The productivity of the Budget session was abysmal. The Lok Sabha functioned for 33% of its scheduled time (46 hours); the Rajya Sabha 24% (32 hours).
Government on Monday gave an assurance in the Rajya Sabha that tribals would be given 26 per cent share from mining profits and full justice would be done to them if mining activities take place in their area.
Bhupender Yadav's entry to the Modi government as a Cabinet minister is seen as his just reward after serving as a party office-bearer for the longest term among all current occupants.
The request came from India's Minister of State for Mines T Subbarami Reddy. He said that the government is concerned over the huge bills for the gold that is imported to India.
The Bill also envisages ushering in a regime of royalty concessions for the first time in the country.
Amid UPA Chief Sonia Gandhi voicing concern over land acquisition norms, a Group of Ministers (GoM) will meet this week to take a view on the new mining bill, which seeks that miners share 26 per cent of profits with those affected by the project.
The government on Friday approved a landmark draft mines bill which provides for miners to share 26 per cent of their net profits for the people affected by the coal projects, while the burden on the non-coal miners will be amount equivalent to royalty.
The US House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included key components of Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi's resolution language urging the Chinese government to end its military aggression against India along the LAC.
A bill to modify the list of scheduled castes in Tamil Nadu by grouping of seven castes which presently exist as separate castes, was passed by the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The UPA government has decided to introduce two contentious bills -- the Goods and Services Tax Bill and the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill -- in the budget session of Parliament that kicks off on Monday.
Megha Engineering had emerged as the second-biggest buyer of electoral bonds and donated the highest amount of about Rs 586 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the data released by the Election Commission on March 21.
The BJP, which has two MLAs in the MDA government, backed the Cabinet decision.
From trusted bureaucrat, to Wharton, MNC executive to businessman, and now politician, the man in charge of two weighty ministries is a unique all-rounder with specialist knowledge.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi has said that 31 bills will be taken up in the monsoon session. Among these include the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023.
Select committees on Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill and Coal Mines Bill recommended their approval without any change
Faced with the prospect of yet another embarrassment in Rajya Sabha, Government on Tuesday night bowed to the opposition demand for sending the Mines and Minerals bill to a Select Committee after hours of battle of wits between rival sides.
'The central learning of the day was that if the BJP leadership can cajole, coax and convince regional parties to vote for bills, it would not be a stretch to see the same votes cast in favour of the land bill,' a senior Congress leader from a northern state told Rediff.com
Arun Jaitley rejected the charge that the government is pro-rich.
Parliament officials said Birla was upset at the behaviour of both the Opposition and Treasury benches during the passage of bills in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Budget session of Parliament concluded on Wednesday with passage of record official business in recent years but the government failed to ensure passage of the controversial Land Acquisition Bill as also key reform measure of GST amid stiff resistance from opposition.
'We wanted the PM to speak, and he just refused to -- now we have the opportunity, not just in the Lok Sabha, but also in the Rajya Sabha, to lay the government on the mat.'
The Group of Ministers on Telangana is set to discuss the draft bill for the creation of Telangana on Saturday.
CAF Bill's fate to be decided on Monday
Pressure from the Soren clan is only one of the challenges Champai faces as he readies himself to helm the predominantly tribal state.
Call it the art of staying rooted yet bending with prevailing political winds. With Telangana going to the polls in December, and assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Andhra and Odisha scheduled next year, what factors have influenced parties' recent moves?
In between spells of adjournments, the House conducted business for a brief period and passed two Bills -- the Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill - amid continuous protests by the Opposition.
Any delay in passing the coal bill may cause a crisis in the coal sector which would also affect the power sector.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley appealed to parties to rise above partisan considerations to support it.
The ruling Congress is seeking to retain power in Chhattisgarh by banking on the welfare schemes of the Bhupesh Baghel government, while the Bharatiya Janata Party is hoping to corner it on the issues of alleged corruption, religious conversions and unfulfilled poll promises.
"This warming trend is alarming," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The enactment of the new Mining Bill is likely to have a negative impact on existing pure-play mining companies, with their profits impacted by as much as 12 per cent, global research firm Macquarie says.
Under current laws, a company cannot sell mines but only transfer leases when it is acquired by another firm.
The BJP launched an all-out and aggressive personalised campaign led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself, but voters went by local rather than national issues.
Bangladesh has sought revision of a 2017 power purchase agreement with Adani Power Ltd as the price for the coal-generated electricity appeared too expensive, officials said in Dhaka on Thursday. "We have communicated with the Indian company seeking revision of the agreement," an official of the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDC) told PTI on the condition of anonymity and without elaborating on the matter. Media reports suggested that the "high coal price" to be purchased for the Adani plant at India's Jharkhand emerged as the key factor for the dispute.
The government is open to extending the first half of the ongoing Budget session by two days if need be and Parliament can meet on March 23 and 24 to pass key reform bills on coal and mines and minerals. The first half of the session is otherwise slated to end on March 20.
From 1952 to 1967, each of the three Lok Sabhas sat for an average of 600 days and more than 3,700 hours. In comparison, the 15th Lok Sabha -- from 2009 till 2013 -- has met for just 345 days and 1,331 hours, says Shreya Singh
Gaurav Gogoi, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Manicka Tagore, Rajmohan Unnithan, Benny Behanan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla are the seven who have been suspended.
New proposals like booking of retailers selling loose cigarettes and 7 years of imprisonment, are unacceptable, traders argued.
The 30-share Sensex ended down 208 points at 28,261 and the 50-share Nifty closed 64 points lower at 8,571.
Rajya Sabha will sit for late hours in last week of the first half of the budget session from Monday to clear the pending legislative and other businesses.
