Budget Session LIVE: 'Super PM' Sonia Gandhi was heart of UPA's economic mismanagement, says FM

"Leadership was at the heart of UPA's mismanagement and corruption-driven 10 years of government. The central problem point during UPA era was a rudderless and leaderless government. Sonia Gandhi acted as the 'Super Prime Minister' as Chairperson of the NAC. NAC had unaccountable and unconstitutional powers. Why did files go to such an unaccountable and unanswerable body for approval?" FM Nirmala Sitharaman asked.

She said the 'andolan jivis' who were members of the NAC used to prepare legislations, including Right to Food and Right to Information. "Should that be acceptable to the members of Parliament?"

"When Dr Manmohan Singh was on a tour, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tore up the ordinance in a press conference. Wasn't that insulting the country's Prime Minister? He (Rahul Gandhi) didn't care for his own Prime Minister," she said.

Sitharaman also said under the UPA government there was "glaring mismanagement of defence" sector and its highlight was the ₹3,600 crore AgustaWestland scam.

"Critical shortage of ammunition & defence equipment was the main feature of 2014 when we inherited the economy. Bullet proof jackets were not available for our soldiers. Night vision goggles were not available," Sitharaman said.

Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram referred to the white paper presented on the Indian economy in Parliament as a "white-lie paper" and a "hatchet job".

"The White Paper put out by the government is a hatchet job. It is a white-lie paper. Even the authors will not claim that it is an academic, well-researched or scholarly paper," Chidambaram said in a statement.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented a "white paper" on the Indian economy in Parliament on Thursday.

Parliament on Friday passed a bill that aims to curb malpractices and irregularities in competitive examinations, and entails provisions for a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine up to ₹1 crore for offences.

The bill was passed through a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha, after amendments proposed by some opposition members were rejected. The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on February 6.

Replying to a discussion on the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister Jitendra Singh said the youth power of the country is "vital" and asserted that the bill is meant to deter those who are playing with their future.

He asserted that merit cannot allowed to be hijacked by non-merit.

"We can't allow vital youth power of this country to be surrendered or sacrificed in the hands of a handful few...Very cautiously, we have kept the bona fide candidate out of purview of the law, be it a job aspirant or a student. So the message does not go that this new legislation is meant to harass the youth of this country. It is only meant to deter those who are playing with their future, and thereby the future of the nation," Singh, the Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said.

The doctor-population ratio in the country stands at 1:834 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Lok Sabha on Friday.

As per the information provided by National Medical Commission (NMC), there are 13,08,009 allopathic doctors registered with the state medical councils and the National Medical Commission (NMC) as on June, 2022, Mandaviya said responding to a question.

"Assuming 80 per cent availability of registered allopathic doctors and 5.65 lakh AYUSH doctors, the doctor-population ratio in the country is 1:834 which is better than the WHO standard of 1:1000," he said.

White paper mere "election ploy" to distract people from BJP's failures: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi

The government is bringing laws and is taking other steps to make social media platforms more accountable for any slanderous content posted on their platforms, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

The minister, who was responding to supplementaries during question hour, said the government is amending intermediary rules for social media to tackle the menace of misinformation and deep fake.

"Yes, we are amending the intermediary rules. The reason for that is the deep fake issues have come up in a very big way," the minister told the house.

He added, "With the spread of misinformation and deep fakes, we must take strict and urgent action to ensure that this menace is removed. So we are amending the intermediary rules. We are coming up with provisions where there is a significant responsibility bestowed on the social media platforms so that they can detect deep fakes, they can detect misinformation and take early action."

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Friday termed the trading of accusations between BJP and Congress over their handling of economy nothing but a self-serving exercise and wondered whether public welfare is possible amid such "narrow politics."

"The trading of allegations between the BJP and the Congress, and proving each other wrong through a 'white paper' and 'black paper' ahead of the Lok Sabha election is nothing but an exercise done for electoral gain," Mayawati said in a statement in Hindi.

PTI

TDP Member of Parliament Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar on Friday demanded that the Centre take steps for revival of Visakhapatnam Steel Plant and review its decision to divest government stake.

