Parliament LIVE updates: The Rajya Sabha during Narendra Singh Tomar's speech witnessed dramatic scenes over the farm laws on Friday. Parliament Highlights: The Lok Sabha proceedings were on Friday adjourned twice amid sloganeering by the Opposition parties demanding rollback of the farm laws. During a brief Question Hour of 15 minutes, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said that till now, 22 countries have placed their demands for Covid-19 vaccines before India. The countries include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, UAE, Maldives, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Algeria, Kuwait, South Africa among others. Of these, India has already supplied vaccines to 15 nations.
On Day 6 of the Budget Session in Rajya Sabha Friday, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the farmers are being misled against the farm laws and asked the opposition party members to clarify the specific issues in them. “I have spent 2 months asking Kisan Unions the problem in farm laws and I did not get any answer there, how are the laws negatively impacting the farmers no one has still told me,” Tomar said as his speech invoked strong reactions from the opposition. He concluded his speech by asserting that the three farm bills are an “important step” in ensuring the welfare of farmers.
Several opposition party members highlighted the lack of progress in the ongoing farmers agitation in the national capital. Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa said that along with depriving the farmers of the essential water and electricity supplies, protestors have “barbed wire fences around them, resembling a Berlin Wall.” These things are shameful for the world’s largest democracy,” he added.
Expressing concern over the situation at Delhi borders, Bahujan Samaj Party MP Satish Mishra said that the cutting of water and electricity supply at protest sites is a human rights violation. Similarly, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that there have been attempts to defame the farmers’ protests by the Centre. Speaking about the R-day violence at Red Fort, Raut asked why has the Centre not actually found the real culprit behind the violence.
Logjam in Lok Sabha likely to continue as Opposition will continue its protests on Monday, say sources.
Lok Sabha proceedings adjourned for the day amid uproar over farm laws.
Slogans were raised by the Opposition parties demanding withdrawal of farm laws. Amid din, Lok Sabha adjourned till 6 pm.
There are demands for India-made Covid vaccines from 22 countries including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, UAE, Maldives, Nicaragua among others says Harsh Vardhan. Of these, 15 countries have already received the vaccines.
Slogans on farm protests being raised in Lok Sabha.
Lok Sabha session starts. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan speaks on vaccines approved for Covid-19.
After a stormy session centred around the farmers' agitation, the Rajya Sabha session has concluded and the house stands adjourned till 9 am Monday.
Amid uproar in the house, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar concluded his speech by saying that the government is making efforts to double the income of farmers and ensure that their contribution in India's GDP rise, these 3 farm bills are an important step in this direction.
On the 3 controversial farm bills passed by the Centre, Tomar asked opposition parties members to clarify what in the laws is specifically harmful to the farmers. Tomar said, “I have spent 2 months asking Kisan Unions the problem in farm laws and I did not get any answer there.' 'How are the laws negatively impacting the farmers no one has still told me,” he added.
Highlighting Centre's efforts to increase farmer's income, Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said, "to double farmer incomes, Centre gave contributions through PM Kisan Yojna and over 10 crore and 75 lakh kisans have received over 1 lakh crore rupees in their bank accounts."
Asserting that the Narendra Modi government stands for the development of rural areas, Tomar said that Rural housing scheme or the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin scheme for providing households in villages.
During Covid-19, Tomar said, people were able to reap the benefits of NREGA like never before.
Tomar also highlighted that the government allocated 50,000 cr in ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana’ which opened opportunities of employment for people affected by the pandemic.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar speaking during the Rajya Sabha session on Friday said that the Narendra Modi government thinks of the welfare of farmers and stands for the rural development in the country.
Speaking on the Covid-19 pandemic, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday praised the collective efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of the country in implementing effective measures to fight the virus. Tomar said, “Prime Minister’s vital decisions can be seen in the country’s change in equipment to fight the disease.” “Initially we were low on PPE kits, now we are in a position to export kits to other countries,” he added.
Congress MP Anand Sharma called for a detailed investigation into the Red Fort violence on Republic day. Sharma expressed his sympathies for the Delhi Police personnel who had to face the R-Day violence and lost their lives as a consequence.
Sharma also criticised President Ram Nath Kovind for praising the farm laws in his presidential address at a time when lakhs of farmers were on the street demanding their repeal.
Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa accused the centre of passing farm laws at a time when the country was focused on and suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic to stifle opposition. This was an “undemocratic” manner to pass laws, Bajwa claimed. “Today we have cut electricity, water supply, internet supply of our own farmers, we have put barbed wire fences around them, resembling a Berlin Wall” Bajwa said. These things are shameful for the world’s largest democracy, he added.
The Centre is viewing the protest sites as if they are concentration camps, not allowing opposition party MPs to even visit the areas, Bajwa said.
Shiromani Akali Dal MP Sardar Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa highlighted the continuous efforts of lakhs of farmers on the Delhi borders to repeal laws that impact them. Appealing to the central government, Dhindsa said, “Unlike any other protests, farmers agitation has got support on the national and international levels, over lakhs are sitting and they deserve justice.”
Dhindsa also said that the country's tricolour was insulted on January 26, and an inquiry to punish the perpetrators of the same should be launched. In the meantime however, the blame of the violence should not be put on farmers, he said.
Expressing concern over the situation at Delhi borders, Bahujan Samaj Party MP Satish Mishra said that the cutting of water and electricity supply at protest sites is a human rights violation. "You snapped their water & electricity supplies & even removed toilets, without thinking that women are also there. This is a human rights violation, Mishra. Mishra also urged the Centre to shun their ego and repeal the farm laws that are creating so much chaos in the nation.
Similar to suppressing voices of opposition, there have been attempts to defame the farmers' protests too, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut said. Speaking about the R-day violence at Red Fort, Raut asked why has the Centre not actually found the real culprit behind the violence. “There has been no discussion from the Centre's side on who was actually behind the violence, but over 200 farmers have been put behind the bar for the same, Raut said. He also highlighted that several young protestors are still missing.
Citing examples of Rajdeep Sardasi, Shashi Tharoor and others, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that anyone who questions the government is called a “traitor” or an “anti-national.”
Multiple FIRs have been filed in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and several journalists, including India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai, National Herald’s Mrinal Pandey, Zafar Agha of Qaumi Awaz, and The Caravan’s Anant Nath and Vinod Jose for their tweets and reporting on the Republic Day violence.
Speaking on the ongoing farmers agitation, NCP MP Praful Patil said there could have been more discussions and consultations by the Centre before passing the Farm bills. “If there would have been more consultations then the scenario we see at the Delhi borders would have been different,” Patil said.