The National Democratic Alliance's agitation on price rise issue rocked Parliament on Thursday with both the Houses being adjourned for two hours, as the Opposition disrupted proceedings over the United Progressive Alliance government's failure to contain inflation.
Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said 5.08 million tourists visited India in 2007, recording a growth of 14.56 per cent. This was better than the world average of around 6 per cent. However, since October 2008, there has been some reduction, she said. In December 2008, foreign tourist arrivals numbered 521,990; this was 12.5 per cent lower than the number of arrivals in the corresponding month of the previous year. Similarly, January saw a 17.6 per cent drop to 487,262 arrivals.
"You do not deserve one paisa of public money," an angry Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said as members of several political parties stormed the Well of Lok Sabha raising a spate of issues and disrupted Question Hour.
To encourage greater use of public transport and non-motorised mode of transport, BRTS projects in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Indore, Bhopal, Pune/Pimpri-Chinchwad, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur have been approved.
Chhattisgarh House rule says that anyone entering the well of the House would be automatically suspended.
In a virtual disapproval of anti-Naxalite group Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said that the Centre was not in favour of 'non-state actors' taking the job of law enforcement in their hands. "We are not in favour of non-state actors taking law enforcement in their hands," he said during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.
The government on Monday said it does not have inputs to suggest that the Naxals have established links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency. "There are no inputs to suggest that the Naxals have established links with the ISI," Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal told the Lok Sabha during the Question Hour. He said as many as 217 security personnel and 441 civilians were killed in Naxal violence and action against them till November 30.
Responding to a supplementary during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for finance Pawan Kumar Bansal said there was no proposal to waive loans of the landless. Indian Banks Association have asked its members to provide loans to the landless so that they can pay back the money-lenders, the minister said.
The government estimates the food subsidy bill to be Rs 490-500 billion this year from Rs 190 billion earlier, Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar told Rajya Sabha during Question Hour. The Centre issues rice at Rs 5.65 a kg and wheat at Rs 4.15 per kg to the states for supply through ration shops to families covered under the BPL category. Pawar, however, was non-committal on increasing the coverage of subsidised foodgrains to include more people.
The sale of gutka would be booked under non-bailable sections regarding the offence
In what could be a Diwali gift for the common man, government on Thursday said in the Lok Sabha that an announcement on reduction of fuel prices will be made within a week, keeping in view the falling global crude prices.
Minister said the government wants to bring them back to profitability.
With Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray targeting some Members of Parliament from Bihar, including Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Wednesday said that such references amounted to contempt of the House.
The Sukhoi crash on April 30 in Rajasthan today caused an uproar in the Rajya Sabha, forcing Defence Minister A K Antony to come out in favour of the air superiority of the IAF's fighter jet.
Demanding introduction of a resolution favouring creation of separate Telangana state, the TRS members stormed the podium and obstructed the business of the assembly.
Opposition on Thursday paralysed Parliament, with Rajya Sabha disrupted over demand for the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his response in the demonetisation debate, which the government rejected outright.
Government earlier this month cut petrol price by Rs 5 a litre and diesel by Rs 2 per litre as crude oil prices dipped from an all-time high of $147 a barrel in July to under $45 a barrel. Even after the price cut, public sector oil firms were making a profit of Rs 9.98 on sale of every litre of petrol and Rs 1.03 per litre on diesel.
A legislator on Wednesday created a flutter in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by telling Home Minister R R Patil that he could "break into" Pune's Yerwada Jail for Rs five lakh.
Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party government for spurt in prices of essential commodities during its 45-day rule, Opposition Congress on Monday took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for riding to power on promise of controlling inflation yet doing nothing on it.
The issue of alleged misuse of office by Shipping and Road Transport Minister T R Baalu rocked proceedings in both Houses of Parliament on Monday.
The BJP chief also sought to know whether the Congress wanted to protect the "illegal Bangldeshis".
