09:39 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Farm bills have nothing to do with MSPs: Narendra Singh Tomar
Addressing the Upper House, Narendra Singh Tomar said: "I want to assure everyone that the bills have nothing to do with MSPs. MSPs were there and will continue. I would request everyone to reconsider their views on the farm bills."
09:31 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Narendra Singh Tomar moves Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce Bill
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar moves Farmers' and Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, in Rajya Sabha
09:29 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Police on standby ahead of farmers protest in Haryana
Police deployment at Sadopur border in Ambala ahead of the farmers protest today. The Bharatiya Kisan Union's Haryana unit will hold a statewide protest against the Centre's farm bills on Sunday during which they will block roads for three hours, even as Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed for deferring the stir and invited them for talks.
Haryana BKU chief Gurnam Singh said the Centre did not withdraw the three agriculture-related ordinances and presented them as bills during the ongoing session of Parliament, which have been passed in the Lok Sabha.
Haryana: Police deployment at Sadopur border in Ambala, in view of farmers' protest against #AgricultureBills
— ANI (@ANI) September 20, 2020
Ambala SP Abhiskeh Jorwal says, "Barricading in place here as Bharatiya Kisan Union has given a call for protest. We have sufficient forces present here." pic.twitter.com/a4LfTbRWIJ
09:17 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Parliament's Monsoon Session likely to be curtailed as COVID-19 cases among MPs rise
The ongoing monsoon session of Parliament is likely to be curtailed and may end by the middle of next week in view of the threat of the COVID-19 spread among parliamentarians, official sources said on Saturday.
At a meeting of the business advisory committee of Lok Sabha, which has floor leaders of all parties besides the government representatives and is chaired by the Speaker, most political parties favoured curtailment of the session, which started on 14 September and was scheduled to conclude on 1 October.
A final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
09:11 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Zero Hour notices in Upper House today
Congress MP Ripun Bora on Sunday gave a Zero-Hour Notice in the Rajya Sabha over the "demand for the modification of modalities of the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced to combat the economic loss due to Covid-19 pandemic"
BJP MP Saroj Pandey gave a Zero-Hour Notice over the demand to implement Ayushman Bharat Yojna in the state of Chhattisgarh. BJP MP Vivek Thakur gave a notice over "the need for clarity on the uniform implementation of proposed Covid-19 vaccine in all states".
09:08 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Upper House proceedings begin
Former Prime Minister and newly-elected Rajya Sabha MP HD Deve Gowda takes the oath. Welcoming him, Chairman Venkaiah Naidu says that Gowda is a good addition to the House. One of the senior most politicians in the country has come to our House, says the Chairman.
Papers being laid by MoS Parliamentary Affairs.
09:02 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Three Bills taken up by RS today
The three bills are - the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill; the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill. Almost all opposition parties are demanding that the bills should be sent to the select committee of the House.
09:01 (IST)
Rajya Sabha LATEST Updates
Upper House to take up contentious farm bills today
Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the contentious farm bills on Sunday with the Congress and many opposition parties trying to put a united front to oppose these proposed legislations terming them as anti-farmer and pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also reaching out to several regional outfits for support.
Parliament LATEST Updates: Rajya Sabha is likely to take up the contentious farm bills on Sunday with the Congress and many opposition parties trying to put a united front to oppose these proposed legislations terming them as anti-farmer and pro-corporate, even as the ruling BJP is also reaching out to several regional outfits for support.
The numbers, however, appear to be in favour of the ruling dispensation to get these bills passed from Rajya Sabha, while the lower house has already cleared them despite a key NDA member Shiromani Akali Dal vehemently opposing them.
Some key BJP leaders are said to be in touch with various non-Congress opposition parties to seek support from their Rajya Sabha members for these bills.
While the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to have a clear majority of its own in the 245-member Rajya Sabha, many regional parties have backed it for the last several sessions to ensure passage of various legislations proposed by the government.
BJP leaders expressed confidence that they will get the support of over 130 members, including nine of the AIADMK and six of the YSR Congress – both of whom are not part of the ruling alliance if a division of votes is sought on these bills.
Another regional party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was also being wooed by the BJP, but its chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday asked his party MPs to vote against these bills, alleging these would cause great injustice to farmers in the country.
The BJP itself has the highest tally with 86 seats, followed by 40 of the Congress.
The three members of the SAD are sure to vote against the bills, but Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally and now in opposition, has expressed its support for these bills. The Maharashtra party has three members in Rajya Sabha.
Several other regional parties, including three-member Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party with eight seats, and BSP with four, have joined the opposition's ranks in protest against these bills but it may not prove enough to hinder their passage.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi''s forceful defence of the three bills and blistering criticism of the Opposition for protesting against them on Thursday made it clear that he remains unfazed by the opposition and that his government will press on to get Parliament''s nod for these measures aimed at opening private avenues for farmers to sell their produce.
His assertion came amid Congress and several other parties besides the SAD coming out strongly against these bills, calling them "anti-farmers".
Farmers in states like Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against these proposed laws which, their leaders allege, will end up dismantling the existing government-backed support system they have.
A number count of parties that have come out against these draft legislation suggests that there are as of now nearly 100 MPs opposing them. There is no clarity about the stand of some small parties which have around a dozen members put together.
Since the Modi government assumed office for its second time in 2019, its rivals have not been able to scuttle any of its major bills due to a rise in the ranks of treasury benches and a corresponding fall in the opposition ranks.
The Farmers'' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday, while the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was passed on Tuesday.
These bills seek to replace ordinances already promulgated by the government.
With opposition parties dubbing the three bills as "anti-farmers" and the SAD quitting his government to protest them, Modi refuted their criticism, describing these proposed laws as "historic" and stating that they will unshackle farmers by allowing them to sell their produce anywhere at a better price.
A day after resigning from Union Cabinet, senior SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said she feels "saddened" that her voice in support of farmers was not heard and demanded that the government should pause on these legislations by referring them to a parliamentary panel for wider consultations.
The government has presented these bills as pro-farmers, saying these will ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce and do not get subjected to regulations of ''mandis''.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had said on Thursday in Lok Sabha that farmers will be free to sell their produce to anyone and these bills will increase competition and promote private investment, which will help in the development of farm infrastructure and generate employment.
However, opposition parties have slammed the bills as "anti-farmers", claiming that the agriculture sector will be left to the fate of corporate interests.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal also appealed to all non-BJP parties to unite in Rajya Sabha and oppose the three bills that he claimed would leave farmers in the hands of big companies for exploitation.
At a meeting of the business advisory committee of Lok Sabha, which has floor leaders of all parties besides the government representatives and is chaired by the Speaker, most political parties favoured curtailment of the session, which started on September 14 and was scheduled to conclude on 1 October.
A final decision will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
Parliament Proceedings on Saturday
On Saturday, the Lok Sabha passed the Taxation Amendment Bill after a detailed debate in which allegations of corruption flew across Opposition and Treasury benches.
The Lower House also passed the Companies (Amendment) Bill, 2020, in an extended session.
The Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020, passed by the Lok Sabha includes extending deadlines for filing returns and for linking PAN and Aadhaar as well as allows for donations made to the PM CARES Fund to claim 100 percent deduction in taxable income.
The Bill will replace the ordinance promulgated by the Centre in March.
Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha passed two bills — the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code Bill, and the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Bill.
Additionally, MoS Labour and Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar, introduced three bills in the Lok Sabha — The Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions Code, 2020, The Industrial Relations Code, 2020, and The Code On Social Security, 2020.
September 20, 2020 at 09:16AM
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