Parliament Winter Session: Lok Sabha passes Disaster Management Amendment Bill 2024

Both Houses were adjourned for the day. The Parliament will reconvene at 11 am on Friday. 

Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day amid disruptions as the members of the treasury and opposition benches traded charges over a no-trust motion brought against Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and the BJP's allegations of the Congress leadership's "links" with billionaire investor George Soros. The Upper House has been witnessing a ruckus as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been alleging links between the Congress and Soros, and has also slammed the opposition for moving the motion against Dhankhar.

There are 1,316 and 586 vacant posts of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said today. Of the total sanctioned strength of 6,858 IAS, there were 5,542 officers in-position, as on January 1, 2024, he said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. There were 4,469 IPS officers working against their sanctioned strength of 5,055, said Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel. Of the 1,316 vacant posts of IAS, 794 were meant for direct recruit and 522 were promotion posts, he said. Of the 586 vacant IPS posts, 209 were for direct recruit and 377 were promotion posts, the minister said. There are 2,151 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers in-position against their sanctioned strength of 3,193, Singh said.

As many as 1.78 lakh people are killed in road accidents annually in the country and 60 per cent of the victims are in the age group of 18-34 years, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha today. He lamented that people do not fear the law and many drive two-wheelers without helmets and some jump the red signal. "One unfortunate fact is that of the 1.78 lakh people dying in road accidents, 60 per cent are in the age group of 18 to 34 years. Still there is no fear of law. Some do not wear helmets, some jump red signal," he added.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has issued a three-line whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs, mandating their presence in the House on December 13 and 14, 2024. According to party officials, key legislative business is slated to be discussed during these sessions in both Houses of Parliament.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sushmita Dev has accused the government of censorship in the Rajya Sabha, alleging that critical issues like unemployment, inflation, and the Manipur crisis are being suppressed.

The Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 1 pm today amid a intense verbal duel between BJP and Congress members over the George Soros and Adani issues.

In a strong rebuttal to the BJP's claims, Congress MP Kiran Kumar Chamala asserted that the opposition is only protesting outside the House and will not disrupt the proceedings. Chamala accused the BJP of trying to mislead the public by blaming the opposition for disrupting the House.

The procedure of the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 2 pm amid a ruckus in the Upper House.

BJP MP JP Nadda in Lok Sabha slammed the Opposition saying they do not respect parliamentary tradition.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said, "Whatever happened in the House yesterday was extremely inappropriate and no comment should be made on any respected member, especially women. This is not in accordance with the dignity of the House. I would request the respected members to refrain from personal comments and personal comments on any caste, society, women, men etc in their speeches...The honourable member (Kalyan Banerjee) has also apologised for this in the House and has also given it to me in writing.

Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra joined Opposition MPs in their protest over the Adani matter, at the Parliament premises.

Congress MP Rajeev Shukla has come out in support of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's statement on Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, saying that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) must have consulted with other opposition parties before making the statement.

In a show of solidarity, opposition leaders gathered in the Parliament complex to protest against the government's handling of the Adani issue. The demonstration, which took place on Monday, saw leaders from various opposition parties, including Congress, DMK, JMM, and Left parties, come together to demand action against Adani.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh has given a suspension of business notice in the Rajya Sabha to discuss the alarming rise in crimes and threats to representatives in Delhi.