Parliament is halfway through its 20-day winter session. This session comes in the backdrop of the record-breaking first session of the 17th Lok Sabha. In that session, Parliament passed 33 Bills, the highest number ever passed by it since 1952. Another highlight from that first session was the long working hours of the Lok Sabha. On multiple occasions, the Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) worked past 10pm, debating legislation and raising important issues. Therefore, it was not surprising when the government announced an ambitious legislative agenda for the winter session. During this session, the government intends to get Parliament’s approval on 39 bills.
These bills can be divided into two categories. The first are bills which have not yet started their legislative journey in this new Lok Sabha. There are 27 of these bills, which the government plans to introduce, deliberate and pass in the session. This number includes the two ordinances relating to lowering corporate tax rates and banning e-cigarettes. The second category has the 12 remaining bills. These are ones which are already pending in Parliament. As of now, the Lok Sabha has passed one bill from each of the two categories. The bill passed by it from the first category bans the sale and manufacture of e-cigarettes. The bill from the second category grants the National Institute of Design (NID) in four states the status of institutes of national importance. This status will allow these NIDs more functional autonomy and the power to grant degrees.
So far in the session, the Rajya Sabha has passed two bills from the second category. The first one was the politically contentious amendment to the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Act. This 1951 law created a trust to oversee the management of the memorial. It specified that one of the trustees shall be the president of the Congress. The amendment bill deletes this provision and makes other changes. The second bill passed by the upper house gives rights and prohibits discrimination against transgender individuals. The catalyst for this government bill was the passage of a similar private member bill, piloted by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Tiruchi Siva in 2015.
The first session of this Lok Sabha had a legislative surprise. The government had brought in a constitutional amendment which changed the status of Jammu and Kashmir. So far in this session, the government has introduced and passed two bills, which were not part of the government’s legislative agenda.
The first one relates to an amendment to the Special Protection Group Act of 1988. Prime ministers, former PMs and their immediate families are guarded by the SPG. An amendment passed this week by the Lok Sabha restricts the SPG cover to the PM and immediate family members residing with the PM. The amendment bill also caps the SPG security cover for five years after a PM has demitted office. It also specifies that the immediate family of a former PM living with him in the officially allocated residence would have SPG cover for a similar period. The debate in the Lok Sabha on this bill saw sharp exchanges between the ruling party and Opposition benches.
The second bill passed by the Lok Sabha which was not part of the government’s legislative plan was one to merge the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu. Both these bills will now have to be passed by the Rajya Sabha. It is also currently unclear whether the government plans to introduce and pass other bills deviating from its legislative agenda.
The two houses of Parliament have spent approximately 50% of their time debating these bills. There are 10 days remaining in the scheduled close of session on December 13, and approximately 30 more bills for passing on the government’s list. Perhaps the most contentious bill on the government’s pending list is the Citizenship Amendment Bill. It had lapsed on the dissolution of the previous Lok Sabha and has been on the government’s legislative agenda since the last session. It is yet to be introduced in Parliament. Other important bills which are yet to be brought before the two Houses relate to personal data protection, pesticides management and termination of pregnancy. If the government decides to push for passing most of these 30-odd bills, then it would mean that rigorous scrutiny of these bills by Parliament will be compromised.
However, the session so far has witnessed positive signs when it comes to legislative scrutiny. Bills have been debated extensively and a bill which prohibits commercial surrogacy was referred to a select committee of the Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha, the minister for labour, who is piloting the Industrial Relations Code, was open to the idea of referring the bill for detailed scrutiny by a parliamentary standing committee. Hopefully, these positive signs will continue through the session. The presiding officers of the two houses will play an important role in this aspect. They are the ones who, by allocating adequate time for debate and sending bills to committees, deepen the debate and secure the effective scrutiny of all bills by Parliament.
Chakshu Roy is the head of Legislative and Civic Engagement, PRS Legislative Research
All sports promotional schemes and facilities of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports are equally available and accessible to women athletes. Specific initiatives of the Ministry for promotion of sports women are as under:
Under the “Sports for Women” vertical of Khelo India Scheme, this Ministry has decided to launch “Khelo India Football Girls League” in Under-17 age group.
A support of Rs. 3 Crores was given to the Boxing Federation of India for conducting the AIBA World Women Boxing Championship, 2018 held at New Delhi.
Under the “Talent Search and Development” vertical of Khelo India Scheme, 1344 women Khelo India Athletes have been supported out of the total 2741 athletes.
The seventh edition of Exercise MITRA SHAKTI- 2019 aimed at enhancing interoperability and operational efficiency amongst the armies of both India and Sri Lanka when deployed as part of United Nations peace keeping forces commenced on 01 December at Aundh Military Station, Pune.
