Parliament session Day 12: Uproar over special status for Andhra; both Houses pass Benami, IT bills

The proceedings on the 12th day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session began with brief adjournments as members of NDA partner Telugu Desam Party and the Opposition YSR Congress created an uproar and demanded special category status for Andhra Pradesh. However, Tuesday’s proceedings were not deeply disturbed and the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha managed to pass The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill with the new legislation having provisions for confiscating ‘benami’ (proxy) assets, and The Institutes of Technology (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which will allow new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to be set up at Tirupati, Palakkad, Goa, Dharwar, Bhilai and Jammu. [caption id=“attachment_2930764” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A file image of ongoing proceedings in Lok Sabha. PTI[/caption] On Wednesday, the much-delayed bill to amend the constitution and introduce a Goods and Services Tax is scheduled to be moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha, with the government hoping it will sail through after the additional levy of 1 percent proposed earlier was scrapped. The government on Tuesday appeared confident of getting the bill through the Upper House, where it is in minority, saying it was sure that all parties will support the bill. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Lok Sabha: - Bulandshahr gangrape, atrocities on Dalits: Congress member Sushmita Dev said despite strengthening several laws to protect women and children, law enforcement agencies have failed to protect children and incidents like the one in Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh, where a woman and her daughter were brutally raped, continued to occur. “Situation has reached such a stage that the family has now threatened to commit suicide if the culprits are not arrested. Uttar Pradesh government has failed to provide security to women and children,” she said during Zero Hour. BJP MP Raghav Lakhanpal said the Bulandshahar incident reflected the “dismal law and order” situation in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that the state government has failed to provide security in highways. He urged the Centre to frame a cohesive policy to enable every state raise a security force, equipped with latest technology and vehicles, to handle any crime on highways. TMC member Saugata Roy raised the issue of alleged atrocities on Dalits in different parts of the country and asked the Prime Minister to take steps to stop such attacks. - Special status to Andhra Pradesh: Jaitley assured Lok Sabha members from Andhra Pradesh that the government was looking into their demand for pecial category status for the state. Lok Sabha witnessed two brief adjournments over the issue earlier in the day by members of TDP and YSR Congress. “Some members have concerns over particular issues. Government stands by its commitment. We are trying to find a solution to these issues,” Jaitley intervened. But after this assurance, the MPs sought a timeline for resolving the matter and continued raising slogans like “We want justice” and “We demand special status”. - Bill introduced to provide transgenders separate identity: A bill seeking to empower the transgender community by providing them a separate identity and putting in place a mechanism to punish those who exploit them was introduced in the Lower House. The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, seeks to define a transgender person and prohibits discrimination against them. It also confers the right upon transgender persons to be recognised as such and also grants them right to “self-perceived” gender identity. - Problems of Indians in Gulf countries: The problems being faced by Indians in Saudi Arabia and some other Gulf countries were raised in the Lok Sabha, with demands that the government of India should act fast to help them. Key proceedings/issues discussed in Rajya Sabha: - Circulation of GST amendments: Ahead of the long-delayed GST Bill being taken up by Rajya Sabha, the government has circulated to MPs the amendments it has proposed in the Constitution Amendment Bill to enable implementation of the tax. Jaitley told Rajya Sabha that the amendments to the Bill, pending in the Upper House for the past one year, were given to the Secretariat of the House two days ago and have been circulated to the members. - Black money transactions: Committing to deal strongly with black money, Jaitley warned those having undisclosed income against missing the chance to make the declaration by 30 September and assured that rapid progress has been made with regards to the probe into the revelations made by the Panama Papers leak. Jaitley was replying to a debate on The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amednment Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha. The House later passed the legislation by voice vote. [caption id=“attachment_2930772” align=“alignright” width=“380”] Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. PTI[/caption] A law alone will not solve the problem of black money but efforts will have to be made to create fear of law and stop the generation of black money, he said. “Since it’s the Benami law like the black money law, there has to be a deterrent provision which we have put it in this partciular law and I hope people get the clear signal and don’t give the State an opportunity as far as using this law is concerned,” he said. - Resolving Siachen dispute: The government said the solution to Siachen Glacier is a part of the larger issue to include Pakistan’s support to terrorism in India. Thirteen rounds of talks to resolve the Siachen issue have already taken place between India and Pakistan, led by the respective defence secretaries, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. - Tea Board HQ being shifted out of Kolkata: The alleged shifting of Tea Board headquarters from Kolkata to Guwahati was among the issues raised by members. Vivek Gupta (TMC) raised the issue of the alleged move taking place after the BJP came to power in Assam and likened it to “chopping off the hands” of Kolkata. The Centre, he alleged, has not been consulting the state government on the appointment of the chairman of Kolkata Port Trust and Damodar Valley Corporation and was now shifting the Tea Board headquarters. - Steel Minister Birender Singh takes oath as member: Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh took oath as member of the Rajya Sabha. Singh, who was re-elected to the Upper House recently, took the oath in English.