Parliament Updates: Opposition targets Centre over farm laws; legislations give freedom to farmers, says MoS Agriculture

Lok Sabha sitting further extended

The sitting time for the Lok Sabha has been further extended till all the Members on the list of speakers have made their statements. The House is discussing the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address.

Centre’s farm laws have given freedom to farmers, says MoS Agriculture

Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary tells Lok Sabha that the Modi government has increased the agri budget from  Rs 22,000 crore under UPA to Rs 1.24 lakh crore, as per India Today. Over Rs 75,000 crore are transferred directly to farmers under Modi rule, he claims. He also claimed that the Modi government has significantly hiked the MSP on all crops, he claimed. He also said that the number of eNam mandis has been increased during the pandemic. He mentioned that farm laws are being referred to as black laws and according to Hindustan Times, claimed that the election manifesto of Congress in 2019 also promised similar reforms.

He said that he is also a farmer and wondered why he couldn’t sell his produce outside the mandi. Why were farmers not given freedom, he asks and asserts that the farm laws give freedom to farmers. He also said the farmers wont have to pay tax. Amid protests from Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, the minister alleged that people were being misled. He sought to know which provision of the law was in need of amendment.

Choudhary said that the protests are not subsiding even though the government had already agreed to farmers’ primary demands of shifting disputes from SDM courts to civil courts, stubble burning and electricity.

Karti Chidambaram criticises President’s address

Karti Chidambaram, participating in the debate on Motion of Thanks for President’s address, said “I am more concerned about what was not said rather than what was said. It was a mundane exercising in rehashing in a long slew of govt talking points.” The farm laws which are seeing protests were not addressed, he says. India’s response to COVID-19 is among the worst in the word, he says citing results of survey by an Australian Institute. The govt responds to tweets by international pop stars must respond to this survey, he says. He speaks about rising inequality , unemployment  and falling workforce participation rates of women. The Congress leader says the Global Hunger Index puts us at 94, well below our neighbours and smaller economy. he also talks about India;s ranks on the World Freedom Index and says that India is the capital of internet shutdowns.

“Failure to recognise what is happening is a great disappointment,” he says.

BJP MP moves Breach of Privilege motion against Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

BJP MP from Odisha Aparajitha Sarangi lauds Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “leading from the front in the battle against COVID-19”. BJP’s PP Chaudhary says he has moved Breach of Privilege motion against Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for the use of the term ‘persona non grata’ while referring to Greta Thunberg. The notice is under consideration of the Speaker, says NK Premachandran, who is in the Chair.

Govt should resolve farmers issue, says JMM MP

JMM’s Vijay Kumar Hansdak says the farmers issue is not about the govt-Opposition and the government should resolve this issue. He raises the issue of reservations. Handak says that public sector institutions are the backbone of the country and alleges that the govt is privatising the entire country. According to the Hindustan Times, Hansdak said that privatisation will affect employment generation and also the upliftment of those belonging to lower socioeconomic strata.

Commotion over Ravneet Singh Bittu’s claims

House witnesses commotion over Ravneet Singh Bittu’s remarks. Not every person in the agitation is Khalistani, terrorist, he says. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi says that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said BJP was behind the Republic Day violence while Bittu is naming Yogendra Yadav among other for the violence. Joshi alleges that Bittu is misleading people of the country.

Ravneet Singh Bittu, Anurag Thakur spar over farm laws

Congress MP from Punjab Ravneet Singh Bittu speaks about farm laws. Objections raised when Bittu claims laws say mandi system will be done away with. BJP’s Anurag Thakur alleges leaders like these are misleading the public . “Where is it mentioned in laws that madis will be closed? Nowehere does it say that mandis will be scrapped.They first misled Punjab farmers and now are misleading the country, he says. NK Premchandran who is in the chair keeps requesting Bittu not to yield to questions. Unparliamentary and objectionable comments will be exounged says Premchandran and asks minister not interrupt Bittu.

