In Parliament, Rajnath speaks on Ladakh, Oppn protests over GST dues

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (September 17) no force in the world can stop Indian jawans from patrolling the country’s border in Ladakh.

Prior to that, he made a statement on the fourth day of the ongoing Monsoon Session on the situation in eastern Ladakh. His statement came after the government and opposition agreed not to have a discussion on the sensitive issue. But Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu allowed members to seek a few clarifications on the statement.

COVID-19: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in Rajya Sabha said that the government is aiming to bring down India’s COVID-19 mortality rate to less than 1 per cent from the current 1.64 per cent, which is still the lowest in the world.

Facebook: Congress leader KC Venugopal demanded a probe by a parliamentary panel into Facebook’s alleged interference in India’s electoral democracy and that the platform publish all hate speech posts that were allowed since 2014.

Pakistan: MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan said the government rejected Pakistan’s “obsession” with “territorial aggrandisement” supported by cross border terrorism, in a reference to Islamabad unveiling a new political map laying claim to Indian territories.

Howdy-Modi: Muraleedharan said the Centre did not incur any expenses for the ‘Howdy-Modi’ event in Houston last year. PM Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump addressed a crowd of over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the event on September 22, 2019.

Related news: Jaya Bachchan flays BJP’s Ravi Kishan, says he ‘bites the hand that feeds you’

UNSC: India has accorded the “highest priority” to getting permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council that reflects the contemporary global realities, the minister further said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

BharatNet: MoS Communications Sanjay Dhotre said the timeline for the second phase of BharatNet project, earlier slated to be completed by August 2021, will now be extended as its pace was affected by the lockdown.

Malware: A malware named ‘BlackRock’, equipped with data stealing capabilities, has been reported targeting the Android mobile devices, Dhotre has informed the Parliament.

In Lok Sabha

Farm bills: Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar moved The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, and The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, in Lok Sabha.

He said the Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanism for farmers will continue and that the mechanism will not be impacted by two proposed legislations. He said these proposed laws would not encroach upon the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee Acts of the states.

Related news: Lok Sabha passes bill to cut down MPs’ pay by 30%

SAD Unhappy: Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal announced in Lok Sabha that party leader and Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal will quit the Modi government in protest against the three farm bills tabled by the Centre.

Delhi Metro: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation suffered a loss of around ₹1,609 crore due to the closure of metro services in view of the pandemic, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday. Delhi Metro services were shut on March 22 and resumed on September 7 in a phased manner.

Cargo traffic: Cargo traffic at India’s major ports has declined considerably since March onwards, adversely impacted by the pandemic, said the government. COVID-19 impact at major ports started from March 2020, Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of eight opposition parties held a protest in the Parliament complex demanding GST dues. Congress leaders were absent from the protest.

Addressing a press briefing after the protest, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O’Brien said that the largest opposition party was not invited for the agitation.

Leaders from the TMC, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Samajwadi Party (SP), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena took part in the protest.

The protest comes ahead of a scheduled debate on GST in Rajya Sabha.