He was speaking in Rajya Sabha during Zero Hour.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs had in January 2021 given in-principle approval for 100 per cent strategic disinvestment of the government shareholding in RINL -- also called Visakhapatnam Steel Plant or Vizag Steel -- along with RINL's stake in its subsidiaries/joint ventures.

"Subsequent to the decision of the government, there is much discontent among crores and crores of people of Andhra Pradesh. Employees and union of the plant are staging demonstrations and protesting against the decision. The request to reconsider the government decision has been made in different fora by people's representatives," Kumar said.

He told the House that RINL was operating at 68 per cent of 6.3 MTPA capacity up to February 2023. Though the blast furnace and steel furnace are modernised and enhanced to 7.3 MTPA, the downstream integrated steel plant producing capacity has not been expanded to 7.3 MTPA, he added.

PTI

BJP Chief Whip in the Rajya Sabha, Laxmikant Bajpai issues a three-line whip to party MPs to be present in the Rajya Sabha on 10th February to support the government's stand.

"During the UPA times, there was financial indiscipline in the country but no financial planning. They (Congress) have looted approx ₹12 lakh crores of people's money...Since 2014, there has been discipline in every instance and now we are the 5th largest economy in the world... We are ready to discuss with Congress about our doings in the last 10 years here in the parliament or even in public... If Congress come to power, corruption, communal crisis and unemployment will rise again...", says Union minister G Kishan Reddy

"When you don't put the nation first, when you put your first family first, and when you have other consideration than transparency, the results are out there for you to see. So what happened after 2008 when there was a global financial crisis and what happened post-COVID shows clearly that if the intent of the government is sincere results will be good," says finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha

"In the CAG report on the Coal Scam stated that it caused a loss of ₹1.86 lakh crore for India...", finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Lok Sabha

“India suffered a huge loss because of the Coal Scam at the hands of the UPA govt,” says finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha,"Our government handled global crises much better than UPA. UPA could not build infrastructure due to CWG scam."

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha,"White Paper' has been laid on the table by the government, after 10 years of pulling out an Indian Economy which was in fragile five to reach the stage of top five. It is a statement laid with responsibility..."

"I believe that this is a useless attempt. Who doesn't praise Manmohan Singh government's 10-year rule. All the schemes being implemented today are of the Manmohan Singh government, be it MNREGA or the Food Security Bill," says Congress leader Rajiv Shukla

BJP leader Saumitra Khan says, "The Opposition is not allowed to speak in the Vidhan Sabha (West Bengal). Our party leaders want to speak but are unable to do so. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee is working on her own terms..."

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi says, "The 'White Paper' is nothing but an attempt to divert the attention of the public from PM Modi's failed promises...The real issues: inflation and unemployment will dominate people's minds in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections."

TMC MP Santanu Sen tells ANI, "PM Modi makes false promises. He does not speak about unemployment, inflation & the youth. The budget presented by CM Mamata Banerjee despite the non-corporation of the centre is a pro-people budget..."

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey will set off the discussion on the 'White Paper', tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman comparing the economic management during 10 years of the Congress-led UPA government with that of 10 years of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled dispensation, in Lok Sabha on Friday.

“Have you ever seen a government waiting for 10 years to discuss about a regime that was there a decade back. It's for the election purpose. Selective amnesia and cherry picking are the basic characters of this white paper,” says CPI-M MP John Brittas

Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jagan Mohan Reddy arrives in Parliament

BJP MP K Laxman slams Congress on OBC remark row. “Congress and Rahul Gandhi have the habit of constantly passing remarks on PM Modi's caste. They cannot digest the fact that PM Modi comes from a backward class and is soon going to become the Prime Minister for the third time,” Laxman told ANI

A Parliamentary panel has proposed route-specific capping of airfares and setting up of a separate entity to exercise control over air ticket prices, amid concerns in various quarters about surging fares, PTI reported. After considering the responses from the civil aviation ministry on airfares, the committee said that self regulation of ticket prices by airlines has not been effective.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has moved an adjournment motion in Lok Sabha demanding a discussion on the Assam government's spending on air travel for state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the Lower House on Friday. Gogoi said that ₹58,23,07,104, spent on air travel for Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and other VIPs, including for non-governmental purposes, are very concerning, ANI reported.