Parliament LIVE: SPG amendment bill passed in Rajya Sabha, Congress leaders stage walkout

The Special Protection Group (Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed by Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 3 December as Congress staged a walkout from the House

After various members of the Upper House delivered arguments for and against the bill related to the Special Protection Group moved by Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.

Shah explained the motive behind bringing the bill. He said, "Security is not a status symbol," in reference to the SPG-level protection being taken away from the Gandhi family. "The SPG Bill has not been brought to target the Gandhis."

Security must be above politics, Nominated Member KTS Tulsi said, standing to oppose the Bill. "Threat perception has to be decided by experts and we are not waiting for an incident to happen," he said.

Tulsi quoted a report on Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination which said that the prime cause was withdrawal of SPG cover. "It will be decided on whims of those in office on who needs protection. Request home minister to lay on table any report that says that there is no threat to Gandhis," he said

Delhi's AIIMS and Indian Council of Medical Research are jointly working on a technique for postmortem without dissecting the body and it is likely to be functional within the next six months, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

India is the the first country to start "virtual autopsy" in the south east Asian region, he added.

"The All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), New Delhi and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are working together on a technique for postmortem without incising/dissecting the body. This technique is likely to become functional in the next six months," he said.

The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir comprises the territories of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir immediately before the commencement of the Constitution, except Ladakh, but includes Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Tuesday.

Reddy said in the Lok Sabha that the territory of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir comprised the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir immediately before the commencement of the Constitution of India.

He said in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, and subsequent notification under Section 103 of this Act dated November 2, 2019, the territories of both the successor Union Territories have been specified.

A Congress member in Lok Sabha on Tuesday raised the issue of alleged breach of security at Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadhra's Lodhi Estate residence here, terming it as a "matter of serious" concern.

During Zero Hour, Anto Antony (Congress) also raised the issue of replacing the Special Protection Group cover of the family of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi with 'Z-plus' security provided by the Central Reserve Police Force.

"If it was foolproof how did seven people barge in," he asked.

He also urged the government to not play politics over security of the family that has lost two prime ministers in violent deaths.

A Shiv Sena member on Tuesday sought reply from the Finance Minister on the issue of alleged refund of Rs 40,000 crore given by the Centre to Maharashtra for various development projects including bullet train.

It was alleged that the fund was returned without spending by the hastily formed government under Devendra Fadnavis for 80 hours, Vinayak Raut (SS) said in Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour.

Raising the issue, he said this information was shared by none less than BJP member and former minister Ananth Kumar Hegde thrice in the media.

He said quoting Hegde's media claim that Devendra Fadnavis was made Maharashtra chief minister last month despite lacking majority to 'protect' Rs 40,000 crore central funds under the CM's control from being 'misused'.

The government's 'One Nation One Ration Card' initiative that will largely cover migrant labourers and daily wagers will come into force across the country from June 1, 2020, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Tuesday.

Under the initiative, eligible beneficiaries would be able to avail their entitled food grains under the National Food Security Act from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in the country using the same ration card.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday rebuked Union Minister Raosaheb Patil Danve for not paying attention to proceedings of the House.

The Speaker's disapproval of the conduct of the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs came during the Question Hour.

When Shiv Sena member Hemant Tukaram Godse asked a supplementary, Danve asked the MP to repeat the question.

MHA in Lok Sabha on number of civilians including Non-Kashmiri labourers killed in J&K, after abrogation of Article 370 said, As per the report of Government of J&K, 19 civilians including non-Kashmiri labourers were killed in terror related incidents since 5th August, 2019.

Four medical devices -- cardiac stents, drug eluting stents, condoms and intra uterine -- have been included in the national list of essential medicines and ceiling on their prices have been fixed, Union Minister Mansukh L. Mandaviya said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Mandaviya said the maximum retail prices of 20 other medical devices are monitored by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) to ensure that no manufacturer increases the maximum retail price of a drug more than 10 per cent of the MRP during preceding 12 months.

NCP’s Supriya Sule urged the government and lawmakers in the House to help in finding Tarun Gupta, a 19-year-old autistic, speech-impaired person, who went missing in Mumbai on 1 October.

