Parliament Session Highlights: Bill to amend disaster management law introduced in LS

"I agree with Nitin Gadkari's letter (to Nirmala Sitharaman). I want that the 18 percent GST that has been implemented on life and medical insurance premiums should be revoked immediately. If she (Nirmala Sitharaman) doesn't do it, then she should resign," says TMC MP Dola Sen on Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's request to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the 18 per cent GST on life and medical insurance premiums.

Hitting out at the previous Congress governments, an unusually combative Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday accused the opposition party of amplifying small incidents on the railway network through its "social media troll army" to create fear among its two crore-plus passengers.

Replying to a debate on the Demand for Grants of Railways, Vaishnaw asserted that the Railways was the preferred mode of transport for the common man and the government has set in motion plans to produce an additional 2,500 general coaches in the coming months to address the issue of crowded trains.

He listed a series of steps such as introduction of Amrit Bharat trains comprising general and sleeper coaches with better facilities, having a recruitment calendar to fill in vacancies in railways and catering to the aspirational middle class with offerings such as Vande Bharat-class of trains.

Eight Indians working in the Russian armed forces have died, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

In reply to a question, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said available information indicated that 12 Indian nationals have already left the Russian armed forces while another 63 individuals are seeking early discharge.

"Eight deaths have been reported where the citizenship of the deceased has been verified as Indian," Singh said.

With Rajya Sabha taking up discussions on the working of certain ministries after the Budget presentation, opposition parties have demanded that the home ministry be among the four to be discussed.

The proposal for discussing the Home Ministry was made by the Trinamool Congress at a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) on Tuesday.

Sources told news agency PTI that the demand was backed by all opposition parties as well as the BJD, which is not part of the INDIA bloc.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi says, "... Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw is not taking his moral responsibility. In the last 2 months, 4 goods trains have derailed. In the last 2-3 months, 14 people have died in rail accidents... Introspect and you will yourself understand whether you should remain in the post or resign..."

BJP member Kangana Ranaut, who was allegedly slapped by a woman CISF constable at Chandigarh airport recently, on Thursday sought to know whether the government has any monitoring system for scrutiny of CISF personnel at airports to detect any negative influence on them, resulting in bad behaviour towards passengers.

Ranaut posed the question in the Lok Sabha to the civil aviation ministry.

She wanted to know from the Civil Aviation Ministry "whether the government has any monitoring system for scrutiny of CISF personnel at airports to know about their involvement/influence by some negative elements or activities which results in bad behaviour with passengers".

“Eight Union Ministries, at the moment, are being discussed in Parliament. Eight Union Ministries are going to be discussed in both Houses of Parliament. The Opposition is unitedly appealing that the Union Home Ministry be discussed in Parliament. There are many urgent issues regarding the ministry that need to be discussed,” says TMC MP Sagarika Ghose

The Lok Sabha Secretariat said on August 1, “There are media reports that heavy rains in Delhi on Wednesday caused water leakage into the Lobby of the newly inaugurated Parliament Building, raising concerns about the weather resilience of the structure. It has also been reported that waterlogging was noticed around the premises, particularly near the New Parliament’s Makar Dwar, with several videos of the waterlogging going viral on social media platforms. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that keeping in view the concept of Green Parliament, glass domes have been provided in several parts of the building, including in the Lobby, so that abundant natural light could be utilized in day-to-day work of the Parliament. During the heavy rain on Wednesday, the adhesive material used to fix the glass domes over the Lobby of the Building was slightly displaced, causing minor leakage of water in the Lobby.”

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "...BJP ministers do not take moral responsibility for their failures... In the last 2 months, 4 goods trains derailed, 14 people died and many were injured but despite this, the Railway Minister did not take any moral responsibility and tried to intimidate the opposition... Last year about 300 people died in Balasore, the number of train accidents has increased in the last 1-2 years but the Railway Minister is busy making reels, he is not the Railway Minister but a 'Reel Minister', a 'Derailment Minister', based on the accidents that are happening, he should resign but it is the tradition of BJP that no one takes responsibility... His (Ashwini Vaishnaw) entire statement was not satisfactory and he ran away from accountability, this is why the parties of the INDIA alliance walked out."

