NEWS

RSP member N K Premachandran has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and urged him to ensure protection of rights of the House, alleging that “legislative process has become a fruitless exercise” as the government keeps pushing Bills through without discussion.

The MP from Kollam said the government was “taking hasty steps to pass very important Bills having serious ramifications” when there is “complete pandemonium in the House”. In the letter, copies of which were sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, he wrote that it is “not fair, proper and in violation of rules, conventions and precedents of the House”.

Pointing out that seven Bills have already been passed when the House was not in order, Premachandran, member of the panel of chairmen to preside the House, wrote: “Denationalisation of General Insurance Sector, Amendment to IBC code, Tribunal Reforms Bills, Essential Defence Service Bill were drastic structural amendments... Passing such very important Bills having a basic change of policy of the government without discussion is an insult to Parliamentary democracy.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that direct benefit transfer has helped check leakages of over Rs 1.75 lakh crore with technology aiding the government to deliver services in a more efficient and transparent manner, especially to the poor.

“Earlier people often said that technology is only for the rich¸ so why does India need technology? When our government seeks to turn technology into a mission, then several political leaders and some specific types of experts raise questions. But today, the government has proved them wrong…. Today, we see technology as a tool to help the poor and in their development. The world is witnessing that technology is bringing about transparency and honesty in India…. How it is creating new opportunities… it has reduced dependence on the government and red-tapism,” he said, while launching e-RUPI, an electronic voucher scheme.

Parliament was abuzz on Monday as Opposition leaders received a breakfast invitation from Rahul Gandhi as part of his outreach programme.

Many believe the former Congress president has found his form this Monsoon Session, batting to the gallery and, many times, offering fellow Opposition mates an opportunity while himself being at the non-striker's end.

Rahul Gandhi will host leaders of more than 17 Opposition parties for breakfast at the Constitution Club, situated near the Parliament complex, on Tuesday. The only big player that would not attend the meeting is the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and expectedly so as it has not been very aggressive on Snoopgate. There has been a continuing logjam in Parliament over a united Opposition's demand for a discussion on the issue and the government's refusal to it.

Twenty-four “self-styled” institutes have been declared fake by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and two more have been found in violation of the norms. This was informed by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan in response to a written question in Lok Sabha.

“Based on the complaints received from the students, parents, general public and also through electronic print media, UGC has declared 24 self-styled institutes as fake universities. Besides, two more institutes namely Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow, and Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), Qutub Enclave, New Delhi are also found functioning in violation of the UGC Act, 1956. The matters of Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Lucknow and IIPM, New Delhi are sub-judice in the court,” he added.