3055 Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu conducts proceedings during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, in New Delhi. RSTV/PTI
Ravi S Singh
New Delhi, February 5
The Opposition in the Rajya Sabha amped up their stand against the three farm laws on Friday, demanding their repeal and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention to end the deadlock.
They demanded a time-bound judicial probe headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the violence and defiling of the national flag at Red Fort on Republic Day.
On the other hand, the BJP members put up a stout defence of the laws, saying they were reformative and aimed to scale up the agriculture sector.
The House was first adjourned for about 40 minutes till 10:30. As soon as the House met again, similar scenes were witnessed leading to another adjournment till 11:30 am.
The Congress, the Left, the TMC, the DMK and the RJD members first walked out from Rajya Sabha after their demand for suspension of business of the day for taking up the discussion was rejected by the Chair.
Opposition members shouted slogans to disrupt the Question Hour, forcing Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn the proceedings till 10:30 am.
As the protesting members continued sloganeering, Naidu asked them to return to their seats.
“Please go to your seats and allow the House to function. Some of you said the last time that not having question hour is ‘murder of democracy’. This is a statement made outside,” he said.
New Delhi, January 21
Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Rattan Lal Kataria has expressed concern over increasing water conflicts in the country, while presiding over a review meeting of the Central Water Commission.
He lauded CWC’s premier role in country efforts to better manage water resources.
Kataria’s concern over water conflicts was in the context of water disputes among states often degenerating into an emotive and political issue.
Consequently, the disputes become long drawn and defy amicable resolutions.
A number of states are involved in long-standing disputes on waters of inter-state rivers.
Dispute on Ravi-Beas waters between Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, and on Cauvery waters between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry are among the major inter-state disputes.
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Ravi S Singh
New Delhi, January 19
The Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria, took a review meeting of the Central Soil and Material Research Station (CSMRS) on Monday and urged its functionaries to further step up efforts towards making India self-reliant.
The CSMRS of the Ministry is famous for its core competency in investigation, consultancy and applied research in challenging geotechnical environment in large scale water resources projects.
It is at the forefront in the domains of soils, rocks, concrete, rockfill, geosynthetics and other materials for water resource projects.
It plays a pivotal role in carrying out the investigation and analysis of soil, rock and other geological parameters which is critical for design and construction of large scale structures, including dams, barrages and water canals.
Ravi S Singh
New Delhi, January 15
President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday donated over Rs 5 lakh for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya on behalf of his family.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday launched the nation-wide fund-raising campaign for the construction of the Ram temple. The campaign, which ends on February 27, is being supported by the RSS and its affiliates, and Hindu saints and seers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders cutting across political boundaries will be approached for donations during the campaign.
Kovind, in presence of his family members, handed over the cheque to a team headed by Treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Govind Das Giri.