Pointing out that the rise in prices of onions began in October and is a yearly phenomenon, CPM's KK Ragesh alleged that the government was aware of the rise in demand for the produce.

"The government never intervened in the price rise, but only remained a mere spectator. You are allowing onions to rot in godowns, but not giving them to people," he said.

Highlighting that India is the largest exporter of onions, that given that the price rise is an yearly phenomenon. the government could have stored produce and intervened in the operation of market forces. "Hoarders and blackmarketers are benefiting and the government is letting them loot the people," he said.

A demand to exhume and bring back remains of Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last ruler of the Sikh empire, from his grave in the English countryside was made in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Raising the issue through a Zero Hour mention, Pratap Singh Bajwa of the Congress said the issue is close to entire Punjab and "history should be corrected." Duleep Singh was born in Lahore in 1838 to powerful ruler Ranjit Singh. At the age of five the boy prince sat on the throne of the Sikh kingdom, he said, adding Punjab was annexed to British India after the second Anglo-Sikh war in 1849.

Duleep Singh was removed from the throne and separated from his mother Maharani Jind Kaur, who was imprisoned.

People are going hungry because of price rise. What is the government doing?, says Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Parliament.

BJP MP from Mathura, Hema Malini on rape & murder of woman veterinarian in Telangana says, Everyday we are hearing these things happening to women, women being harassed. My suggestion is to keep the culprits in jail permanently, once they go in jail they should not be released at all.

Wearing onion garlands, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs protested against the spiralling prices of onions in the country especially in the National Capital Territory (NCT) region.

The Tuesday List of Business in Rajya Sabha includes the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill, 2019 and the tabling of reports by some important committees and ministeries.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will move the Bill to provide special provisions for the National Capital Territory of Delhi for recognising the property rights of residents in unauthorised colonies.

The Bill will secure the rights of ownership or transfer or mortgage in favour of the residents of such colonies who are possessing properties on the basis of Power of Attorney, Agreement to Sale, Will, possession letter or any other documents including documents evidencing payment.

The Bill, which has been passed by the Lok Sabha, is for consideration and passage in the Upper House.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will move the Special Protection Group (Amendment), 2019 Bill seeking amendment to the Special Protection Group Act, 1988 for consideration and passage. The bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha.

Amit Shah will also move Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Merger of Union Territories)Bill, 2019 to provide for merger of the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha.

Reports of the department related parliamentary Standing COmmittee on agriculture by Kailash Soni and Ram Nath Thakur will be tabled. These reports include: First Report on "The National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management Bill, 2019" of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries; Second Report on the action taken by the Government on the Observations/Recommendations contained in the 64th Report on the Subject "ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal -- A Performance Review" of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Department of Agricultural Research and Education).

Third Report is on the 'Demands for Grants (2019-20)' of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Department of Agricultural Research and Education); and the Fourth Report is on the 'Demands for Grants (2019-20)' of the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying).

A report of the department related to the parliamentary standing committee on Railways by Saroj Pandey and Manoj Kumar Jha will be tabled. The first report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways (2019-20) (Seventeenth Lok Sabha) on action taken by the Government on the Recommendations/Observations contained in their 23rd Report (Sixteenth Lok Sabha) on "Maintenance of Bridges in Indian Railways: A Review"

Union MInister Prahlad Singh Patel will make a statement regarding the status of the implementation of recommendations contained in the 264th Report of the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture on the Action Taken by the Government on the observations/recommendations contained in the Two Hundred and Fifty-eighth Report of the Committee on Demands for Grants (2018-19) pertaining to the Ministry of Culture.

Ministers to lay papers on the Table include Harsh Vardhan for Ministry of Science and Technology, Shripad Yesso Naik for Ministry of Ayush, Prahalad Singh Patel for Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Culture, Raj Kumar Singh for Ministry of Power and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Ashwani Kumar Choubey for Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Anurag Singh Thakur for Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Santanu Sen gives Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over 'fake currency notes in the country'.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Prasanna Acharya has given Zero Hour Notice in Rajya Sabha over 'setting up of international disaster resilience and risk management institute in Odisha'