Parliament Day 15 Round Up: Congress Holds 'Black' Protest; 2 Bills Tabled in LS

Both the Houses will reconvene on 8 August.

Protests continued on the 15th day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament on Friday, 5 August, with Congress MPs protesting against issues such as GST hike, price rise and unemployment.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh introduced The Competition (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha, which seeks structural changes in the governing order of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). After reconvening at 2 pm, Lok Sabha also discussed the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Between the protests, walkouts, and war of words, here’s a round-up of what transpired on Day 15 of the Monsoon Session:

• Law Minister Kiren Rijiju tabled the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (Amendment) Bill in the Lower House which seeks to rename the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre to promote the image of India as a hub of institutional arbitration.

• Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh tabled the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha which seeks to make it mandatory for buildings with a minimum connected load of 100 kW to meet their energy requirements from renewable sources.

• After discussions on the private bill 'The Right to Health Bill, 2021', Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Mansukh Mandaviya informed the Rajya Sabha that the number of MBBS seats doubled from 51,000 to one lakh in the past eight years.

• Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh introduced The Competition (Amendment) Bill seeking substantive provisions to allow the CCI to address the needs of new-age markets.

• During Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of some Urdu-medium schools in Jharkhand who are observing weekly holiday on Fridays instead of Sundays, and demanded a probe into it by the NIA, fearing "Islamisation" and demanded that the Centre withhold funds to these schools.

• Six countries, including the US, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines have shown interest in India's Tejas aircraft while Malaysia has already shortlisted the jet under its acquisition programme, said Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in Lok Sabha.

• Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu told the House that MPs cannot avoid summons of law enforcement agencies in criminal cases when the session is on or otherwise, as “it’s our duty to respect law & legal procedure.”

• Congress MPs, dressed in black to protest against inflation and price hike, raised slogans and demanded that the GST hike on essential items be withdrawn, with party chief Sonia Gandhi standing with the women MPs holding a banner outside gate number 1 of Parliament.

• Members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam walked out of the proceedings of Lok Sabha in protest, claiming that they were not allowed to raise issues in the House.

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla remembered the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bomb attacks on completion of 77 years of the catastrophe.