Lok Sabha session extended till midnight

Let go of ego and repeal fam laws, RSP MP tells Govt

RSP’s NK Premchandram declares his party’s solidarity with agitating farmers and says country is receiving big criticism in international for, especially from intelligentsia. Inclusive governance not there in NDA govt, it is not taking Parliament and Opposition into confidence, he alleges. Why doesn’t govt repeal the bill and then discuss the issues in Parliament. The govts political ego is dominating he says and cautions the govt. Let go of ego and repeal fam laws, the RSP MP told the government.

China has entered Nathu La, claims Owaisi

AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi targets Centre over China issue, says China has entered Nathu La and questions PM’s silence. “China is entering into Nathu La, Sikkim. What’s the governemnt, especially PM, scared of? China is capturing India’s land and  prime minister doesn’t utter China’s name. I hope that when he replies (on Motion of Thanks on President’s Address), he’ll show courage and take China’s name, ANI quotes him as saying. China killed our 20 jawans at India-China border, he claims.

“We’ve set up infrastructure at Tikri, Singhu and Ghazipur and not in Arunachal Pradesh. The kind of behaviour which farmers are subjected to, makes it look like they’re the Chinese forces…You’ll have to repeal the laws and let go of your ego,” he further said. He said that the farm laws violate the federal stricture.

Owaisi referred to himself as andolan jeevi and said the govt is scared of people coming out on the streets.” Frame the CAA rules and we will take to the streets again,"

He also questioned why the government was not appealing against the Babri Masjid judgment and raked up the Delhi riots.

Stealth warfare against India, claims Meenakshi Lekhi

BJP’s Meenakshi Lekhi defends farm laws , says they were brought in to end farmers suicides in India. According to India Today, Meenakshi Lekhi says that the fact that the world is now discussing the protest going on in India in the name of farmers instead of the Wuhan virus proves that there is stealth warfare going on against India. Lekhi claimed that farmers’ protest was a cocktail of Khalistanis, PFI and ISI agendas.

Farmers will never forget attempts to defame their agitation, says Hanuman Beniwal

RLP’s Hanuman Beniwal targets Centre over farm laws, saying why amend the laws if they are right. He demanded that the laws be rolled back and also spoke about the Swaminathan Commission’s report, which would be implemented. He says farmers will never forget the attempts to defame their agitation. He urged that the farmers demands be fulfilled.

SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal demands repeal of ‘black laws’

Harsimrat Kaur Badal says farmers have been given importance in scriptures and quotes Guru Nanak. She says farmers from Punjab have been sitting in biting cold, at the borders of Delhi for 70-75 days with their demands. Everyone has seen how a peaceful democratic protest of unarmed protesters was met with water cannons, tear gas. The farmers were stopped at the borders of Delhi where they’ve been camping peacefully. Over a hundred farmers have lost their lives, she claimed and also attacked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. “An ordinance was brought in on 5 June during the Covid crisis and imposed on the farmers and created fear in the minds of the farmers about the MSP. I had prayed to the government to consult with more people . I was told that they will do that when the ordinance becomes law. ,” she says. “Yes I was in government for 6 years but when it becomes inhuman, what’s the point of staying in such a government,” she says.

She demanded for repeal of the “black laws” and asked whether MSP is a bad thing.

She quotes the report of the working committee on agriculture that Narendra Modi headed as Gujarat Chief Minister and how it pitched  for MSP as a guarantee.

She questioned the “intelligence failure” behind the 26 January violence in Delhi.

Who gave opportunity for international interference in internal affairs, asks Danish Ali

BSP’s Danish Ali attacked the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. he also drew attenction to how farmers are braving the cold and waiting to get their demands met. Referring to international comments on the farmers agitation, he said “Our party’s stand is clear that we don’t welcome international interference in our internal affair.  But who gave them this opportunity?” and referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US and him saying

“When our PM goes to US and talks about Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkar, what do you say?” The Hindu quotes him as saying.

He also speaks about how BJP keeps raising Chaudhary Charan Singh but said that his grandson Jayant Chaudhary was lathicharged when he went to Hathras Hathras.

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Over 6.76 lakh Indians gave up Indian citizenship in 5 year

Over 6.76 lakh Indians gave up Indian nationality between 2015 and 2019 and took up citizenship of other countries, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said that as per information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, a total number of 1,24,99,395 Indian nationals are living in foreign countries.

