Parliament Diary

Discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address continued for the second day in Parliament. A Member stated that the collateral-free loans to support 13.5 lakh MSMEs have helped the economy, and the proposed spending on infrastructure will lead to job creation. Another Member raised concerns over the government’s increased emphasis on privatization of assets and low spending on education. Referring to a Parliament Question, the Member pointed out that the Centre’s budget allocation for education has remained at about 1%.

Speaking on the debate in Lok Sabha, one Member said the revisions to the IAS cadre rules were dangerous to India’s federal polity and asked the government to address the concerns raised by various Chief Ministers. 

During Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, one Member from Kerala sought a time extension to submit comments on the draft Rubber and Spices Amendment Bills citing a lack of publicity and a short time frame. The draft Rubber (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022 and the draft Spices (Promotion and Development) Bill, 2022 were released for public comments in January. The Member also suggested that an MSP should be established for rubber and spices.

The Standing Committee on Energy presented its report on the ‘Financial constraints in the Renewable Energy Sector’. Four reports of the Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture were also tabled. These included reports on 'Creation of Regulatory Framework for Protection of Historical Sites and Monuments' and 'Promotion of Indian Tourism in Overseas Markets'. 

Proceedings were ongoing in Lok Sabha at the time of uploading this post.