A bill which seeks to strengthen the working of disaster management authorities at the national and state level was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday as opposition members questioned the constitutionality of the measure.

Opposing the bill at the introduction stage, Manish Tewari (Cong) said none of the entries in List 1 or List 2 of the Constitution dealing with central and state subjects deal with the issue of disaster management.

While speaking in Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw says, "If we talk about recruitment in railways - from 2004 to 2014 during UPA's tenure, only 4 lakh 11 thousand employees were recruited in railways whereas from 2014 to 2024 - in 10 years of NDA's, this tally goes up to 5 lakh 2 thousand... What has been in demand for years - to have an annual calendar for railway recruitment, we have declared it in January 2024. For the youth who try hard to get into railways, now vacancies for the same come 4 times in a year - in January, April, July and October.  Even now, 40,565 vacancies are advertised that are to be filled..."

RJD MPs hold protest in Parliament, demanding that the increased reservation quota in Bihar be included in the 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

In the Rajya Sabha, AAP MP Raghav Chadha called for a generational shift in Indian politics, urging that the country's youthful demographic be reflected in its leadership. Emphasizing the need to engage young people in politics, Chadha argued, “We are a young country with old politicians. We must aspire to be a young country with young politicians.”

RJD MPs staged a protest in Parliament, urging that Bihar's reservation quota be added to the 9th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. They argue that this inclusion is necessary to secure and formalize the state's reservation provisions.

RJD MP Sanjay Yadav criticized the central government for delaying the review of Bihar's caste-based survey proposal, which was sent in December 2023. He questioned the 'double-engine' government's accountability, highlighting that despite increasing reservation to 65% under Tejashwi Yadav's leadership, the central response has been that the matter falls within state jurisdiction.

AAP leader Raghav Chadha has called on the Centre to reduce the minimum age for Members of Parliament to 21. In the Rajya Sabha, Chadha argued that India, being one of the youngest countries, should reflect this youthfulness in its political representation. “We are a young country with old politicians. We must aspire to be a young country with young politicians,” he said. Chadha emphasized the need to incentivize politics for the youth. Following his statement, the House moved on to Question Hour.

A tense exchange unfolded in the Rajya Sabha when Congress MP Digvijay Singh sought to raise a point of order under Rule 238 regarding Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s remarks on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) during Question Hour. Singh asserted his right to address the issue, but Dhankhar ruled that nothing would be recorded and emphasized that the Chair’s ruling could not be challenged. On Wednesday, Dhankhar had described the RSS as an organization with "full constitutional right" and "unimpeachable credentials" in its role in the nation's development.

The Lok Sabha has begun its proceedings with the Question Hour. Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha has reconvened, with Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar presiding over the session.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore has filed an Adjournment Motion notice in the Lok Sabha, calling for the formation of a specialized committee. This committee, consisting of MPs from all parties, would inspect the Parliament building thoroughly following water leaks in the Parliament lobby caused by heavy rains.

Union Ministers Jual Oram, Shripad Yesso Naik, Suresh Gopi, Ajay Tamta, Ravneet Singh, Tokhan Sahu, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, and Murlidhar Mohol will lay papers on the table in the Lok Sabha for their respective ministries.

In the Rajya Sabha, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Jitendra Singh, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Kirtivardhan Singh, Raksha Nikhil Khadse, and Sukanta Majumdar will perform the same task.

Additionally, discussions on the workings of the Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs and Agriculture and Farmer Welfare will take place in the upper house. BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari initiated the discussion on the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 31.

The discussion and voting on the demands for grants under the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the fiscal year 2024-25 will take place in both Houses of Parliament.

Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi moved a Privilege Motion notice in Lok Sabha against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. The motion addresses Modi's tweet sharing expunged portions of BJP MP Anurag Thakur's remarks on caste, along with the video of the entire speech.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is set to seek permission to introduce a bill in the Lok Sabha today, aimed at amending the Disaster Management Act, 2005. The proposed amendments are expected to enhance the framework for disaster management in the country.

As proceedings resume in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Parliament is set to discuss the recent UPSC coaching centre deaths in Delhi and the devastating landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. These critical issues are expected to dominate discussions in both Houses today.

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