Rai said 1,41,656 Indians gave up Indian citizenship in 2015, 1,44,942 in 2016, 1,27,905 in 2017, 1,25,130 in 2018 and 1,36,441 Indians gave up Indian nationality in 2019.

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RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary takes jibe at PM Modi over emotional speech

RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary on Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for getting emotional in the Parliament on Tuesday, saying had he shed some tears on the deaths of farmers during their protest, the situation would not have come to such a pass.

Addressing a farmer ‘mahapanchayat’ (large congregation) near Iglas in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district, Chaudhary said the farmers’ protest had now turned into a people’s movement that was gathering momentum with each passing day, adding that there was no turning back.

Pointing out to Modi’s speech, Chaudhary said: “If the PM had shed some tears on the death of a large number of farmers during the farmers protest, the situation would not have come to such a pass.”

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Opposition can criticise govt, but cannot ‘mislead’: BJP MP

Bharatiya Janata Party Rita Bahuguna Joshi on Tuesday in the Lower House praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his farsightedness in fighting the coronavirus, reports The Hindu. “The whole world is saying that India has become a pharmacy of the world,” she says. “You [Opposition leaders] have the right to criticise the government but don’t have a right to mislead.”

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Delhi Police acted swiftly, in impartial manner during northeast Delhi riots: Govt to LS

The Delhi Police had acted swiftly and in an impartial and fair manner while dealing with the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy also said that proportionate and appropriate actions were taken by the Delhi Police to control the situation.

“During the northeast Delhi riots, Delhi Police acted swiftly in an impartial and fair manner. Proportionate and appropriate actions were taken by Delhi Police to control the situation,” he said replying a written question.

“Sincere, dedicated and incessant efforts made by Delhi Police brought the riotous situation to normalcy within a short span of time and also prevented the riots from spreading across to other areas of Delhi and NCR,” he added.

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In India’s history, farmers haven’t been so humiliated, says Akhilesh Yadav

In the history of India its farmers haven’t been so humiliated, said Akhilesh Yadav in Lower House on Tuesday. “If the government says that laws are for farmers, why is it not taking it back, if farmers aren’t accepting it? People, for whom it has been formed, don’t want it. Who is stopping Govt? Are allegations that you rolled out the carpet for corporates and brought these laws not right?” he asked.

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Promise of MSP only good in ‘speeches’ not ground reality, says Akhilesh Yadav

SP MP Akhilesh Yadav in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday claimed that the promise of MSP is only good in speeches, not in ground reality, which is why the farmers are agitating on the streets.

“Yesterday I heard ‘MSP tha, MSP hai, MSP rahega’. It’s just in speech but not on the ground.  The state where I come from made it possible for these people to form the government” he said.

He also questioned if the farmers residing in the PM’s constituency or the place where the President’s hail from got MSP from their rice crop. Union law minister objects to mention of President’s home district in Lok Sabha

Ravi Shankar Prasad (Minister for telecommunications ) interjected Yadav’s speech and asked whether such references to President can be allowed? Rajendra Agarwal, who is in the presiding officer’s chair says he will look into it.

Yesterday I heard 'MSP tha, MSP hai, MSP rahega'. It's just in speech but not on ground. Farmers aren't getting it, had they been getting, they wouldn't have been sitting in Delhi. I congratulate agitating farmers that they have awakened farmers across India: SP MP Akhilesh Yadav pic.twitter.com/AZ5MiZsKQM

— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2021

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Need political consensus to avoid ordinance route: Venkaiah Naidu in RS

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu earlier on Tuesday suggested that it would be “really good” if both central and state governments agree not to follow the ordinance route for enacting laws, but stressed that political consensus is needed for it, reports PTI.

“It is not going to help if political parties have an attitude that if I am in power, I will issue ordinances. When you are in power, don’t issue ordinances,” Naidu said in the Upper House after an opposition member expressed concern over the Centre taking the ordinance route.

