There was ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on day 5 of the second half of the budget session on Monday. Opposition Congress forced five adjournments in Rajya Sabha in the pre-lunch session demanding a response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on CAG pointing out anomalies in Gujarat’s KG Basin gas project.
Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) also raised the issue of the AgustaWestland chopper deal, with TMC's Sukhendu Sekhar Roy asking the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to expose the names of the 'bribe-takers'.
The Trinamool Congress also gave a notice in Rajya Sabha to suspend all other matters until a discussion on AgustaWestland scam was conducted.
Live updates:
3.00 pm : Rajya Sabha proceedings begin.
2:23 pm: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 3 pm amid uproar.
2:22 pm: LOP Ghulam Nabi Azad says CAG report on Gujarat's petroleum corporation is a national issue and should be discussed.
2:20 pm: Uproar by Congress MPs continues in Rajya Sabha as proceedings start.
1.08 pm: Lok Sabha adjourned till 2.10 pm
1.08 pm: BJP MP from Bihar raises issue of acute encephalitis syndrome, which claimed life of a five year old girl there.
1.07 pm: Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda raises in the Lok Sabha the issue of protests by jewellers on increase in excise duty.
1.05 pm: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the Uttarakhand fire: Immediate action taken to contain fire. The situation is under control. Three NDRF teams rushed, Air Force helicopters engaged in dousing fire, teams of experts on job. Deaths due to fire not confirmed so far.
Forest under fire in Uttarakhand's Barkot region. Photo: Virender Negi 1.02 pm: TMC members walkout of Rajya Sabha after Roy asked to leave the House for the day. (PTI)
12.59 pm: BJP MP from Hardwar in Lok Sabha: Forest resources worth thousands of crores destroyed in the fire, 3,000 hectares affected. ISRO report says fire at 200 places. Asks government to train locals in containing such destruction and make arrangements for an early warning system.
12.57 pm: AITC MP Saugata Roy raises the Uttarakhand Forest Fire issue..It is spreading, forest sanctuaries are in danger, he says.
12.55 pm: Liquor is being banned, but children taking to drugs in such States, 55,000 children getting into smoking every year, much higher than US statistics. We seek death penalty for drug abuse, says BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Lok Sabha.
12.45 pm: He will stay out of Rajya Sabha for the rest of the day as per rule 255: Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari on TMC's Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (ANI)
12.41 pm: Rajya Sabha has been adjourned till 2pm as Congress continues protests over CAG report on Gujarat's petroleum corporation. (ANI) >Read more here.
12.39 pm: Rajya Sabha chairman Mohammed Hamid Ansari invokes rule 255 against TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, and asks him to withdraw from Rajya Sabha for the day as he raised chopper deal issue, despite his notice being rejected. (PTI)
12.35 pm: No progress on three smart cities announced by finance Minister in first budget speech. It included Chennai Bengaluru sector's Tumkur city. No development whatsoever, says Congress MP from Tumkur.
12.20 pm: BJP and Congress give notice for discussion on Agusta Westland in Parliament.
12.10 pm: RS adjourns for the third time for 30 mins as Congress continues protests over CAG report on Gujarat's petroleum corp. (PTI)
12.05 pm:
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi arrives at Parliament. Photo: Sandeep Saxena 12.00: Question Hour in Lok Sabha finishes. LS speaker disallows all adjournment motions.
11.55 am: Culture and Tourism Minister: Chitrakoot was not part of the First Phase of Tourism Circuit. It is being included in the Ramayan Circuit to promote tourism.
11.52 am: In 2013-14, only 10 proceedings of the managing committee have been completed. In 2015, over 100 such proceedings have been completed. Efforts are on to ensure there is little dispute — Government.
11.51 am: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan — Government denies any fault on its part. Arbitration proceedings are under way on the disputes.
11.55 am: BJP MP Bhola Singh from Begusarai Bihar: In case of Reliance, the then government and to some extent, this government has not been that clear when it comes to disputes related to oil and gas exploration and production issues. There are 11 disputes with different companies that are still pending with government.
11.53 am: BJP MP Damoh: People in Bundelkhand are not allowed to dig wells in areas even covered under revenue village jurisdiction. Government replies — This is a project that begins at gramsabha level and is finalised at district level.
11.50 am:
Environment Minister Prakash javadekar addresses the media outside Parliament on the Uttrakhand Fire. Photo: Sandeep Saxena 11.48 am: Fall in iron ore exports — Government says, the general world economy is not good and that exporters are not getting good rates. There has also been a 12 per cent increase in production of iron ore.
11.45 am: Illegal mining is on in areas that have been declared eco sensitive, says Shiv Sena.
The Government replies saying the sentence has been increased from two to five years for illegal mining, fine has also increased. "We are employing new technology to keep an eye on illegal mining."
11.40 am: Mineral exploration: Mines and Steel Minister Narendra Singh Tomar — government is taking effective steps to prevent illegal mining. 55 minerals come under State government. To ensure all projects are auctioned properly, the Centre has issued advisories. The new Government has set up a Mineral Exploration Trust. We have laid down policy for expeditious exploration.
11.35 am: Kushinagar airport project also cleared by State government to focus on and interconnect Buddhist circuit.
11.33 am: Tourism industry earned Rs.1.35 lakh crore last year from foreign visitors: Government
11.30 am: Government replied saying that, Mahatma Gandhi related tourist spots have been covered under the Indian Heritage circuit announced this year. The "Gandhi" circuit included in the programme will also include Champaran. Under the Buddhist tourism circuit, eight places have been covered. Three spots in Bihar, including Tajbir, covered. Rs.170 crore allocated.
11.27 am: It is the centernary of the Champaran Andolan this year, why is the Champaran circuit being ignored:.BJP MP from Bihar.
11:25 am: Two special scheme: Prashad Yojana and Swadesh Darshan Yojana cover coastal areas for promoting tourism -- government. Rs.1670 crore allocated under Swadesh Darshan Yojana.
11:22 am: Shiv Dena raises tourism issue on coastal areas, asking government what measures are being taken to launch special schemes?
11:20 am: In Lok Sabha, review of SEZ is underway. MOS Nirmala Sitharaman says, "it is a continuous process, not going to bring something with retrospective effect that hurts industry."
11.15 a.m.: Rajya Sabha is adjourned up to 12.30 p.m.
11.10 a.m.: Opposition members march to the well of the Rajya Sabha. TMC's Sukhendu Sekhar Roy asked the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to expose the names of the 'bribe-takers'. >Read more...
11.05 a.m.: The Trinamool Congress gave a notice in Rajya Sabha to suspend all other matters until a discussion on AgustaWestland scam is conducted. Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien says the notice is under examination by the Chairman.
11 a.m.: Parliament begins.
