Lok Sabha | Supriya Sule draws parallels between PPP model and privatisation of Air India
NCP MP Supriya Sule said that she fears that like the privatisation of Air India, the ruling government might allow private enterprises to dominate railways under the PPP model.
Parliament Updates: Don’t let bad policies kill farmers, says Congress MP; CPI's Binoy Visvam calls Budget 'document of illusions'
Parliament Updates: Speaking on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, which has been disrupted by protests from the Opposition for two days, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the current Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was 'not a bold one'.

Highlights
Rajya Sabha | Union Budget is not 'bold', says P Chidambaram
Speaking on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, which has been disrupted by protests from the Opposition for two days, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the current Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was "not a bold one".
He said, "The gravity of unemployment can be looked by only 1 example — For 62,907 khalasi posts, 82 lakhs people applied, and 4,19,137 of them were BTech graduates. 40,751 had a Masters' degree in Engineering. This is the economy you (NDA-II government) inherited. I don't blame Nirmala Sitharaman for that."
"But taking note of the reality, you should have been bold. The government has a superb mandate, 303 people in the Lok Sabha. Dr Manmohan Singh and I've exchanged notes and we wish he had such mandate of that kind sometime in our life. With your allies, you have ve a mandate of over 352. Why did you not take bold measures?" he questioned.
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Rajya Sabha | Comgress’ Mohammed Ali Khan criticises lack of financial help for Telangana, AP
Mohammed Ali Khan criticised the reduction for fund for scholarships for minority students.
He also said that the Centre did not financially help Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, asking how the government would bring sabka saath, sabkaa vikas if states like Telangana are left out. Listing the schemes promised for Telangana, he asked why no support has been extended as promised.
Rajya Sabha | No schemes for rural areas in Budget, says Congress’ Ripun Bora
Highlighting that there are no schemes for rural areas in Budget, especially ones focussing on the health sector, Ripun Bora said there has been a reduction in funds for setting up or upgrading medical colleges.
Lok Sabha | Southern Railways biased against Kerala, says NK Premachandran
RSP’s NK Premachandran said that the current Railway budget is 20 percent higher than the last one but without using its own public resources. He added that the Railways is getting highly dependent on the PPP model.
Premachandran said that the Southern Railways is biased against Kerala. He also sought that Chengannur station, the nearest one to Sabarimala, should be declared a heritage railway station.
Rajya Sabha | AAP’s Sushil Kumar Gupta criticises Budget for not focussing on education
AAP’s Sushil Kumar Gupta said the budget has not addressed the job crisis and has also ignored the issue of education. “IIM budget has been drastically cut and IIT budget has not been increased. And there are 20,000 vacancies in central universities,” he said.
Gupta also sought that the Nationa Capital Region be given its proper share of tax revenue as it is the face of India.
Rajya Sabha | Budget a ‘document of illusions’, has done injustice to Kerala, says Binoy Visvam
Calling the budget a ‘document of illusions, CPI’s Binoy Visvam said that the Budget has done injustice to the state of Kerala. “If you call me a pessimist for stating the fact that this budget does not have anything to bring back the dying farmers to life, I am proud to be called a pessimist.” Viswam said. While water should be the keyword, the government’s keyword is investment - private and foreign.
He suggested that instead of earning Rs 9 lakh crore by imposing cess on fuel, the government should implement a wealth tax.
Rajya Sabha | Budget lacks clarity on schemes for farmers, rural pockets, says BSP’s Vir Singh
Stressing on his belief that the nation will progress only if the farmer progresses, BSP’s Vir Singh said the Budget lacked clarity on schemes for different sections, especially farmers and rural areas.
He said that primary education system is in an abysmal state, asking how the government plans to bring the equality in education promised by them.
Rajya Sabha | Don’t let bad policies kill farmers, says Congress’ MV Rajeev Gowda
Calling the current government a ‘big announcement’ one, Congress’ MV Rajeev Gowda said, “Do not let indirect taxes squeeze the people, do not let our bad policies kill farmers, do not let the credibility of our data suffer.”
