New Delhi: On being asked if there is everything all right between Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Businessman Robert Vadra said there are no issues between Congress’ top leadership. Robert Vadra said, “Never. I’ve not seen any kind of issues with them at all. If they have any kind of arguments, it’s healthy arguments about how we can do something better for the country. No positions and no power can change any kind of dynamic between them or even me. People supposed that I was very upset because I didn’t get to fight from Amethi. It has no meaning to me. I don’t see any kind of issues between any people in the family. We will work together for the whole country…”
Tag: INC
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All bills passed after the admission of no-trust motion constitutionally suspect, says Manish Tewari
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday claimed that all bills passed after the no-confidence motion was admitted in the Lok Sabha are ‘constitutionally suspect’ and asserted that any substantive legislative business must succeed the outcome of the motion, not precede it.
The former Union minister also said the 10-day period for scheduling a discussion on the no-confidence motion tabled in the Lok Sabha cannot be used to ‘steamroll’ bills.
The Lok Sabha MP’s assertion comes as the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance is set to come up in the House this week.
READ MORE: Opposition ‘INDIA’, BRS move no-confidence motion against Modi government in Lok Sabha
In an interview with PTI, Tewari said once the no-confidence motion has been tabled in the Lok Sabha, any legislation or material business brought before the HouseThe former Union Minister also said the 10-day period for scheduling a discussion on the no-confidence motion tabled in the Lok Sabha cannot be used to ‘steamroll’ Bills is completely in violation of morality, propriety and parliamentary conventions.
He claimed the very legality of all the legislations which have been passed in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha after the no-confidence motion was admitted would have to be examined by a court of law as to whether they were legally passed or not.
“All legislative business transacted after the no-confidence motion was tabled is “constitutionally suspect”, he claimed.
On the BJP comparing the 2018 no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government and the massive mandate it got in the 2019 elections with the current scenario, Tewari said, “If history repeats itself once, it is a tragedy and if it does so twice, it is a farce.”
A no-confidence motion by the Congress on behalf of the opposition alliance INDIA against the government was admitted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid concerted efforts by the anti-BJP bloc to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the contentious Manipur issue in Parliament.
Asked about the numbers not adding up for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc for the no-confidence motion, Tewari said it was not a question of numbers but of morality.
“What has happened in Manipur and what is continuing to happen there is absolutely reprehensible. There is a BJP government in the state, there is a BJP government at the Centre. Therefore, somebody needs to take responsibility,” Tewari told PTI.
He said the opposition expected the prime minister to make a suo motu statement in both Houses of Parliament on the ‘extremely critical situation’ in Manipur and that statement would have been succeeded by a discussion.
But, unfortunately, the prime minister chose to make a very ‘cursory remark’ just before the commencement of the Monsoon session.
READ MORE: PM Modi breaks silence over ethnic violence in Manipur after video shows mob molesting women
After that, adjournment motions tabled in both Houses of Parliament repeatedly were not admitted by the presiding officers, the Congress leader said.
“Thus the joint opposition was left with no option but to bring this no-confidence motion to enforce the principle of morality, probity and accountability in public life which must be the sine qua non of any governance,” he asserted.
Asked about the expectations from Prime Minister Modi’s response to the no-confidence motion, Tewari said the motion states that “this house expresses want of confidence in the council of ministers” and the reason for that want of confidence has publicly been articulated ‘ad nauseum’ for the past one week.
“So under those circumstances, if the prime minister chooses not to respond to Manipur it would be a travesty,” the MP from Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib said.
On the BJP’s contention that in the past instances of violence in the northeast, ministers have replied and not the prime minister, Tewari said the Modi government could have accepted adjournment motions submitted by opposition MPs.
“We had been tabling adjournment motions every day. The government could have accepted the adjournment motions which can be replied to by a minister. The government chose not to accept them,” he said.
“Under these circumstances, if the prime minister could speak outside Parliament and say that the developments in Manipur have made our heads hang in collective shame then what was the hesitation and diffidence in coming and addressing Parliament on the same issue,” Tewari argued.
Asked whether the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance should be brought after the no-confidence motion is deliberated and voted upon, Tewari said, “Even (the book by) MN Kaul and SL Shakdher, which I had quoted, is explicit that once the no-confidence motion is accepted by the Speaker, no other business should be given precedence.”
