The Budget Session of the Parliament resumes after Thursday’s session, when former CJI Ranjan Gogoi took oath as a Rajya Sabha member and the Lok Sabha passed the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda Bill, 2020.
Bills for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha:
The Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019
The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020
The Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020
The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2020
Here are today’s updates:
Rajya Sabha | 4.45 pm
Private Members’ Business is in process. G.V.L. Narasimha Rao of the BJP speaks abut the current situation of unemployment and future action plan to address the same. He dismisses the “45 year high unemployment” data raised by the Opposition and calls it a statistical aberration. He further calls it “statistical Shaheen Bagh”. The House erupts in disagreement. Opposition Members (Manoj Jha and others) seek that Mr. Rao’s words be expunged, even as the Speaker Rajeev Gowda says he will examine it.
More Members express dissonance with Mr. Rao’s use of “statistical Shaheen Bagh”. Mr. Gowda announces that nothing is going on record. Members begin sloganeering inside the House.
House is adjourned till March 23, 2 p.m.
Lok Sabha | 4.25 pm
In Private Members’ Business is in progress. Discussion on construction of canals through Ken-Batwa river-linking project to overcome the problem of water scarcity and stray cows in the Bundelkhand region.
Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jal Shakti Minister, speaks about judicious use of water, water table rejuvenation and river linking. Along with supply-side management, demand-side management is also necessary to solve the problem of water scarcity in the country, he says.
Rajya Sabha | 3.30 pm
Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav (SP): “I am not against MNREGA. Half of the money to MNREGA could go to farmers, then all 365 days farmers will be paid. According to World Hunger Index, we are at the 112th place, but we are talking about coming up to the top few economies. We are battling unemployment. The govt needs to make policies to bring more employment.”
K.K. Ragesh (CPI-M) says, “Farmers are simply abandoning the agriculture sector. Agriculture provides employment to a vast number of population but is in a deep crisis. Many cottage industries, factories, are closed in India. The situation of public sector undertaking in our country is in decline. Almost 1 lakh BSNL workers have lost their jobs and it is because of your retirement policy. What is going to happen in Air India? You’re going to privatise railways also. I am talking about the secured employment, I am not talking about pakoda jobs. You’re saying that jobs were generated, but what is the fact? Selling peanuts and pakoda are not jobs.”
Lok Sabha | 3.25 pm
LS discusses The Indian Institutes of Information Technology Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Thol Thirumaa Valavan (VCK) speaks in Tamil. He asks govt not to spy on people with Aadhaar. He says it is been proved that the govt has been using face-recognition software and violating privacy.
Dr. DNV Senthilkumar (DMK) speaks about Tamil Nadu schools that included computer science many years back. But TN wasn’t allotted budget allocation regarding the same.
Anubhav Mohanty (BJD) speaks about the need for a common syllabus throughout the country. He asks if the govt plans for a IIIT in Odisha.
Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank speaks about the Bill.
The Indian Institutes of Information Technolo