Parliament Monsoon Session Highlights: Both Houses adjourned

Over three lakh hectares of forest land has been diverted for non-forestry use in India over the last 15 years under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav told Lok Sabha on Monday.

Government data presented in the House showed 61,318 hectares of forest land in Punjab, the maximum among all states and union territories, has been diverted for non-forestry purposes since 2008-09. At present, Punjab has a total forest area of 1,84,700 hectares.

Madhya Pradesh saw 40,627 hectares of forest land being diverted for non-forestry purposes, followed by Odisha at 28,320 hectares, Telangana at 19,419 hectares and Gujarat at 16,070 hectares.

As many as 870 posts of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) are vacant, Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation General V K Singh (Retd) told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

“There is no backlog in filling vacancies of ATCOs. To meet the manpower requirements of ATCOs, an additional 796 ATCO positions have been created since 2022. Vacant posts of ATCOs are filled through direct recruitment examination as well as internally through departmental examination,” said the minister in a written reply.

“The direct recruitment process to fill up 400 posts of Junior Executive (ATC) has been completed and the selected candidates are currently undergoing training at three training institutes,” Singh said.

MPs Jaya Bachchan (SP), Priyanka Chaturvedi (SS-UBT) , Vandana Chavan (NCP), Sushmita Dev (TMC) walk out of Rajya Sabha today, protesting Ranjan Gogoi’s maiden speech.

"I appeal to the House not to proceed with this bill because this bill (Delhi services bill) is unconstitutional. Law ministry knows it is unconstitutional. This government will face a spectacular failure when this bill is taken up," says Congress MP Chidambaram on Delhi services bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"What is pending before the Supreme Court is the validity of the ordinance, and the two questions referred to the Constitution bench, and that has nothing to do with what is being debated in the House..." Ranjan Gogoi speaks about The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023. 

The Meditation Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha.

Over 3 lakh hectares of forest land diverted over last 15 years under Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980: Govt tells Lok Sabha

Discussion is underway on the Meditation Bill in Lok Sabha.

Total revenue earned from centrally-protected ticketed monuments in India in FY 2022-23 stood at ₹252.85 crore: Govt informs Parliament

Monsoon Session LIVE Updates: The Pharmacy Amendment Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. 

Rajya Sabha LIVE: Population of tigers in India increased from 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022: Govt told LS.

Rajya Sabha LIVE: The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023 has been passed in Lok Sabha.

Rajya Sabha LIVE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi will speak in no-confidence motion discussion to be held in Lok Sabha on August 8.

Rajya Sabha LIVE: "In 2013, he(Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal) tweeted that there were 10 air conditioners in then CM Sheila Dikshit’s residence and even in the bathroom there was AC, he also asked who paid for the electricity bill…now in Kejriwal's residence, there are 15 bathrooms and curtains worth ₹1 crore each": BJP MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi on Delhi services bill, in Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha LIVE: Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, MoS, Ministry of Law & Justice (I/C), Parliamentary Affairs and Culture Presented the 44th Report of the Business Advisory Committee in Lok Sabha.

Rajya Sabha LIVE: "In the Supreme Court verdict of 105 pages, nowhere it is mentioned anything against passing a law on Delhi,…In the Supreme Court order, in paragraphs 86, 95 and 164 F, it is mentioned that the Parliament has all the rights to form a law for Delhi": BJP MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi on Delhi Service Bill, in Rajya Sabha

‘Parliament Monsoon Session Live: The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023’ has been taken up for consideration and passing in Lok Sabha.

Parliament Monsoon Session Live: Lok Sabha on Monday passed Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023

Parliament Monsoon Session Live: The BJP had lost twice in Delhi and they know they can't win in the upcoming elections. So now they want to snatch the power of an elected government," says Delhi minister @AtishiAAP on Delhi services Bill which was tabled in Rajya Sabha today.

Parliament Monsoon Session Live: BJP's approach is to control by hook or crook…this bill is completely unconstitutional, it is fundamentally anti-democratic, and it is a front-term assault on the regional voice and aspirations of the people of Delhi. It violates all principles of federalism, all norms of civil service accountability and all models of assembly-based democracy: Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Delhi Service Bill, in Rajya Sabha

Parliament Monsoon Session Live: Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma called on Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla in Parliament House today.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has moved the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in Rajya Sabha

On restoration of Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha membership, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said, "It's the victory of truth over lie. In the end, truth triumphs...The restoration of Rahul Gandhi's membership is a testimony of this..."

Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath on Monday welcomed Rahul Gandhi's reinstatement as the Lok Sabha member and said everyone needs to remember Gandhi's mantra of - "don't be afraid".

“Now, we will again hear in Parliament that lion's roar which gives fearlessness to the public and creates fear among the opponents of democracy,” Nath tweeted. "We all have to remember only one mantra of Rahul ji – don't be afraid,” the senior Congress leader added.

Lok Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm on Monday amid protests by opposition members over remarks of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey pertaining to Rahul Gandhi whose membership of the House was restored on Monday and who was present in the House.

Dubey referred to report in a US-based newspaper about links between “Chinese propaganda” and a US Tech Mogul and said the article also mentions an Indian news site which is being probed by ED.

He also made allegations against the Congress in relation to China and sought a probe by Election Commssion.

Dubey said that Rahul Gandhi had met the then-Chinese envoy during the Doklam standoff.

(Input from wire)