Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged "systematic interference" of Facebook and other social media giants in India's electoral politics. (ANI) Parliament Budget Session 2022 Live Updates: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged “systematic interference” of Facebook and other social media giants in India’s electoral politics. Making a Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi referred to a report published in Al Jazeera and The Reporters’ Collective claiming that Facebook had offered BJP cheaper deals for election advertisements as compared to other political parties.
The Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha resumed proceedings at 11 am on Wednesday after it was adjourned by Speaker Om Birla late on Tuesday. The Centre is set to present the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill later today.
The government has taken serious note of the incident of an Indian unarmed super-sonic missile being “inadvertently” launched on March 9, which landed in Pakistan, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament Tuesday. Singh also assured the House that India’s missile systems are reliable and safe, and the incident is being investigated. Making a statement in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday morning, Singh said, “During routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 pm. It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha during the second part of Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi, Monday, March 14, 2022. (PTI)
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday urged the government to put an end to the alleged "systematic interference" of Facebook and other social media giants in India's electoral politics.
Making a Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi referred to a report published in Al Jazeera and The Reporters' Collective claiming that Facebook had offered BJP cheaper deals for election advertisements as compared to other political parties.
"I urge the government to put an end to the systematic interference and influence of Facebook and other social media giants in the electoral politics of the world's largest democracy. This is beyond partisan politics," she said. (PTI)
Addressing the ways in which social media platforms have been misused by political parties and their leaders, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said: "Thank you for allowing me to take up issue of paramount importance - rising danger of social media being abused to hack our democracy. Global companies like FB and Twitter are used increasingly to shape political narratives by leaders, parties and their proxies." (ANI)
Manipur's caretaker CM N Biren Singh arrived at the Parliament on Wednesday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. “I have come to meet the Prime Minister and Home Minister,” he told ANI.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Wednesday gave a Zero Hour Submission in Rajya Sabha over wholesale inflation. "...Through this House, I urge the government to take appropriate measures to take away the burden from the common man and curb the rising inflation timely," reads her submission. (ANI)
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The second half of the Budget session of Parliament resumed from March 14 and will conclude on April 8. Follow this space for the latest updates.
Government schemes have not been able to address the issues faced by the tribal population in India and these communities remain on the "backfoot" on major indicators such as literacy rate, infant mortality rate, access to clean drinking water, and digital infrastructure, CPI (M) member V Sivadasan told Parliament on Tuesday.
Participating in a discussion on the working of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Sivadasan hit out at the government saying that while various programmes had been announced, in reality "nothing is happening in the field". "The tribal community in our country is facing lot of problems but the Union government is not ready to address the issues properly," he said in the Rajya Sabha.
Drawing attention to the plight of the tribal communities, he said the tribal population was "clearly on the backfoot" when it came to all major indicators including literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, and access to clean drinking water as well as digital infrastructure. Sivadasan said that in 2021-22, the fund allocation for model residential schools was pegged at Rs 1,200 crore, but the utilisation was "zero".
"In tribal sector, a lot of research is required, but the government is not allocating the funds for research activities. Tribals have a lot of indigenous knowledge, it should be preserved and protected," he said, adding that of the Rs 60 crore allotted for the Tribal Research Institute, only Rs 1.6 crore have been utilised in 2021-22. (PTI)
Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as "incomplete and insufficient" the response by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in parliament about the "accidental firing" of a missile and demanded a joint probe into the incident which the Pakistani military said could have resulted in a "major disaster."
Addressing a press conference here, Shah Mahmood Qureshi talked in detail about India's accidental missile launch of March 9 that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province as well as the 48th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers being hosted by Pakistan on March 22-23.
“What Indian defence minister had said in the Lok Sabha is incomplete and insufficient. It is not enough to satisfy Pakistan. I reject that and demand a joint probe,” he said, reiterating Islamabad's demand made last week. “This was a highly irresponsible act and the answer given is equally irresponsible,” Qureshi said in the first Pakistani reaction to Singh's detailed statement in Parliament.
At a Corps Commanders' Conference held in Rawalpindi, Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa discussed the accidental missile launch by India. "The forum reviewed with concern, the recent incident of missile firing, claimed as accidental by India, which could have resulted in a major disaster. (PTI)
The government has achieved goals such as higher revenue collection, widening of tax net as well as curbing terror funding post the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 bank notes in November 2016, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Tuesday.
The government had cancelled the legal tender status of high value Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denomination bank notes on November 8, 2016, aimed at flushing out black money, eliminating Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN), and striking out the root of financing of terrorism and left-wing extremism, among others. It also intended to formalise the non-formal economy, expand the tax base and employment, as well as give a big boost to digitalisation of payments to make India a less cash economy.
The purpose accomplished by demonetisation on revenue collection and widening of tax base and the gains accrued include robust growth of 18 per cent in 2017-18 in net direct tax collections over 2016-17, Chaudhary said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. The minister said it was the highest in the preceding seven financial years, indicating the positive impact of demonetisation on the level of tax compliance in the country. (PTI)
The government on Tuesday said that the total population of stray dog and stray cattle was 203.31 lakh as per the 2019 census. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Parshottam Rupala said: "National level of information regarding livestock population is collected every five years.
"The last livestock census was conducted in 2019 and next census is due in 2024. As per 2019 census, total population of stray dog and stray cattle in the country was 203.31 lakh." The management of public health, sanitation and cattle pounds comes under the purview of the State/UT Government and the local bodies need to evolve the mechanism to control stray animals in order to protect the citizens, he added.
The number of persons killed by animals stood at 1,130 in 2018, 1,425 in 2019 and 1,305 in 2020. (PTI)
No death has been reported for engaging in manual scavenging but 325 people have lost their lives in accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks in the last five years, the government said on Tuesday.
Family members of 276 people who died during the said period have received compensation, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
"No death has been reported due to engaging in manual scavenging (which is lifting of human excreta from insanitary latrines as defined in Section 2(1) (g) of the MS Act, 2013)," Athawale said in a written response.
He said 325 people have died due to accidents while undertaking hazardous cleaning of sewer and septic tanks during the last five years. The highest number of such deaths have been reported from Uttar Pradesh at 52 followed by Tamil Nadu 43, Delhi 42, Haryana 33 and Maharashtra 30. (PTI)
The government on Tuesday said irregularities in the appointment of chief strategic advisor in the NSE during the tenure of a former MD and CEO were observed and the appointment was made without following due process.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has informed that an ex-MD&CEO of NSE, had sought guidance from a 'siddha purusha/yogi', Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhry said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. During the course of investigation by Sebi, it was found that certain emails on various matters were exchanged by that MD&CEO with the yogi, he said.
"Sebi has informed that irregularities were observed in the appointment of the chief strategic advisor (CSA), during the tenure of that ex-MD&CEO of NSE. This appointment was made without following due process of appointment," Chaudhry added.
Accordingly, Sebi imposed monetary penalty and other restrictions on that ex-MD&CEO and the then CSA for violation of provisions of Sebi Act, 1992 and SCRA, 1956/Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act. The matter relates to former NSE CEO Chitra Ramkrishna and Group Operating Officer Anand Subramanian, who are currently under the custody of the CBI, as the agency is probing them in the co-location scam. (PTI)
Lok Sabha on Tuesday will continue its proceedings for the ongoing Budget Session till 10 pm tonight. Discussion on the Demands for Grants of the Ministry of Railways for 2022-23 is underway in the Lower House.
The Centre has returned the anti-lynching bills of Rajasthan and Manipur to the respective state government seeking certain clarifications. Union Minister Nityanand Rai said this in Lok Sabha on Tuesday in response to Congress MP Manish Tewari's question on whether the central government has been delaying the review and consultation process with regards to the two bills.
