Parliament Diary

Question Hour functioned in both Houses today. In Rajya Sabha, Members raised questions on the declining value of the Indian rupee against the US dollar and on the cess charged by the central government. On the performance of the rupee, the Finance Minister said that it has withstood the impact of the US Fed's decision much better than other peer currencies. Another Member raised concern over fraudulent loan apps. The Finance Minister assured that several Ministries, including Finance, IT, Corporate Affairs and Home Affairs, are working together on addressing the issue.

Replying to another question, the Health Minister provided an update on steps taken to contain the monkeypox cases. He said that the government has issued guidelines to state governments, made 15 labs available for testing, and written to the Dubai government for testing details of passengers travelling to India.

During the discussion on price rise in the House, Members spoke about rising unemployment, constrained household budgets and decreasing levels of consumption. One Member raised concern over the declining quality of mid-day meals in schools due to the impact of price rise.

In Lok Sabha, the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Bill, 2021 was discussed and passed. The Bill increases the species protected under the law, and implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Joint Committee on the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 submitted its report in Parliament. The Standing Committee on Energy also submitted its reports on "Review of Power Tariff Policy - Need for uniformity in tariff structure across the Country" and "Evaluation of Wind Energy in India,”

The Finance Minister was replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha at the time of uploading this note.