the fine for
violations from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore.Introducing the bill, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "The operating thrust of the
bill is to provide a statutory basis to these important agencies This is necessary as we move forward with an exponential growth in civil
aviation."The amendments were necessary as tremendous growth in civil aviation has thrown many challenges such as saturated airport
insert a new definition for three regulatory bodies DGCA, BCAS and AAIB, and added that they will be provided statutory recognition.Lok
deregulate food items, including cereals, pulses and onion, a move aimed at transforming the farm sector and raising farmers'
income.Participating in the debate, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, an ally of the ruling BJP, spoke about "misgivings" and
"doubts" among farmers on the bill and two other proposed legislations related to the farm sector.The Centre should withhold these
legislations and work to address the concerns of farmers, he said.Farmers in many states, including Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting
The government has already brought ordinances, and the bills seek parliamentary nod for them.Kunwar Danish Ali (BSP) termed the bill as
"anti-farmer", and said it will benefit middlemen
Kumar Singari of the YSRCP welcomed the bill, saying that farmers need better prices for their agriculture produce.With inputs from PTIFind
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