Responding to a query about corruption in the scheme's implementation, Minister of State for Rural Development Upendra Kushwaha said almost all members know about it and added that steps are being taken for improving the scheme.
Prasad said country's postal department is 150 years old and needs improvement and the government is trying its best to do the needful.
The total revenue increased from Rs 14,713.81 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 20,606.27 crore in 2014-15.
Mumbai's makeover plan has inched forward. The Rs 2.25 lakh crore plan for development of Mumbai Metropolitan Region is awaiting approval of the state government. The government will approve of this once the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) okays it. The plan includes infrastructure such as road transport, Metro rail, skybus, Brimstowad storm water drainage project & water transport development. The plan covers entire Mumbai as well as Thane district.
Protests continued for the 14th day, seeing proceedings in the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha being washed out.
Sparks flew in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after BJP leader Subramanian Swamy dragged Sonia Gandhi's name in the AgustaWestland helicopter bribery case
Private airlines collecting taxes from travellers other than the passenger service fee will be penalised and made to refund such money, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told Lok Sabha on Thursday. Patel made it clear that the government did not regulate the air fare levied by Airline companies. The government only levies Rs 221 as passenger service fee which is used for security of airports and to cover other related expenses, he said.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Tuesday the inflow of foreign funds in the banking system was not disorderly and could be channelled for productive use. There was large inflow of capital mainly from export earnings, remittances, foreign direct investment, foreign institutional investments and private equity, he said.
A liberalised leave policy and employment of counsellors have been suggested as steps to reduce suicides and fratricides among the security forces.
Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal informed the Rajya Sabha that there are only 156 researchers per million of population in India. India also lags behind other nations in its R&D spending. The number of core researchers in India was about 1.5 lakh as compared to China's 8-10 lakh. R&D spending as percentage of GDP in India is only 0.8 per cent as compared to China's 1.23. In India, 80 % R&D is by public sector, while the private sector share is only 20 per cent.
The errant TDP members stormed into the well of the House and continued to shout slogans near the podium in spite of repeated appeals by the Speaker to resume their seats. Raising his voice, the Speaker thundered "Enough is enough. Please go back to your seats. What tamasha is this? You are only making a mockery of democracy," before adjourning the House.
The Opposition members charged the Governor with "unconstitutional" conduct after the Gauhati high court put on hold all his decision including move to advance the winter session of the assembly by a month.
Protests over "politics of vendetta" continued in Rajya Sabha for the second day on Wednesday, with Congress members forcing two adjournments of the House till noon by storming the Well and raising anti-government slogans.
Raising the matter just after Question Hour, Digvijay Singh (JD-U) said the minister spoke outside Parliament instead of making a statement in the House on the reported recommendation by the Prime Minister's Office to expedite supply of gas to firms owned by the family members of the shipping minister. It may be noted that Petroleum Minister Murli Deora had on Tuesday come out in defence of the PMO, saying there is 'no nepotism' involved in it.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said on Tuesday the government will take every measure to moderate the high inflation rate but the long term remedy is correcting the demand-supply mismatch in foodgrains.
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan led a walk out by party MPs in Rajya Sabha after she was refused permission to raise the issue of anti-north Indians campaign in Maharashtra of which her husband Amitabh Bachchan was the most visible target. Jaya strongly objected to Shiv Sena MP Manohar Joshi's comment that there was 'no anti-migrant drive' in Maharashtra.
Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was forced by an agitated Opposition and Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to withdraw his un-parliamentary remarks against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
A joint working group in the ministry of finance has given its report after obtaining technical and commercial proposals from leading biometric solution providers, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said in Lok Sabha during Question Hour.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray's response has been sought by the Lok Sabha secretariat in the wake of a breach of privilege notice against him following an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana targeting some MPs from Bihar. The response of Thackeray as also Sanjay Raut, Rajya Sabha member, who is the executive editor of the newspaper, has been sought.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances