On Wednesday, the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill 2022, seeking to merge the three municipal corporations of the National Capital, was passed in the Lower House.
The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill seeks to unify the three municipal corporations into a single, integrated and well equipped entity to ensure a robust mechanism for synergised and strategic planning and optimal utilisation of resources, Home Minister Amit Shah said.
The Bill was passed by a voice vote and various amendments moved by the Opposition members were rejected.
The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was also passed by Lok Sabha.
Here are the updates:
Lok Sabha adjourns
The Lower House adjourns till 11 am on Thursday.
House passes Bill to merge three municipal corporations of Delhi
The Lok Sabha passes the Bill to merge three municipal corporations of Delhi on Wednesday. The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 seeks to amend The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, to undo the earlier 2011 amendment to the Act by which the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Delhi was trifurcated into separate North, South, and East Delhi Municipal Corporations.
Delhi govt is scared of losing MCD polls, alleges Home Minister Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleges that the Opposition claiming that the MCD polls have been postponed due to fear are "scared themselves". "If you are so confident of the victory then why do you want elections right now? If you have done good work, you will win 6 months later too," says the union home minister during discussion on the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha.
Taking a jibe at the Congress, the home minister adds, "I'll tell you what's done when polls are feared. Allahabad HC had cancelled the election of Indira Gandhi. Soon after, a PM, who didn't have the right to vote in this House, snatched away democratic rights in the country and imposed Emergency. That's fear."
MCD Amendement Bill within powers vested in Parliament as per Section 239, says Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah while discussing the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in the Lok Sabha, said that the Bill is as per the Constitution since Delhi is a Union Territory and the Centre has the right to bring any legislation to it.
"Talks being held about rights of states. I can't bring such a Bill for Maharashtra, Gujarat or Bengal. Neither I nor the Centre can do it in states. But if you don't know the difference between a state and UT, I think Constitution needs to be studied again," says the home minister.
Discussing municipal issues in Parliament is against cooperative federalism, says Supriya Sule
NCP member Supriya Sule, speaking on the Bill to reunify Delhi civic bodies in Lok Sabha, questioned the need to discuss municipal issues in the Parliament rather than raising larger policy issues.
"What happened to cooperative federalism? someone will challenge this in court, why unnecessary issue?" asks the Nationalist Congress Party MP.
Employee demands are not just from state govt but also Centre, says Congress’ Gaurav Gogoi
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi Wednesday claimed that the BJP had in the past raised the demand to divide the municipal corporations of the National Capital in 5-6 divisions but is “taking a U-turn now”.
Centre wants Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill for ‘political reasons’, says Shiv Sena’s Arvind Sawant
Speaking on the MCD Amendment Bill, Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant accused the central government of misusing the power given under Article 239AA and overriding powers of the Delhi Assembly.
"In Maharashtra, we also feel govt doing step motherlt treatment, many other states also feel so. At a time when the population is increasing, the government aims to reduce councillors through this Bill," says the Shiv Sena leader.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra speaks on the Delhi Municipal Corporation Amendment Bill
The insidious nature of this Amendment Bill is that under the garb of unifying the three corporations, the central government is seeking to usurp the power vested in the government of Delhi, Ms. Moitra says.
Delhi government treats the municipal corporations like a stepmother, alleges Home Minister Amit Shah.
This prevents the municpal corporations from fulfilling their duties, the minister adds.
The amendment introduced by Mr. Shah proposes to merge the three municipal corporations operating in different parts of Delhi into one.
Home Minister Amit Shah moves Bill to amend the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 for consideration and passing.
Nirmala Sitharaman replies to MP Supriya Sule’s questions regarding the government’s control on the funds and resources of the ICAI.
The ICAI was formed as a result of an act passed by the Parliament, so how is it theirs, says Ms. Sitharaman.
Nirmala Sitharaman explains the amendment regarding the restructuring of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
Having a non-CA as presiding officer is very much in line with the global best practices, Ms. Sitharaman says.
Ms. Sitharaman explains the structure of the Board of Discipline (BOD) of the ICAI. The BOD is currently a three-member body: a presiding officer who is a Council member, one member nominated by the government, and one member nominated by the Council. The Amendment Bill suggests changing the presiding officer to someone who is not a chartered accountant (CA) nominated by the government from out of the panel prepared and provided by the Council itself.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replies after the discussion on The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021
“There is no proposal or intention here to infringe upon the autonomy of these three institutions,” Ms. Sitharaman says.
Lok Sabha resumes proceedings
Bhartruhari Mahtab is in the chair.
Lok Sabha adjourned
The House will resume proceedings at 2.15 p.m.
Wedding guests and menus should be limited by law, says Congress MP Jasbir Singh Gill during Zero Hour
“As a parliamentarian, why don’t you start this practice,” Speaker Om Birla says in response to Mr. Gill’s suggestion.
Question Hour ends
House debates on devising mechanism for authentication of social media accounts and users by Govt
Congress MPs Abdul Khaliq and Manish Tewari asked the Electronics & IT Ministry to clarify its stance on not introducing authentication of social media accounts and users in lieu of the rising pursuit of “pernicious agenda” on the platforms. In response, Minister of State for Electronics & IT Rajeev Chandrashekhar stated the Govt was balacing issues pertaining to privacy and those related to safety and trust on the platform.
He apprised the house of the existence of Rule 4(2) of the Intermediary Guidelines pertaining to the use of social media. It states that it mandates social media companies to flag content that are in contravention and bear the potential of disrupting the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Conscious of the gender-gap in pursuit of science, devising new projects and schemes to address the same: MoS Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh
In response to a question by Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, the Minister of State for Science & Technology stated there was a mismatch of preferences. He pointed out while students would opt for science at high-school, they would not necessarily go on to pursue a career in the stream. Dr Singh elaborated his case by saying that 90% getting through civil services come from medical and engineering streams.
Dr Singh pointed to the existence of an aptiudanal crisis in the Indian society, that was yet evolve. He added the Govt of conscious of the gender disparity in pursuit of science and is regularly devising new schemes and programs to address the same.
BSNL attained operating profit after several years: Minister for Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw
In response to questions pertaining to state-owned telecom operator’s present operability, the Telecom Minister apprised the house that it was presently running at operating profit. He added following the Rs 69,000 crore package in 2019, the telecom operator is now a stable entity.
He added the home-grown radio and 4G core network is ready and would be rolled out soon. The Telecom Minister added that as per scientist estimates, 5G too would be completed by the end of the year.
Proceedings commence in the Lok Sabha. Question Hour in progress.
List of Business
- Question Hour
- Papers, reports of the parliamentary standing committee to be laid on the table
- Secretary-General to report two messages from Rajya Sabha regarding the Appropriation Bill, 2022 and the Finance Bill, 2022
- Ganesh Singh to lay on the Table the Fourth Report (Hindi and English versions) of the Committee of Privileges
- Dr Jitendra Singh and Darshana Vikram Jardosh to make statements regarding their respective ministries
- Arjun Ram Meghwal and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to present the 32nd Report of the Business Advisory Committee
- Further consideration of The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021
- Further consideration of The Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022
Day 11 recap
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply that the Ministry has declined to renew the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act or FCRA licence of 466 NGOs since 2020.
Mr. Rai said in a written reply that as many as 34 people from outside Jammu and Kashmir have bought properties in the Union Territory after the abrogation of its special status in August 2019.
Mr. Rai said in the Lok Sabha that nearly 3,400 communal riot cases were registered in the country between 2016 and 2020.
