Top Hour of Parliament Budget Session 2022: Know 10 Highlights
Position of India in Democracy Index
The government has written to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat to disallow an MP’s provisionally accepted question (PAQ) in the Upper House on the ‘Position of India in Democracy Index’, seeking the reason why India slid to the 53rd position in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index.
- Questions By TMC MP Shanta Chhetri
The question, scheduled for a response on February 10, had been asked by TMC MP Shanta Chhetri. She wanted the Minister of External Affairs to cite the reasons for India’s slide to the 53rd position in the EIU Democracy Index, whether the government was aware that it reflected India in poor light, and whether the government had taken steps to improve India’s ranking.
- Delay in Appointment of Judges
The government has “never deliberately” delayed the appointments of judges, instead it has carried out “due diligence” to ensure that only those who are fit to hold the posts make the cut, Union minister of law and justice Kiren Rijiju told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
Rijiju also said he has been pushing the Supreme Court and High Court collegiums to give preferences to women and those from backward classes while recommending the names for appointments of judges.
- NEET Exemption
Congress MP Manickam Tagore gave an Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha to discuss the issue of Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi returning to the Assembly Speaker a Bill that seeks exemption for the state from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).
After the commencement of Rajya Sabha proceedings commenced on Friday, MPs of DMK started protesting against Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi returning to the Assembly Speaker a Bill that seeks exemption for the state from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET). A walkout over the issue has been staged by the Congress, DMK and TMC leaders.
While talking about the walkout DMK MP Trichy Siva said that the Tamil Nadu CM met the Governor two times and urged him to send the NEET bill to the Central Govt but he didn’t. He acted against federal spirit. They wanted to highlight this in Rajya Sabha but were not allowed. In protest, Congress, CPI (M), CPI, TMC, RJD and IUML walked out.
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- Fearful of future, mistrust the present
“They are fearful of the future and they mistrust the present,” Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra lashed out at the Center. “You fear a future India which is comfortable in its own skin, which is comfortable with conflicting realities… You are not content with just our vote, you want to get inside our heads, inside our homes, to tell us what to eat, what to wear, who to love. But your fear alone cannot keep the future at bay,” she said while speaking in the parliament.
- Rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits
To raise the matter of rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gave a Zero Hour Submission in the Rajya Sabha.
- Committed to forming MSP panel
The government is committed to forming a panel on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the Election Commission has said it can be done after the polls are over, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
While announcing the repeal of three farm laws in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to set up a committee to discuss the farmers’ demand of a legal guarantee on MSP.