Tewari recalled that in July 1966 when a no-confidence motion was brought against the government, the then minister for parliamentary affairs, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, had accepted the fact that once such a motion is before the House, no other material business should be transacted.
Asked about the opposition’s insistence on discussing the no-confidence motion immediately despite the rules talking of a 10-day period for scheduling, Tewari said it was for the simple reason that when there is want of confidence in the council of ministers, what is the locus that the government to bring legislations and get them passed in the House.
“Those 10 days are there because if the presiding officer in his wisdom wants to adjourn the House and take it up at a later point in time within 10 days, that flexibility has been given to the presiding officer to schedule the vote of confidence,” he said.
It is not a period that can be utilised to ‘steamroll’ legislations or substantive policy matters through the House without any discussion, the Congress leader asserted.
Asked whether the constituents of the INDIA alliance would take part in the debate if the bill to replace Delhi ordinance is taken up for consideration before the no-confidence motion or will they oppose its introduction and boycott it till the motion is taken up, Tewari said that would be a call which the INDIA alliance has to take.
There is a general sense that the ordinance is a ‘Serious assault on federalism’, he said.
“According to me, every legislation, important or unimportant, should succeed the outcome of a no-confidence motion and not precede it,” the Congress MP said.
On disruption rather than debate becoming the norm, Tewari said while disruption is a legitimate parliamentary tactic, the responsibility of running Parliament rests squarely on the shoulders of the government.
The doctrine of disruption being a legitimate parliamentary tactic was not coined by the Congress but by the BJP’s Arun Jaitely when he was the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, he said.
NEW DELHI: Congress MP Manish Tewari on Sunday claimed that all bills passed after the no-confidence motion was admitted in the Lok Sabha are ‘constitutionally suspect’ and asserted that any substantive legislative business must succeed the outcome of the motion, not precede it.
The former Union minister also said the 10-day period for scheduling a discussion on the no-confidence motion tabled in the Lok Sabha cannot be used to ‘steamroll’ bills.
The Lok Sabha MP’s assertion comes as the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance is set to come up in the House this week.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
READ MORE: Opposition ‘INDIA’, BRS move no-confidence motion against Modi government in Lok Sabha
In an interview with PTI, Tewari said once the no-confidence motion has been tabled in the Lok Sabha, any legislation or material business brought before the HouseThe former Union Minister also said the 10-day period for scheduling a discussion on the no-confidence motion tabled in the Lok Sabha cannot be used to ‘steamroll’ Bills is completely in violation of morality, propriety and parliamentary conventions.
He claimed the very legality of all the legislations which have been passed in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha after the no-confidence motion was admitted would have to be examined by a court of law as to whether they were legally passed or not.
“All legislative business transacted after the no-confidence motion was tabled is “constitutionally suspect”, he claimed.
On the BJP comparing the 2018 no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government and the massive mandate it got in the 2019 elections with the current scenario, Tewari said, “If history repeats itself once, it is a tragedy and if it does so twice, it is a farce.”
A no-confidence motion by the Congress on behalf of the opposition alliance INDIA against the government was admitted in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid concerted efforts by the anti-BJP bloc to force Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the contentious Manipur issue in Parliament.
Asked about the numbers not adding up for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc for the no-confidence motion, Tewari said it was not a question of numbers but of morality.
“What has happened in Manipur and what is continuing to happen there is absolutely reprehensible. There is a BJP government in the state, there is a BJP government at the Centre. Therefore, somebody needs to take responsibility,” Tewari told PTI.
He said the opposition expected the prime minister to make a suo motu statement in both Houses of Parliament on the ‘extremely critical situation’ in Manipur and that statement would have been succeeded by a discussion.
But, unfortunately, the prime minister chose to make a very ‘cursory remark’ just before the commencement of the Monsoon session.
READ MORE: PM Modi breaks silence over ethnic violence in Manipur after video shows mob molesting women
After that, adjournment motions tabled in both Houses of Parliament repeatedly were not admitted by the presiding officers, the Congress leader said.
“Thus the joint opposition was left with no option but to bring this no-confidence motion to enforce the principle of morality, probity and accountability in public life which must be the sine qua non of any governance,” he asserted.
