Parliament Winter Session: Day 7 HIGHLIGHTS

Both the House have been adjourned till 11 am Thursday.

As many as 719 national highway (NH) projects are facing delays and 438 projects of these are likely to be completed in the ongoing fiscal, Parliament was informed. As many as 268 projects are facing delays of less than a year, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Rajya Sabha. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari said, "The government constantly monitors sanctioned projects and as part of this exercise, 719 delayed National Highway projects have been identified across various states." These projects are not stalled but have gone beyond the scheduled date of completion due to reasons like above average monsoon rainfall in some states, COVID-19 pandemic, bottlenecks in land acquisition and financial crunch of the concessionaire.

A bill which seeks to rename the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre as the India International Arbitration Centre was moved for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha. The New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by the Lok Sabha on August 8, 2022. After moving the bill in the Upper House, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Every member will be supporting the bill, but I also expect some valuable suggestions and contributions while discussing this bill.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday hit out at the government for not holding a discussion in Parliament on the India-China border issue, and said giving out a “short statement” without any clarification is not democratic. Tharoor’s remarks came a day after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a statement to Parliament, said Chinese troops tried to “unilaterally” change the status quo along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Yangtse area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9, but the Indian Army compelled them to retreat with its “firm and resolute” response.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that stagflation occurs when there is a slowdown in the economy and a high inflation rate. However, as India is the fastest-growing economy in the world with low retail and wholesale inflation rates, it does not face the risk of stagflation, she added. 

Parliament passed a bill that seeks to include the Gond community in the Scheduled Tribes category in parts of Uttar Pradesh. The bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Uttar Pradesh) Order, 1967 (ST Order) and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 (SC Order) with respect to its application to Uttar Pradesh.

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw hinted that the concessions given to the senior citizens in the railways may not be restored as of now as he said that Rs 59,000 crore subsidy for the passenger services were given last year and pension and salary bills of the public transporter are very high. Vaishnaw was responding to a question by independent MP from Maharashtra Navneet Rana in Lok Sabha on when the concessions given to the senior citizens in train travel will be restored. It has been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The minister said the railways had given Rs 59,000 crore subsidy for passenger services, which is a big amount and larger than the annual budget of some states.

A BJP member raised the issue of Bihar hooch tragedy in Lok Sabha demanding immediate suspension of Superintendent of Police of Saran. Janardan Singh Sigriwal claimed that hundreds of people die every day consuming illicit liquor in Bihar. About a dozen people have lost their lives in today's hooch tragedy in Saran district of Bihar, he said.

Congress MP moved adjournment motion in LS to discuss police raids at poll strategist's office in Telangana.

TMC MPs walked out from Lok Sabha after being denied discussion on China.

Congress MPs staged a walkout from Lok Sabha after being denied discussion on China. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Sonia Gandhi led the walk out.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge demanded detailed debate on India-China troops clash in Lok Sabha.

Opposition leaders' meeting was held at the chamber of Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, to chalk out a joint strategy on the Indo-China tussle and other issues.

The Opposition has created a ruckus in Lok Sabha demanding discussion over India-China border clash at Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector. 

The Opposition led by Congress has demanded a discussion in Lok Sabha over India-China border clash in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang.

Congress MP Manish Tewari gave Adjournment Motion notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the situation at the border with China in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.

Som Prakash will make a statement regarding the status of implementation of the Recommendations contained in the 168th Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce on Demands for Grants (2022-23) (Demand No. 11) pertaining to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Reports of Public Accounts Committee
Shri Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury Dr Satya Pal Singh to present the following Reports
(Hindi and English versions) of the Public Accounts Committee (2022-23):-
(1) Fifty-fourth Report on 'Implementation of Public Financial Management System (PFMS)'.
(2) Fifty-fifth Report on 'Provisioning, Procurement and issue of High Altitude Clothing, Equipment, Ration and Housing'. 
(3) Fifty-sixth Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Public Accounts
Committee contained in their 85th Report (16th Lok Sabha) on 'Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP)'.
(4) Fifty-seventh Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee contained in their 21st Report (17th Lok Sabha) on ‘Implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006’.
(5) Fifty-eighth Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee contained in their 25th Report (17th Lok Sabha) on 'Financial loss due to non-receipt of Completion-cumOccupancy Certificate, Loss due to failure to levy departmental
charges & Undue benefit to contractor'.
(6) Fifty-ninth Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee contained in their 31st Report (17th Lok Sabha) on 'Implementation of Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)'.
(7) Sixtieth Report on Action Taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee contained in their 32nd Report (17th Lok Sabha) on 'Preparedness for the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)'.

SECRETARY GENERAL to report three messages from Rajya Sabha regarding:-

• (1) The Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
• (2) Association of one Member from the Rajya Sabha with theCommittee on Public Accounts.
• (3) Association of three Members from the Rajya Sabha with the Joint Committee on Offices of Profit.

Following Ministers to lay papers on the Table:-

1. DR. JITENDRA SINGH for Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic Energy; and
2. Ministry of Science and Technology; 
3. SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution;
4. SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL for Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs;
5. SHRI DANVE RAOSAHEB DADARAO for Ministry of Railways; and Ministry of Coal;
6. SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution;
7. SHRIMATI ANUPRIYA SINGH PATEL for Ministry of Commerce and Industry;
8. SHRIMATI DARSHANA VIKRAM JARDOSH for Ministry of Textiles; and 
9. SHRI SOM PARKASH for Ministry of Commerce and Industry.