Opposition members continued to protest inside and outside the house and caused disruptions over the suspension of 12 MPs.
Tag: Pralhad Joshi
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Ahead of Parliament session, government calls all-party meet on Sunday; PM likely to attend
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the winter session of Parliament, the government has called an all-party meeting on Sunday, which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sources said on Monday.
The floor leaders of all the political parties from both houses of Parliament have been invited to the meeting, they added.
Besides Modi, senior Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah, along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, will represent the government at the meeting.
The winter session of Parliament assumes significance as the government will table a bill to repeal three contentious farm laws, which is expected to witness a heated debate in both houses.
The bill is expected to be passed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
During the upcoming Parliament session, the Opposition is also likely to raise the issue of phone-tapping using the Pegasus spyware.
On Sunday evening, Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu has called a meeting of the floor leaders of the Upper House of Parliament.
Similarly, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to call a meeting of the floor leaders of the Lower House on November 27.
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Ordinance to extend services of CBI, ED chiefs: War of words breaks out between Trinamool MP, Union Minister
By PTI
NEW DELHI: A war of words erupted between Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien over the use of ordinances by successive governments, after the opposition leader accused the Centre of promulgating ordinances to mock Parliament.
A series of tweets from Joshi on Monday night drew a sharp reaction from O’Brien who had earlier posted a tweet hitting out at the government over the ordinances to extend the tenure of the ED and CBI chiefs.
He also posted a graphic that showed that in the 17th Lok Sabha, almost four ordinances were brought in for every 10 bills and how it had been misused since 2014.
Joshi in his response highlighted how the previous Congress governments used ordinances.
He said that during the Congress regime, a total of 524 ordinances have so far been issued.
He said that during the 5th Lok Sabha alone, 96 ordinances were issued.
“Will Mr. Derek O’Brien care to explain above numbers?” he asked.
“Ordinances are very part of a democracy. No one expects TMC to understand this because we have seen what happens to the democratic rights of other parties in West Bengal. We have seen Hon’ble High Court’s observation & that how many sessions have been conducted in WB’s assembly.”
“Also, it is not too late for Mr. O’Brien to learn and acknowledge that the Congress party, supported by his own TMC party, is the most undemocratic party. Does he need to be reminded that Congress has used Article 356 to dismiss State Governments a whopping 93 times?” Joshi added.
In his reply, O’Brien said that he stood by his data.
“Mr Modi & Mr Shah, I posted this graphic showing how ordinances have been overused since 2014 #Parliament. Some boys in your Cabinet have made some gurgling sounds. No substance. Reposting graphic. I stand by each of these numbers. Could you request your boys to try again,” O’Brien said.
Opposition parties have vowed to counter in Parliament the government’s move of extending the tenure of the CBI and ED chiefs, alleging it was bypassing the House, distorting the Constitution and resorting to “Ordinance Raj” to “misuse” the agencies.
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Om Birla, Naidu invited to last ‘chintan shivir’ of Council of Ministers
By PTI
NEW DELHI: A meeting of the Union Council of Ministers will be held on Wednesday on the next Parliament session, and special invites have been sent to the Lok Sabha speaker and the Rajya Sabha chairman, official sources said.
This will be the last ‘chintan shivir’, a series of deliberation sessions being held to help ministers better understand issues of governance, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been holding these sessions to make governance and its delivery system more effective and efficient.
These meetings also act as an orientation programme for newly inducted ministers in the Union Cabinet.
The last ‘chintan shivir’ will be on parliamentary practices and the upcoming session.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi is expected to give a presentation, and special invites have been sent to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu to attend this meeting, the sources said.
In the first meeting, Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Mansukh Mandaviya had given a presentation on personal efficiency.
It was followed by a presentation on focused implementation of projects by Piyush Goyal and Gajendra Shekhawat.
In the third ‘chintan shivir’, a presentation was given by Hardeep Puri and Mansukh Mandaviya on ministry and stakeholders engagement.
The fourth presentation was on communication, and it was given by Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Smriti Irani.
A senior official involved in conceptualising these deliberation sessions suggested that the prime minister’s broader aim behind this exercise was to take governance to the next level by expediting decision-making and further penetrating the delivery on the ground.