Asked about the expectations from Prime Minister Modi’s response to the no-confidence motion, Tewari said the motion states that “this house expresses want of confidence in the council of ministers” and the reason for that want of confidence has publicly been articulated ‘ad nauseum’ for the past one week.
“So under those circumstances, if the prime minister chooses not to respond to Manipur it would be a travesty,” the MP from Punjab’s Anandpur Sahib said.
On the BJP’s contention that in the past instances of violence in the northeast, ministers have replied and not the prime minister, Tewari said the Modi government could have accepted adjournment motions submitted by opposition MPs.
“We had been tabling adjournment motions every day. The government could have accepted the adjournment motions which can be replied to by a minister. The government chose not to accept them,” he said.
“Under these circumstances, if the prime minister could speak outside Parliament and say that the developments in Manipur have made our heads hang in collective shame then what was the hesitation and diffidence in coming and addressing Parliament on the same issue,” Tewari argued.
Asked whether the bill to replace the Delhi services ordinance should be brought after the no-confidence motion is deliberated and voted upon, Tewari said, “Even (the book by) MN Kaul and SL Shakdher, which I had quoted, is explicit that once the no-confidence motion is accepted by the Speaker, no other business should be given precedence.”
Tewari recalled that in July 1966 when a no-confidence motion was brought against the government, the then minister for parliamentary affairs, Satyendra Narayan Sinha, had accepted the fact that once such a motion is before the House, no other material business should be transacted.
Asked about the opposition’s insistence on discussing the no-confidence motion immediately despite the rules talking of a 10-day period for scheduling, Tewari said it was for the simple reason that when there is want of confidence in the council of ministers, what is the locus that the government to bring legislations and get them passed in the House.
“Those 10 days are there because if the presiding officer in his wisdom wants to adjourn the House and take it up at a later point in time within 10 days, that flexibility has been given to the presiding officer to schedule the vote of confidence,” he said.
It is not a period that can be utilised to ‘steamroll’ legislations or substantive policy matters through the House without any discussion, the Congress leader asserted.
Asked whether the constituents of the INDIA alliance would take part in the debate if the bill to replace Delhi ordinance is taken up for consideration before the no-confidence motion or will they oppose its introduction and boycott it till the motion is taken up, Tewari said that would be a call which the INDIA alliance has to take.
There is a general sense that the ordinance is a ‘Serious assault on federalism’, he said.
“According to me, every legislation, important or unimportant, should succeed the outcome of a no-confidence motion and not precede it,” the Congress MP said.
On disruption rather than debate becoming the norm, Tewari said while disruption is a legitimate parliamentary tactic, the responsibility of running Parliament rests squarely on the shoulders of the government.
The doctrine of disruption being a legitimate parliamentary tactic was not coined by the Congress but by the BJP’s Arun Jaitely when he was the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, he said.
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Pursuing all legal remedies at our disposal: Cong on court directing Twitter to block its account
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said it was pursuing all legal remedies at its disposal after a court in Bengaluru directed Twitter to block its official handle and that of its Bharat Jodo Yatra over alleged music copyright infringement.
The party said it was not present during the proceedings and has not received the order.
A dedicated commercial court for Bengaluru Urban District directed the microblogging site Twitter to block the handles of the Indian National Congress (INC) and its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ till the next date of hearing. Also, the court ordered the removal of three tweets posted by the party.
The court order came on a suit filed by MRT Music which is the copyright holder of the soundtracks from the film ‘KGF Chapter 2’.
“We have read on social media about an adverse order from a Bengaluru court against INC & BJY SM handles,” the Congress said on Twitter.
“We were neither made aware of nor present at court proceedings. No copy of the order has been received. We are pursuing all the legal remedies at our disposal,” the party said.
It has been alleged by the firm that its copyright has been infringed upon and sought a permanent injunction against the INC and its leaders from using its copyrighted music.
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Monday said it was pursuing all legal remedies at its disposal after a court in Bengaluru directed Twitter to block its official handle and that of its Bharat Jodo Yatra over alleged music copyright infringement.
The party said it was not present during the proceedings and has not received the order.
A dedicated commercial court for Bengaluru Urban District directed the microblogging site Twitter to block the handles of the Indian National Congress (INC) and its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ till the next date of hearing. Also, the court ordered the removal of three tweets posted by the party.