Lok Sabha | Bring metro rails to Visakhapatnam, Vijawada, demands TDP’s Ram Mohan Naidu
Stating that the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act had a provision for the same, TDP’s Ram Mohan Naidu demanded that metro rails be brought to Visakhapatnam and Vijaywada. The state also needs the development of a rail corridor, he said, requesting the government to introduce a train between Visakhapatnam and Varanasi.
He demanded PPP implementation to modify smaller stations in his state, adding that the modification of the smaller stations could create opportunities to earn livelihoods for the people residing around these areas.
Parliament Updates | DMK leader Kanimozhi also hit out at the Centre for naming welfare schemes in Hindi. "This govt has taken up that every program will be only named in Hindi.I would like to ask you how will a villager in my district understand what it is? I've seen signboards in Thoothukudi saying PM Sadak Yojana,with no translation. I don't understand it," said the DMK leader.
Taking a dig at the Centre for employing over 90,000 workers as manual scavengers, Kanimozhi said that the ruling party has done nothing to protect their rights.
The DMK leader also stressed on the need of safety of passengers inside the coaches. Listing out the incidents of mob lynching in the recent months, Kanimozhi talked about a madrasa teacher, who was allegedly pushed off a moving train for refusing to chant contentious Jai Shri Ram slogan in Kolkata.
Speaking on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, which has been disrupted by protests from the Opposition for two days, Congress leader P Chidambaram said that the current Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was "not a bold one".
He said, "The gravity of unemployment can be looked by only 1 example — For 62,907 khalasi posts, 82 lakhs people applied, and 4,19,137 of them were BTech graduates. 40,751 had a Masters' degree in Engineering. This is the economy you (NDA-II government) inherited. I don't blame Nirmala Sitharaman for that."
"But taking note of the reality, you should have been bold. The government has a superb mandate, 303 people in the Lok Sabha. Dr Manmohan Singh and I've exchanged notes and we wish he had such mandate of that kind sometime in our life. With your allies, you have ve a mandate of over 352. Why did you not take bold measures?" he questioned.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the introduction of a bill in Parliament that amalgamates provisions of 13 Central Labour Acts to enhance safety, health and working conditions of workers.
The Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Bill, 2019 is expected to be introduced in the Budget session of Parliament. Briefing reporters after a meeting of Union Cabinet, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar said that the bill will be applicable to establishments having more than 10 employees who will be given appointment letters.
He said the workers will also be entitled to an annual medical check-up. The new code has been drafted after amalgamation, simplification, and rationalisation of relevant provisions of the 13 Central Labour Acts.
This includes the Working Journalist and other Newspaper Employees (Conditions of Service and Misc. Provision) Act, 1955 and Working Journalist (Fixation of rates of wages) Act, 1958.
Other labour laws included in the code are Factories Act, 1948; the Mines Act, 1952, Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act; Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996; Plantations Labour Act, 1951, Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 and Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979.
It also includes the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961, Sales Promotion Employees (Condition of Service) Act, 1976; Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966 and Cine-Workers and Cinema Theatre Workers Act, 1981. After the enactment of the Code, all these Acts being subsumed in the Code will be repealed.
Referring to the Code of Wages Bill approved by the cabinet last week, Gangwar said it will benefit more than 40 crore people who will get right to minimum wages. He said there were complaints that the workers were still paid Rs 40 or Rs 60 a day but the enactment of the law will ensure that they get a minimum of Rs 178 per day. States, he said, were free to fix higher minimum wage.
The Code of Wages Bill is the first in the series of four labour codes. It seeks to subsume relevant provisions of The Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Wages Act 1936, Payment of Bonus Act Act, 1965 and Equal Remuneration Act 1976.
Code on Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Bill, 2019, which is the second in the series, seeks to enhance the ambit of provisions of safety, health, welfare and working conditions from existing about nine major sectors to all establishments having 10 or more employees.
An official release said that safety, health, welfare and improved working conditions were pre-requisite for the well-being of the worker and also for the economic growth of the country. (ANI)
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