Parliament Budget Session: First phase concludes; Houses to reconvene on March 9

The first leg of Parliament’s Budget Session concluded on Friday, with both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha adjourned for a three-week recess. The two Houses will reconvene on March 9.

The session, which began on January 28 with President Droupadi Murmu’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament, is scheduled to span 30 sittings over 65 days and conclude on April 2.

The opening phase witnessed sharp political exchanges over the India-US interim trade deal and the controversy surrounding remarks linked to the unpublished memoir of former Army Chief MM Naravane.

During the recess, Department-related Standing Committees will examine the Demands for Grants of various ministries and departments.

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said the government has decided to withdraw its proposed motion against Rahul Gandhi over references to Gen Naravane’s unpublished memoir during his Budget speech in the Lok Sabha.

Rijiju told reporters that the decision followed a Substantive Motion moved by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

He added that once the Substantive Motion is admitted, the government will consult the Speaker on whether the matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee or the Ethics Committee, or be taken up directly in the House for discussion.

(with inputs from ANI)

RELATED ARTICLES

14 mins ago | Bank Branches

Majumdar Calls for Faster Banking Expansion as 73% of Identified Northeast Villages Are Covered

Of the 9,479 identified villages in the Northeast, 6,905 (around 73 per cent) are now connected to a bank branch or India Post Payments Bank (IPPB), while 2,574 remain to be covered, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region and...

1 hour ago | bilateral cooperation

Jaishankar meets Georgian counterpart in Abu Dhabi, discusses trade, connectivity and regional developments

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Georgian counterpart Maka Botchorishvili in Abu Dhabi and discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas including business, connectivity and culture. The meeting came as Jaishanka...

1 hour ago | Asian Cultural Ties

India’s Civilisational Journey Has Been a Story of Cultural Exchange: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India’s civilisational journey has, for centuries, been a story of cultural exchange, with centres of learning such as Nalanda facilitating the exchange of knowledge across Asia and Buddhist monks...