The court order came on a suit filed by MRT Music which is the copyright holder of the soundtracks from the film ‘KGF Chapter 2’.
“We have read on social media about an adverse order from a Bengaluru court against INC & BJY SM handles,” the Congress said on Twitter.
“We were neither made aware of nor present at court proceedings. No copy of the order has been received. We are pursuing all the legal remedies at our disposal,” the party said.
It has been alleged by the firm that its copyright has been infringed upon and sought a permanent injunction against the INC and its leaders from using its copyrighted music.
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India stands at 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, WHO norm is 3 nurses per 1,000: Associations
By IANS
NEW DELHI: At a recent national meeting on the first-year completion of the #NurseMidwife4Change campaign, the campaign partners, Indian Nursing Council (INC), All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF), The Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), Society of Midwives-India (SOMI) and Jhpiego, came together to discuss the issues affecting the nurse and midwifery profession and the progress made so far.
The experts recognized the nurses’ and midwives’ role and contribution to India’s health care system. The esteemed participants deliberated the need to further uplift the status of nurses and strengthen the cadre of Nurse midwives in India.
The talks highlighted some of these vital considerations, investment in education, staffing of nurse midwives, nursing leadership, nurse-patient ratio, workload, long working hours, double shifts, and others.
The experts also discussed the need to prioritize investments to further strengthen this cadre and position nurse midwives as leaders, educators, and collaborators. The new guidelines by the government of India are being seen as a move in the positive direction by nursing organisations.
Today, India stands at 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, as opposed to the World Health Organization (WHO) norm of 3 nurses per 1,000. The poor nurse-patient ratio is leading to increased workload, long working hours, double shifts and others leading to low quality of treatment.
This issue must be resolved to build a robust health workforce in the country. Presently, policy priorities targeted at strengthening the nursing sector in India have mainly focused on increasing the number of nurses in the health care system.
To set the tone for systemic policy reforms, the panelists discussed the policy priorities toward building a health workforce for the future aimed at achieving universal health coverage. A much-needed representation of the nursing workforce in leadership roles is required across India, which also includes setting up nursing directorates across all states to ensure better governance and policymaking. This will help in the evolution of the nursing workforce as an independent professional body and build a quality workforce of nurse professionals.
The WHO’s Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021-2025 lays down policy priorities that can enable countries to ensure that their midwives and nurses optimally contribute to achieving universal health coverage and other health-related goals.
ALSO READ | Salaries due, home nurses blame agencies for apathy
T. Dileep Kumar, President- Indian Nursing Council, said: “Nurses play a crucial role in the healthcare industry, and their importance cannot be undermined. Over the last two decades, India has made significant progress in plugging the gaps in overall availability of nurses. Due to several concrete efforts by the Government of India, the country witnessed a doubling of nursing workforce – from 0.8 nurses per 1000 population in 2000 to 1.7 in 2020. However, this number is still less than the WHO norm of 3 nurses per 1000 population, creating a need for systemic reforms. Through #NurseMidwife4Change, we have been able to initiate a conversation around the issues faced by our nurses and midwives and are hopeful of a measurable impact in the coming months.”
Prof (Dr) Roy K George, President-Trained Nurses Association of India, said, “The #NurseMidwife4Change campaign has been successful in mobilizing voices to support and uplift the nursing profession. As representatives of different nursing bodies, we are grateful to the Government for introducing draft guidelines to improve the working conditions of nurses and acknowledging their hard work in creating a Healthy India. We are committed to supporting government’s efforts in this direction.”
NEW DELHI: At a recent national meeting on the first-year completion of the #NurseMidwife4Change campaign, the campaign partners, Indian Nursing Council (INC), All India Government Nurses Federation (AIGNF), The Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), Society of Midwives-India (SOMI) and Jhpiego, came together to discuss the issues affecting the nurse and midwifery profession and the progress made so far.
The experts recognized the nurses’ and midwives’ role and contribution to India’s health care system. The esteemed participants deliberated the need to further uplift the status of nurses and strengthen the cadre of Nurse midwives in India.
The talks highlighted some of these vital considerations, investment in education, staffing of nurse midwives, nursing leadership, nurse-patient ratio, workload, long working hours, double shifts, and others.
