Parliament Diary

The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was passed without discussion in Lok Sabha. The Bill nullifies the retrospective taxation of income earned from the sale of shares of a foreign company (which first came about through the 2012 Finance Act). The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was also passed similarly without discussion. The two Bills were introduced yesterday. 

In Rajya Sabha, where no government legislative business was listed, the House adjourned after both Question Hour and Zero Hour were disrupted. The Upper House functioned for about an half-an-hour today. Before adjourning, the Deputy Chairman informed the House that notices have been admitted for Calling Attention Motions and Short Duration Discussions on farmer’s agitations and other subjects. He encouraged the Members to fix a time for taking them up.

The Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports submitted its report on Plans for Bridging the Learning Gap caused due to School Lockdown. Noting that the present situation has exacerbated the learning crisis with marginal and vulnerable children getting adversely affected, the Report recommended an accentuated vaccine programmes for all students, teachers and allied staff so that schools may start functioning normally at the earliest. It further recommended each school to have at least two Oxygen concentrators with trained personnel to address any eventuality and provide first aid.