Rajya Sabha will take up the National Sports University Bill and The Homoeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill. Both Bills were passed in the Lok Sabha.
A Bill to prohibit unregulated deposit schemes is likely to be tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Here are the live updates:
LOK SABHA | 12.50 P.M.
Sugata Bose of the Trinamool Congress speaks about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. He says the younger generation must learn about Netaji’s life. He asks the Speaker to mention Subhash Chandra Bose in the House remembering the 75th anniversary of the Azad Hind Movement.
Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy of the YSR Congress says that staff of Navodya Vidyalaya Samiti have been requesting access to CGHS.
Kalyan Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress speaks about a notice from the Centre citing the shortage of anti-rabies vaccine in West Bengal.
RAJYA SABHA | 12.40 P.M.
Ripun Bora of the Congress asks a supplementary question on price rise of essential food items. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal says prices have actually fallen.
Nadimul Haque of the Trinamool Congress says the WPI is at a 54-month high. He asks if this rise in inflation will impact GDP growth. Mr. Goyal responds that in almost all items inflation came down significantly. He says India is slated to grow at 7.3% this year and 7.5% next year.
Binoy Viswam of the CPI says that India has dropped five places in the Global Hunger Index. The Minister says that everybody has come under the food security scheme.
The next question is on increasing healthcare expenditure. K.C. Ramamurthy of the Congress asks when spending on public health has remained at 2% of the GDp since 2009, how does the government expect to increase it to 2.5% by 2025.
Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda says the scenario will change after Ayushman Bharat, the Centre’s health insurance scheme is launched.
Satish Chandra Mishra of the BSP asks if the Finance Ministry has released any funds for Ayushman Bharat. Mr. Nadda says that the tending process is on, 80% of beneficiaries in rural areas and 60% in urban areas have been verified.
Vikas Mahatme of the BJP asks what percentage of the GDP is allotted for primary and preventive healthcare. Mr. Nadda says that right from the day the mother conceives till the child reaches adulthood, all medical intervention is taken care by the government. He says sub-centres will be converted into wellness centres.
Vijila Satyananth of the AIADMK speaks about nurse vacancies in Delhi hospitals. She asks what the Centre is planning to do to fill these vacancies. Mr. Nadda says primary healthcare is taken care of by ASHA workers. In tertiary healthcare, appointments are being done in a phased manner, he says.
House is adjourned till 2 p.m.
LOK SABHA | 12:15 PM
Lok Sabha takes up Zero Hour. Dharmendra Yadav of Samajwadi Party takes up the issue of shelter home rapes reported in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria. Mr. Yadav narrates the statement of the abused children. He demands an impartial probe.
RJD's Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav joins the issue. He says the issue is similar to Muzaffarpur.
MSME Minister Kalraj Mishra says the Deoria shelter home's licence was cancelled last year. But the management went to the court. Mr. Mishra represents Deoria in the House. He also adds the Uttar Pradesh government has constituted a magistrate-level probe.
The Chair says it is a serious and sensitive issue and every parliamentarian should check if shelter homes are properly run in our constituencies.
Congress leader Mallkharjun Kharge says the issue must not be politicised. He says since the issue is being raised in the House continuously for the past three days, let's have a parliamentary panel to inspect the issue and submit a report.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh says these incidents are unfortunate and serious. He says he lauds Uttar Pradesh government for taking quick action on the issue. The District Planning Officer has been suspended. The woman running the shelter home has been arrested. Her husband has also been arrested. No one will be spared, he says.
He says the concerned ministry will send advisory to all the States to check the status of shelter homes.
Unhappy with the statement, SP and RJD members raise slogans.
RAJYA SABHA | 12:15 PM
A members says many jobs are vacant in PSU banks. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal says banks take a call on recruitment. Some posts have become redundant due to banking reforms, so those vacancies are not being filled up. He also says comparison of pay scale between public and private banks are unwarranted.
RAJYA SABHA | 12:00 PM
AIIMS-like institutes across India
Rajya Sabha reconvenes. Question Hour is in progress. Shanta Chhetri asks if AIIMS in Kalyani will be functional in 2019. MoS Health Ashwani Kumar Choubey says the work will end by 2020 and will be functional thereafter.
Will locals be employed in the hospital, she asks. Health Minister J.P. Nadda says though the target is Deptember 2020, we are likely to complete it earlier. On recruitments, he says all posts will be filled up on the basis of merit. We will not dilute the standards, he adds.