The objective of the exercise is to build and promote positive relations between armies of India and Sri Lanka through focus on sub unit level training on counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations in urban and rural environment under United Nations mandate. The joint training exercise also signifies the strength of India-Sri Lanka relations in the field of military cooperation and engagement, which is vital for refining the interoperability and operational preparedness.
The joint exercise is designed for incorporating the current dynamics of United Nations peace keeping operations through practical and comprehensive discussions and tactical exercises. The primary focus of the joint training exercise will remain on field craft, battle drills and procedures as also the ability to operate jointly with seamless interoperability.
As member nations of the United Nations, the participating contingents will gain immensely through joint operability and enhanced military and diplomatic association.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has wished the people of Nagaland on their Statehood day.
Prime Minister said, "Best wishes to my sisters and brothers of Nagaland on their Statehood Day. This state is known for its great culture. The people of Nagaland are compassionate and courageous. May Nagaland scale new heights of progress in the coming years."
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports provides for training to identified talented sportspersons in the age group of 8-25 years. At present 14669 sportspersons are getting training under various schemes of the Ministry, Out of these 8701 sportspersons are getting full time residential training. Trainees are provided assistance in the form of coaching, sports equipment, boarding, lodging, sports kit, competition exposure, educational expenses, medical/ insurance and stipend as per the scheme norms.
Running of coaching at training centres/academies is an ongoing activity. Presently, total 2179 sportspersons (1432 Boys & 747 Girls) are being trained at 32 centres in the North Eastern Region. Eligibility criteria for selection of sportspersons for regular training under various schemes are in public domain and are available at https://sportsauthorityofindia.nic.in and https://kheloindia.gov.in .
The residential trainee athletes undergo regular sports coaching/ training in the morning and evening sessions under the expert guidance of coaches. Trainee athletes are encouraged to continue their studies by seeking admission in nearby schools, colleges or distant education programmes, choice of which is left to the athlete.
Number of athlete in residential training facilities depends upon merit-cum-choice of the identified potential talent. All identified talented potential under Talent Search and Development vertical of Khelo India Scheme have exercised their options for residential training or otherwise.
Various sessions on Disaster Management and Jal Shakti held during 2-day conference held in Jammu Posted On: 01 DEC 2019 3:02PM by PIB Delhi The ‘Sahyog Sankalp’ resolution was adopted in the Valedictory Session of the two-day Regional Conference on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’ with focus on ‘Jal Shakti and Disaster Management’, organized by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in collaboration with Governments of Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, concluded at Jammu today.
The conference was inaugurated by the MoS (PP), Dr Jitendra Singh yesterday. The Lt. Gov. of J&K, Shri G.C. Murmu, the Minister for Revenue & Disaster Management, Government of Tamil Nadu, Shri R.B. Udhayakumar, the J&K Chief Secretary, Shri BVR Subrahmanyam, Additional Secretary DARPG Shri V. Srinivas addressed senior officers from Government of India, Tamil Nadu Government and UT of J&K.
The Advisors to the Lt. Governor Jammu & Kashmir, Shri K.K. Sharma and Shri Farooq Khan, the Additional Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Shri V. Srinivas during the Valedictory Session of 2-day Regional Conference on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’ with focus on ‘Jal Shakti and Disaster Management’, wherein ‘Sahyog Sankalp’ resolution was adopted, in Jammu, on December 01. 2019.
After intensive deliberations, the conference unanimously adopted the ‘Sahyog Sankalp’ during the Valedictory Session. The Conference resolved that the Government of India and the participating Governments of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh shall collaborate to:
Promote unity in diversity envisaged under the ‘Ek Bharat - Shresht Bharat’ Programme through enhanced exchange of information in the fields of Jal Shakti and Disaster Management; Make concerted efforts to resolve mutually concerning issues in the areas of Jal Shakti and Disaster Management through improved monitoring and a deep and structured engagement between the paired Governments;
Hold Regional Conferences throughout the year, alternatively, between the paired Governments, on mutually agreed subjects related to Jal Shakti and Disaster Management. The first of these Conferences will be convened in Chennai in 2020 by DARPG, where officials from the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh will present the progress registered and achievements made in the areas of Jal Shakti and Disaster Management;
Share technical expertise in the areas of Water Harvesting, Cutting Down Farm Water Consumption, Preventing Urban Flooding and Rejuvenation of Rivers; Work towards long-term engagements in the areas of Jal Shakti and Disaster Management through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) between the Line Departments of the paired Governments; and
Create a favorable environment for learning by sharing best practices and experiences in terms of documentation and dissemination through conference proceedings and special publications of the DARPG Journal ‘Minimum Government - Maximum Governance’ on the subjects of Jal Shakti and Disaster Management.