Parliament Diary

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha saw adjournments in the first half due to disruptions by Members seeking a discussion on inflation in the country.

In the second half, the discussion on the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Civil Aviation concluded in Lok Sabha today. Responding to the debate, the Minister pointed out that the sector has rebounded with daily passenger traffic standing at 3.8 lakh at present as compared to 4.2 lakh passengers before the pandemic. Highlighting the competitiveness of the sector, the Minister said that the number of air passengers in the past year was comparable to the number of passengers who travelled in AC-1 and AC-2 rail coaches.

The House then took up discussion on the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Noting that exports have declined in the current year, a Member expressed concern over low budgetary allocation for heads like marine exports and tea exports. The discussion did not conclude.

In Rajya Sabha, the Finance Minister responded to the discussion on the Budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The House then resumed its discussion on the working of the Ministry of Railways.

Earlier in the day, the Standing Committee on Finance presented its report on 'The Chartered Accountants, the Cost and Works Accountants and the Company Secretaries (Amendment) Bill, 2021'. Some of the recommendations of the Committee are:

• The Bill proposes that the disciplinary committees should not be headed by the Members of the three institutes. The committee noted that such an amendment does not significantly take away the professional autonomy of the institutes.
• Noting that a single institute has statutory monopoly power over qualification and licensing of accounting professionals in the country, the Committee observed that multiple bodies, on the lines of advanced countries, are needed to promote healthy competition and improve the credibility of financial reporting.

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports also tabled its report on 'The National Anti Doping Bill, 2021’. 

Proceedings in both Houses were ongoing at the time of uploading this note.