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Closure of some mines, inundation due to monsoon led to coal crisis: Pralhad Joshi
By PTI
CHATRA (Jharkhand): Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said the closure of some mines, and inundation of a few others due to monsoon led to the crisis but there is no need to panic as the situation is improving.
Visiting the Ashoka mine of the Central Coalfields Ltd (CCL) at Piparwar in Chatra district of Jharkhand, Joshi said the power plants in the country will continue to receive the required amount of coal.
“We are witnessing an improvement now,” he said, asked about the current situation.
The minister held discussions with officials of CCL and Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL) on the prevailing situation.
“We can produce two million tonnes of coal per day,” he said, asserting the need for producing more coal.
Closure of some coal mines and inundation of a few others due to monsoon led to the hindrance in coal supply to power plants, Joshi told reporters.
The minister also discussed the issue related to the availability of land for mining at the meeting.
A solution will be found with the cooperation of all, including the district administration, he said.
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There won’t be coal crisis for power generation: Union minister Pralhad Joshi
By PTI
BILASPUR: Amid the country’s power plants grappling with coal shortages, Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday assured that there will no crisis to meet the supply of coal for power generation.
He was talking to reporters after arriving at the Bilaspur airport before heading to neighbouring Korba district where he is scheduled to take stock of Gevra, Dipka and Kusmunda mines of the South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a Coal India subsidiary, and chair a review meeting with officials.
Asked if Congress was creating a hype claiming shortage of coal, the coal and mines minister said, “I don’t want to do politics over this. We have already been meeting the total requirement.”
“Today, the requirement is 1.1 million tonnes of coal for power generation and we have already supplied two million tonnes. The stock is also rising because of it. I assure that there will be no problem in meeting the supply for power generation in the country,” he said.
Joshi said he was going to visit the mines of SECL to take stock and hold discussions to expedite the production there.
“As far as the requirement is concerned, the power ministry had put forth the demand for supply of 1.9 million tonnes (for power generation units) and after 20th (October), two million tonnes. Today only, we have supplied two million tonnes and rest of the things I will discuss after the review (of mines),” he added.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) reviewed the coal supply and power generation scenario, as the government looks at ways to defuse the energy crisis being faced by several states.
The coal ministry has been asked to ramp up the supply of coal while the Railways has been asked to make available rakes to transport the fuel to power plants, sources earlier said.
The shortage of coal — which makes up around 70 per cent of India’s electricity mix — has forced rotational power cuts in states from Rajasthan to Kerala.
About two-thirds of the coal-fired power plants had stockpiles of a week or less, but the coal ministry earlier said, “any fear of disruption in the power supply is entirely misplaced”.
States have been forced to buy power from exchanges at high rates to meet the demand.
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Rahul Gandhi’s dig at PM Modi childish, immature: Pralhad Joshi
By Express News Service
HUBBALLI: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi on Friday termed Rahul Gandhi’s barb at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over China as “childish and immature” and said the Congress leader keeps making such “obnoxious” statements.
Modi is in the US for a Quad summit, a one-on-one meeting with US President Joe Biden and to address the UN General Assembly. The Congress MP tweeted on Friday mocking Modi, saying, “Mr 56 is scared of China”. Terming Rahul a “non-serious and part-time politician”, Joshi said, “Sometimes when there is a serious crisis, he goes out of the country and never has any idea of what is happening in the country. He should not be taken seriously”.
On Sino-Indian relation, Joshi said, “The preparedness of Indian forces in handling the recent Chinese incursion has been widely appreciated by defence analysts. For the first time, India is emerging as a global leader and every Indian should be proud.”
On TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s comment about the collapse of BJP in West Bengal, he said, “We had three MLAs, now we have 77. Banerjee should understand what has happened to opposition parties from Uttar Pradesh to Tripura. Under Modi, the party is growing and the people are aware of the good deeds of the NDA government. The polls are still three years away.”
Reacting to Congress MLAs not attending Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s address to both Houses of the legislature on Friday, Joshi said opposition party leaders should have spoken to the Assembly Speaker about their reservations and attended the address. “The Speaker does not belong to any single political party. Congress leaders should stop politicising every issue,” he added.