The experts also discussed the need to prioritize investments to further strengthen this cadre and position nurse midwives as leaders, educators, and collaborators. The new guidelines by the government of India are being seen as a move in the positive direction by nursing organisations.
Today, India stands at 1.7 nurses per 1,000 population, as opposed to the World Health Organization (WHO) norm of 3 nurses per 1,000. The poor nurse-patient ratio is leading to increased workload, long working hours, double shifts and others leading to low quality of treatment.
This issue must be resolved to build a robust health workforce in the country. Presently, policy priorities targeted at strengthening the nursing sector in India have mainly focused on increasing the number of nurses in the health care system.
To set the tone for systemic policy reforms, the panelists discussed the policy priorities toward building a health workforce for the future aimed at achieving universal health coverage. A much-needed representation of the nursing workforce in leadership roles is required across India, which also includes setting up nursing directorates across all states to ensure better governance and policymaking. This will help in the evolution of the nursing workforce as an independent professional body and build a quality workforce of nurse professionals.
The WHO’s Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery 2021-2025 lays down policy priorities that can enable countries to ensure that their midwives and nurses optimally contribute to achieving universal health coverage and other health-related goals.
ALSO READ | Salaries due, home nurses blame agencies for apathy
T. Dileep Kumar, President- Indian Nursing Council, said: “Nurses play a crucial role in the healthcare industry, and their importance cannot be undermined. Over the last two decades, India has made significant progress in plugging the gaps in overall availability of nurses. Due to several concrete efforts by the Government of India, the country witnessed a doubling of nursing workforce – from 0.8 nurses per 1000 population in 2000 to 1.7 in 2020. However, this number is still less than the WHO norm of 3 nurses per 1000 population, creating a need for systemic reforms. Through #NurseMidwife4Change, we have been able to initiate a conversation around the issues faced by our nurses and midwives and are hopeful of a measurable impact in the coming months.”
Prof (Dr) Roy K George, President-Trained Nurses Association of India, said, “The #NurseMidwife4Change campaign has been successful in mobilizing voices to support and uplift the nursing profession. As representatives of different nursing bodies, we are grateful to the Government for introducing draft guidelines to improve the working conditions of nurses and acknowledging their hard work in creating a Healthy India. We are committed to supporting government’s efforts in this direction.”
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U’khand: 20 seats of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts hold defy norms in 2022 elections
Express News Service
DEHRADUN: Indian National Congress performed better than the Bhartiya Janta Party in two districts of Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar which have a total of 20 state assembly seats in the 70-member state assembly.
US Nagar has nine seats while Haridwar has 11 seats.
The BJP which won 16 out of 20 seats in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts in the 2017 elections managed to win just seven seats in 2022 elections, while three went to ‘Others’ including independent and the Bahujan Samaj Party.
Anoop Nautiyal, Dehradun based think tank and an analyst said, “These two districts which earlier said to hold key to the power failed to make much difference with the BJP performing better in other regions. These elections have sprung up many surprises like the Chief Minister lost his seat from Khatima in IS Nagar district.”
Analysis of three regions – Regions A, B, C reveals voter behaviour which gives insight into what went down in the 2022 assembly elections in the state.
In Region A of the Garhwal division which has five hill districts and one plain district Dehradun with a total of 30 seats, the BJP won 26 while the Congress got only three seats.
In Region B which has five hill districts of the Kumaon division with a total of 20 seats, the BJP got 14 seats while the Congress had six.
The Congress this time had popped up its ‘Trump Card’ with Yashpal Arya rejoining the party with his son Sanjiv Arya last year. Arya, who has a strong vote base in the district, especially among SC and Muslim voters contested 2022 elections from the Bajpur constituency of the US Nagar district.
Both Haridwar and US Nagar districts have around 50 per cent population of Scheduled Caste and Muslims of total voters.
Factors that influenced voters in Udham Singh Nagar which has a sizable population of Sikhs, this time in 2022 were farmer’s protests regarding controversial farm laws in which farmers of the district played a significant role, anti-incumbency and the effect of what happens in the neighbouring districts Western UP – Bareilly, Rampur, Bijnor, Pilibhit, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Farrukhabad and few others.
In totality, the BJP had a strike rate of 67 per cent bagging 47 of the 70 seats in Uttarakhand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading from the front. The Congress barely managed a 27 per cent strike-rate with its 19 seats across the state.