The chairman said the “spirit of democracy” in the context of the ordinance mechanism should be understood and to the extent possible, the government should return to the legislative process for enacting laws.

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Farm laws are not ‘religious scripture’: Farooq Abdullah

Speaking about the farmers’ issue in Lok Sabha, Farooq Abdullah of National Conference said, “It’s not a religious scripture that changes can’t be made. If they (farmers) want it to be repealed, why can’t you talk to them? I request that let’s not stand on prestige. It’s our nation. We belong to this nation, let’s respect everybody in the nation.”

“The three agricultural laws are not made by God. If there are such widespread protests we must rethink” he adds

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Parliamentary Committee granted extension to submit report Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019

The Joint Parliamentary Committee has been granted a further extension to submit its report on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 until the last day of the first week of the second part of Budget Session, 2021, i.e., 12 March, as per PRS Legislative

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Farooq Abdullah says Centre should vaccinate max of people from COVID-19

Farooq Abdullah of National Conference says it is a fortunate thing that India has fewer coronavirus cases than the rest of the world of, but even then our medical services are not adequate.

“Our numbers are less than the US, UK & others. Still, we reported many deaths. Our medical services aren’t that good that the cause of deaths can be ascertained in villages. Still, vaccines have been developed for which I congratulate those in Pune (SII)” he said. 

“It is essential to distribute these vaccines in India. Even now, very few people are getting vaccines. Efforts should be made to vaccinate the maximum number of people so that people can be protected from this disease,” he added.

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Those on borders of Delhi are not farmers but Left leaders: BJP MP

While continuing to debate on the Motion of Thanks in Lower House, Ramesh Bidhuri of BJP said that those who are on the borders of Delhi are not farmers but Left leaders, reports The Hindu.

“The villagers of those areas are not striking.  Rakesh Tikait had earlier welcomed reforms. Just as Ravan first deceived and abducted Sitaji, so are our people being deceived otherwise how could this strike be done? Please look at your leader (Rahul Gandhi) does not respect the chair of PM and came and fell on Modi ji,” he said.

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Govt to soon bring bill on cryptocurrencies: Centre informs RS

The government will soon bring a bill on cryptocurrencies as existing laws are inadequate to deal with issues concerning them, Minister of State For Finance Anurag Thakur told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, reports PTI.

Replying to a question in the Upper House, Thakur said regulatory bodies like RBI and Sebi do not have any legal framework to directly regulate crypto currencies as they are not currencies, assets, securities or commodities issued by identifiable users.

“The existing laws are inadequate to deal with the subject,” he said.

The government had formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee which has given its report on issues related to virtual currencies. There was also a meeting of the Empowered Technology Group. The Committee of Secretaries chaired by the Cabinet Secretary has also given its report.

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Amit Shah disputes Oppn claim over sitting on Tagore’s chair

Amit Shah in Lok Sabha disputed Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s claim that he sat on Rabindranath Tagore’s chair in Shantiniketan. Hitting back at Congress MP Shah clarified that he did not sit on Rabindranath Tagore’s chair during his recent visit to Shantiniketan. He said that he sat in a window designated for visitors.

He further went on to add that there is proof “Jawaharlal Nehru sat on the Tagore’s chair”.

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Congress demands govt’s clarification on VK Singh’s statement

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in Lok Sabha urged the government to issue a clarification on VK Singh’s statement in which he said Indian troops have transgressed LAC over 50 times. China has termed the statement ‘unwitting confession’.

On Sunday, Union minister VK Singh said that India has crossed the Line of Actual Control more times than China, but the government does not announce it, according to several media reports.

Singh’s comments assume significance amidst the backdrop of close to 100,000 Indian and Chinese troops being deployed in eastern Ladakh and both sides showing indications of having dug in for the long haul.

China on Monday hit back with the foreign ministry calling Singh’s statement an ‘unwitting confession’ and State-run Global Times taking a strong stance.

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LS observes silence for Uttarakhand tragedy

Lok Sabha observed a brief silence to pay homage to those who lost their lives in the Uttarakhand tragedy

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Uttarakhand govt announce ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah tells the Lok Sabha that the Uttarakhand government has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the families of people killed in the glacier disaster, ANI reports.

