Updated: September 22, 2020 9:00:47 pm
MPs in Rajya Sabha after opposition MPs went on strike demanding the revocation of the suspension of 8 legislators, during the current monsoon session of parliament, at the Parliament House in New Delhi, Tuesday, September 22, 2020 ( RSTV / PTI).
On one of the most productive days in its history, Rajya Sabha passed seven key bills on Tuesday, including one that removes grains, legumes and onions from the list of essential staples, in three and a half hours, even when the Lok Sabha saw the Opposition. boycott procedures on agricultural laws and suspension of members in the Upper House.
In Rajya Sabha, opposition parties, including Congress, NCP, SP, Shiv Sena, RJD, AAP, TMC, and left-wing parties, withdrew and demanded that President M Venkaiah Naidu reinstate the eight members who were suspended for “rebellious behavior” during the passage of the two key farm laws on Sunday. Naidu said the suspension could be revoked if the members express regret for his action.
The leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House until the government accepts its three demands.
In Lok Sabha, which was suspended an hour after the proceedings began, opposition parties, including Congress, TMC, BSP and TRS, withdrew even as three labor code bills were passed.
Here are the main developments of the Parliament proceedings on the 8th
Three bills of the labor code approved by Lok Sabha
Three labor reform bills: the Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, the Labor Relations Code, 2020 and the Social Security Code, 2020, were approved by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday even as the Opposition boycotted the proceedings. More than 29 labor laws have been merged into four codes and one of them (the Wage Bill, 2019) has already been passed, Labor Minister Santosh Gangwar said.
The Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, will consolidate and modify the laws that regulate the safety, health and working conditions of people employed in an establishment and related matters.
The Labor Relations Code, 2020, seeks to consolidate and modify laws related to unions, employment conditions in industrial establishments or companies, investigation and resolution of labor disputes.
The Social Security Code, 2020, will modify and consolidate the laws related to social security with the aim of extending social security to all employees and workers, whether in the organized sector or in the unorganized sector.
In one of the most productive days in its history, Rajya Sabha passed seven key bills on Tuesday in a matter of three and a half hours, including one that removes grains, legumes and onions from the list of commodities and another that eliminates the penalty for certain crimes by companies.
First, it passed a bill to declare five newly established Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIIT) as institutions of national importance. The crucial Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill was then passed, which removes cereals, legumes, oilseeds, edible oils, onions and potatoes from the essential commodity list and removes limits on storage. This bill is part of the farm reform bills the government is pushing to increase farm incomes.
Rajya Sabha also passed amendments to the Banking Regulation Act to bring cooperative banks under the supervision of the RBI in an attempt to protect the interests of depositors. Subsequently, the 2020 Business (Amendment) Bill was passed, eliminating the penalty for certain crimes. The 2020 National University of Forensic Sciences bill and the Rashtriya Rakash University bill were passed in quick succession.
The deputies of the suspended opposition RS put an end to the sit-in
The eight suspended lawmakers ended their sit-in protest inside the House of Parliament compound after the Opposition decided to boycott the remaining session in the Upper House.
“All opposition parties have boycotted the rest of the session (in Rajya Sabha), no one attends the session. They asked us to withdraw the dharma and since no one will attend the session until the suspension is revoked, it makes no sense to continue with the dharna, ”the suspended Congressman Nasir Hussain told PTI.
Read also | For Lok Sabha, the monsoon session is likely to end on Wednesday
Hussain said the eight collectively decided to call off the protest. Another congressional MP, Rajeev Satav, said they suspended the protest as the opposition boycotted the remaining session of Rajya Sabha and added that they will now take to the streets against the farm laws.
Opposition to boycott Rajya Sabha until ‘three demands’ are met: Azad
The leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the Opposition will boycott the proceedings of the House until the government accepts its three demands. “The government will present another bill according to which no private actor can buy below the MSP, the MSP will be set according to the formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission, and government agencies like FCI should not buy crops below the MSP”, Azad said.
The ‘my way or the road’ approach is unacceptable: Venkaiah Naidu
Rajya Sabha President M Venkaiah Naidu praised Vice President Harivansh on Tuesday for showing restraint when opposition members agitated in the House and disapproved of the conduct of protesting leaders, saying the “my way or the road ” It is unacceptable.
He also appealed to members of the opposition to reconsider their decision to boycott the Rajya Sabha proceedings and asked them to participate in discussions in the House.
“Democracy means debate, discussion and decision, not interruption,” he said, adding that the president wants the Chamber to function with the full participation of the members.
Read also | Sharad Pawar to fast one day in solidarity with 8 suspended Rajya Sabha MPs
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, more than 1.06 crore of migrant workers, including those who traveled on foot during the shutdown, returned to their home states.
Government: 1 crore of migrant workers returned home on foot during March-June
More than a crore of migrant workers returned to their home states on foot during March-June 2020, including those who traveled during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, the government said Tuesday. “COVID-19 has caused the migration of large numbers of workers from destination states to states of origin,” State Minister for Road and Highway Transport VK Singh told Lok Sabha in a written response.
According to data compiled by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, more than 1.06 million migrant workers, including those who traveled on foot during the shutdown, returned to their home states, it said. According to the provisional information available, 81,385 accidents occurred on the roads (including national roads) during the period March-June 2020 with 29,415 deaths, it informed Parliament.
‘PM Modi visited 58 countries since 2015 at an expense of Rs 517 crore’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 58 countries since 2015 and a total expenditure of Rs 517 crore was incurred, the government said on Tuesday. The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, V Muraleedharan, provided details of the prime minister’s visits abroad since 2015, including their outcome, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
“The total expenditure on these visits was 517.82 million rupees,” he said. According to the details provided by Muraleedharan, the prime minister made five visits each to the United States, Russia and China, and multiple trips to some other countries such as Singapore, Germany, France, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
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