"The government has received 'The Rajasthan Protection From Lynching Bill, 2019' and 'The Manipur Protection from Mob Violence Bill, 2018'".
“After consultation with the nodal ministries and departments, certain clarifications have been sought from the government of Rajasthan and the government of Manipur on October 12, 2021, and November 18, 2021, respectively," Rai said replying to a written question. The Rajasthan assembly passed the bill in August 2019 and it prescribes life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1-5 lakh to those convicted in cases of mob lynching leading to victim's death.
The Manipur assembly passed the bill in December 2018 and it prescribes life imprisonment for those involved in mob violence, if it results in the death of a person. (PTI)
The government on Tuesday said in Lok Sabha that it is ready to hold discussion on the Ukraine issue. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said this has been decided in the Business Advisory Committee of the House.
'The government is ready for discussion on the Ukraine issue. Please give notice for that,' he said after the Opposition sought clarification on a statement made by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In his statement on the situation in the war-torn country, Jaishankar said that 22,500 Indian citizens have returned safely from Ukraine. Jaishankar made a similar statement in Rajya Sabha earlier.
Rajendra Agrawal, who was in the chair, rejected the demand for clarification. He said that in Lok Sabha, there is no provision for clarifications on a statement given by a minister. (PTI)
The Press Information Bureau's fact check unit, set up to take cognisance of fake news, has responded to over 31,000 queries so far, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
A Fact Check Unit was established under Press Information Bureau in November 2019 which takes cognizance of fake news both suo motu and by way of queries sent by citizens on its portal or through e-mail and social media. The unit responds to the relevant queries with correct and updated information.
Responding to a question raised in the Lower House, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said, "PIB Fact Check Unit has responded to 31,174 actionable queries till date." To a question on government initiatives to ban substandard online channels broadcasting fake news, he said news publishers on digital media are covered under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, notified on February 25, 2021, under Information Technology Act, 2000. (PTI)
Opposition members on Tuesday accused the government of indulging in jugglery of railway finances and sought to know whether it intends to privatise the Indian Railways after Air India.
Initiating the debate on Demand for Grants 2022-23 for Railway in Lok Sabha, Congress member K Suresh accused the government of running the railways in an inefficient manner and said it is indulging in jugglery in allocation of funds.
"... The intention of this government is privatising the Indian Railways also. Air India already sold. Now next step of this government is Indian Railways. That will happen very soon," Suresh said, asking the Railway Minister whether the Indian Railways will remain under Government of India or not.
He alleged that the government is not taking any sincere action to achieve the rail revenue target set in the Budget. For 2022-23 fiscal, the internal revenue of railways has been pegged at Rs 2.40 lakh crore, a 19 per cent increase from the revised estimates of the current fiscal. (PTI)
Naxal violence in the country has reduced by 77 per cent, from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021, Union minister Nityanand Rai told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Union minister of state for home Nityanand Rai said the Central government has been supplementing the efforts of states as envisaged in the 'National Policy and Action Plan to address Left Wing Extremism', which was launched in 2015. He said the steadfast implementation of the policy has resulted in consistent decline in violence and constriction of its geographical spread.
"The incidents of LWE violence have reduced by 77 per cent from all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. Similarly, resultant deaths --civilians and security personnel -- have reduced by 85 per cent from all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 147 in 2021," he said while replying to a written question. (PTI)
The Centre has not yet taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens for the entire country, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday. The minister said on the direction of the Supreme Court, the supplementary list of inclusions and the list of exclusions for the NRC in Assam have been published on August 31, 2019.
“Till now, the government has not taken any decision to prepare the National Register of Indian Citizens at the national level,” he said in a written reply to a question. An update of the NRC (also referred to as NRIC) has been carried out only in Assam. When the final list of the NRC was published in 2019, a total of 19.06 lakh people, out of 3.30 crore applicants, were excluded, triggering a huge political row in the country. (PTI)