Santanu Sen (TMC) says the AIIMS is not under the MCI, there are reports of irregularities. Will it be brought under MCI, he asks. The AIIMS is autonomous in nature. The same standards is maintained in every AIIMS, says Dr. Nadda.
K.K. Ragesh asks will AIIMS come up in Kozhikode? He says the land has also been acquired. The minister says the project will be undertaken in a phased manner.
LOK SABHA | 11:55 AM
Fire tenders in Lakshadweep
Lakshadweep member Mohammed Faizal asks whether the Government has any plan to ensure the smooth functioning of the fire and emergency services or to create a separate Department for the same in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. He says the fire personnel are being asked to take care of law and order too.
MoS Hansraj Ahir says fire tender vehicles have been provided in 10 islands were people reside. He also says fire and rescue personnel are used for law and order only in the case of emergency. There have been three instances of fire, and it was handled well, he claims.
Mr. Faizal claims there is no use of fire tenders without dedicated rescue personnel. He also says it is a privilege matter since he has taken up with the government many times.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh says 10 new tenders have been ordered and will be deployed soon. He says he has sought a proposal from Lakshadweep administration on providing incentives to personnel who perform dual duties of rescue and law and order.
LOK SABHA | 11:35 AM
e-NAM platform
Trinamool Congress member Ratna De Nag asks about e-NAM platform. The electronic National Agriculture Market or e-NAM is available in 14 States. It is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.
The NAM Portal provides a single window service for all APMC related information and services. This includes commodity arrivals & prices, buy & sell trade offers, provision to respond to trade offers, among other services. While material flow (agriculture produce) continue to happen through mandis, an online market reduces transaction costs and information asymmetry.
Over 1 crore farmers have registered themselves in the platform, says MoS Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress) points out that West Bengal has the lowest enrollment in e-NAM. He claims the contribution of e-Nam platform is miniscule. Agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh says had the platform was operational ten years back, it would have helped farmers more.
LOK SABHA | 11:30 AM
'Where is the consumer protection Bill?'
In Lok Sabha, BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab asks about the status of Consumer Protection Bill. Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan says the bill has passed the standing committee's scrutiny and will be introduced soon. In a lighter vein, he adds if the Opposition assures the Bill will be passed, we will bring it in a day or two.
A member alleges that manufacturers are not passing the benefits to the consumers. Mr. Paswan says the companies have been asked to mention the old and new price so that consumers know that prices have slashed.
RAJYA SABHA | 11:15 AM
Rajya Sabha adjourned
In Rajya Sabha, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu makes three requests to members: please be punctual, please don't distract the proceedings, and please stay back while passing Bills!
Mr. Naidu had earlier also expressed displeasure when members don't stay back during the discussion. He cites Monday's example where only 156 members were present for a crucial bill on constitution amendment.
As he proceeds with Zero Hour, members want to take a discussion on Muzzafarpur rapes. House is adjourned.
LOK SABHA | 11:10 AM
N.K. Premachandran poses a question on consumer rights. He says consumers file a compliant using toll free number, but consumer forums seek documentary evidence. Will the government make the manufacturer, dealer and the service agency liable for the damage, he asks.
Minister C.R. Choudhury suggests Alternate Dispute Redressal (ADR) to address issues arising out of warranty period. There is a national consumer helpline number and consumers can avail this feature. The docket numbers given during complaints can be shown as an evidence, he adds.
11:00 AM
Obituary reference
Rajya Sabha mourns the death of Congress veteran leader R.K. Dhawan. He was a former member of the Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha pays tribute to its former member Krishna Kumari.
10:50 AM
Ahead of the parliament session both the BJP and Congress members held separately meetings. While the BJP members felicitate the Prime Minister for smooth passage of Bills in both the Houses, Congress is learnt to have discussed the issues to be raised in the House.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, on Monday, took to Twitter to ask the government "where are the jobs?" It was raised by Congress leader on Lok Sabha Mallikharjun Kharge too on Monday during a discussion on the SC/ST Amendment Bill.
10:40 AM
RJD members protest against Muzzafarpur child shelter home rapes. | Photo Credit: Sandeep Saxena
The RJD members protest against the sexual abuse reported at a shelter home in Muzzafarpur. They staged a walk out from Lok Sabha on Monday.