He gives more details about the rescue operations. “12 people of NTPC [National Thermal Power Corporation] project were safely rescued from one tunnel, 15 people of Rishiganga project were also rescued at the time of incident,” he says. “25-35 people feared trapped in second tunnel of NTPC project, efforts are underway on war footing to rescue them.”

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Lok Sabha proceedings reconvene 

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LS to assemble at 4 pm; House to continue debate on president’s address

Members of the Lok Sabha will continue to participate in the motion of thanks to the President’s address. The House will take up The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

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Congress MPs from Punjab to move private member’s bill in Lok Sabha to repeal farm laws

Congress MPs from Punjab will move a private member’s bill in Lok Sabha to repeal the three contentious new farm laws, reports PTI.

Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari told reporters that the Repealing and Amendment Bill 2021 will be moved in the Lower House by a group of party MPs from Punjab including himself, Preneet Kaur, Jasbir Singh Gill and Santokh Chaudhary.

Tewari said they will seek the support of fellow MPs from other parties who have sympathies for the farmers and support their stand on the new legislations.

Asked whether a similar bill could be introduced in Rajya Sabha, he said they will request their counterparts in the Upper House to do so.

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Indian rupee remained among better performing Asian currencies in 2020, says Anurag Thakur

Minister for State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur on Tuesday said the Indian rupee was one of the better performing Asian currencies in 2020.

“In the financial year 2020-21, the Indian rupee (INR) has appreciated by 3.53 per cent till February 2, 2021, as per the information provided by Reserve Bank of India,” Thakur said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

He also said India enforced one of the most stringent lockdowns during April-June, 2020, compared to other key Asian countries and the contraction in gross domestic product (GDP) is consistent with the effect of the stringent lockdown.

“Owing to stringent lockdown measures, India was able to significantly contain the death rate from COVID-19. With gradual unlocking of the country, the economy made a significant V-shaped recovery,” he said.

-PTI

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More than 50 lakh healthcare, frontline workers given vaccine in 21 days: Centre

More than 50 lakh healthcare and frontline workers have been vaccinated against coronavirus in 21 days in India which is the fastest rate in the world, Minister of State for Health Ashwini Choubey told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Responding to a question on vaccine hesitancy, he said at the start of COVID-19 vaccination drive, fewer than planned beneficiaries attended the vaccination sessions due to transient technical issues in CoWIN portal, vaccine hesitancy, among others, which have progressively been addressed.

A total of 93.6 lakh healthcare and 77.9 lakh frontline workers had been registered for the vaccination till 31 January, the minister said in a written reply.

He said 37.58 lakh workers were vaccinated till 31 January.

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Gross NPAs of PSBs decline to Rs 6.09 lakh cr in Sep 2020: Centre tells RS

Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of public sector banks (PSBs) declined from Rs 8.96 lakh crore in March 2018 to Rs 6.09 lakh crore in September 2020 due to various measures taken by the government, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur informed Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

There was record recovery of Rs 2.54 lakh crore during March 2018 and September 2020 and 11 out of 12 PSBs reported profit in the first half of 2020-21 amounting to Rs 14,688 crore, he said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

Provision coverage ratio of PSBs is at over 8 years high at 85.06 per cent at the end of September 2020. Asset quality review (AQR) initiated in 2015 for cleaning up banks’ balance sheets revealed high incidence NPAs, he said.

-PTI

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Rajya Sabha passes the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws Amendment Bill

Speaking on the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws Amendment Bill, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri assured the Rajya Sabha that if statistics are perused, all the 1.12 crore homes under PMAY would have been sanctioned and the bulk would have been completed.

“The Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista project will make Delhi one of the finest Capitals in the world,” he said.

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 9 am tomorrow

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Centre must give people of Delhi ownership rights: Sanjay Singh

The bill to extend the validity of law providing for regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi, was taken up for discussion in Rajya Sabha.

Speaking in support of the bill, Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay said, “The government had promised the people of Delhi ownership rights. They should give it now. Many deadlines have been passed.”