Parliament met for the 5th sitting of the Budget Session today. The
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Amendment) Bill, 2014 was
introduced in Lok Sabha today. The Bill had been promulgated as an Ordinance earlier in May.
The Bill amends the Telecom Regulatory Authority Act to allow its
previous chairman and members to take up other jobs in the central or
state governments two years after demitting office.
Lok Sabha also passed The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2014.The Bill was also promulgated as an Ordinance in May, 2014.The
Bill seeks to transfer of 136 villages, 211 hamlets and seven mandals
of Khammam district in Telangana to the successor state of
Andhra Pradesh.
According to news reports, the villages in Khammam district in Telangana
have been merged with the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh for
the construction of the Polavaram irrigation project. The project
involves the linking of the Krishna and Godavari rivers. The dam to be
built in the district of West Godavari would enable the storing of 832
thousand million cubic feet of water. This is expected to result in
irrigating an additional 232,000 acre in Andhra Pradesh. The Andhra
Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 had declared this project as a
'national project', and that the central government would be responsible
for its execution.
A discussion on the Railway Budget was also undertaken in Lok Sabha,
after which the House undertook Private Member Business. 31 Private
Member Bills were introduced in the House today, after which Members
discussed a resolution on creation of a new Ministry for the Development
of Himalayan States. Rajya Sabha also saw a discussion on the Railway
Budget following which Private Member Business was undertaken in the
Upper House and 16 Private Member Bills were introduced.