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Gujarat BJP legislators to meet; decision on Vijay Rupani’s successor likely today
By PTI
GANDHINAGAR: The suspense over who will succed Vijay Rupani as Gujarat chief minister will be over after a meeting of BJP legislators here later on Sunday, party sources said.
Central observer Narendra Singh Tomar, who will attend the meeting, met state BJP chief C R Paatil on Sunday morning.
BJP has appointed Union ministers Tomar and Prahlad Joshi as observers for the legislature party meeting to elect a new chief minister.
ALSO READ | BJP axes CM Vijay Rupani a year ahead of Gujarat election
“We have come here to hold further discussions on the issue (new chief minister). We will discuss it with state BJP leaders,” Tomar said at the airport.
“I will hold consultations with Gujarat leaders, then the central leadership will take a decision,” said Joshi.
BJP general secretary Tarun Chaag has also reached Ahmedabad.
There is talk that Praful Khoda Patel, administrator of the union territories of Lakshadweep and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, is among the top contenders.
Also reportedly being considered are Parshottam Rupala, the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying and Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister.
BJP’s Central observer @JoshiPralhad said that the legislative party meeting will be held today to discuss the Gujarat chief minister name.@NewIndianXpress @Sunday_Standard
— Sudhir Suryawanshi (@ss_suryawanshi) September 12, 2021
Both of them also belong to the Patel or Patidar community.The names of Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and state agriculture minister RC Faldu, both from the Patel community, are also doing the rounds.
Rupani (65) on Saturday resigned from the post, his sudden announcement coming over a year before the state goes to polls.
It is not clear what prompted the development in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state where elections to the 182-member Assembly are due in December 2022.
Rupani (65), the fourth chief minister to demit office in BJP-ruled states during the coronavirus pandemic, was sworn in as chief minister — his second stint as CM – in December 2017.
“I have resigned as chief minister of Gujarat,” Rupani told reporters after meeting Governor Acharya Devvrat and submitting his resignation letter.
“I was allowed to serve the state for five years. I have contributed to the development of the state. I will further do whatever is asked by my party,” said Rupani, who completed five years in office on August 7 this year.
He first became the chief minister on August 7, 2016, following the resignation of incumbent Anandiben Patel, and continued in the office after the BJP’s victory in the 2017 Assembly elections.
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Dharmendra Pradhan, Pralhad Joshi among BJP heavyweights in charge of poll-bound states
By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday set poll preparations in motion by making senior ministers in-charge of states headed for Assembly elections next year. Dharmendra Pradhan, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Pralhad Joshi, Bhupender Yadav have been entrusted with the task of overseeing preparations in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Manipur, respectively. Former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis will be in charge of Goa.
Gajendra Singh ShekhawatPradhan, who had looked after the party affairs of Bihar before becoming a minister, will be assisted by Union minister Anurag Thakur in UP, for which the saffron outfit has appointed key leaders in different regions. The BJP has lined up eight senior leaders for the state. They include Union ministers of state Arjun Ram Meghwal and Shobha Karandjale. Senior BJP functionaries like Saroj Pandey, Captain Abhimanyu, Annapurna Devi and Vivek Thakur are other co-incharges for UP.
The BJP has also created six zones for UP (Kashi, Braja, western UP, Avadh, Kanpur and Gorakhpur) which will be looked after by other senior functionaries. Shekhawat will be election in-charge for Punjab. He will be assisted by Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Meenakshi Lekhi. Senior leader Vinod Chawra is another member of the team. Joshi has been appointed election in-charge for Uttarakhand. He will be assisted by West Bengal MP Locket Chaterjee and party leader RP Singh.
Union environment minister Yadav will be the election in-charge for Manipur. Barring Punjab, the BJP is in power in all four states, which are slated for the Assembly elections in February-March next year.By announcing star-studded teams for each of these states, the saffron brigade has shown that it is leaving no stone unturned in order to get ready.
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Government doing everything for evacuation of Indians from Afghanistan: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi
By PTI
HUBBALI: Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi on Tuesday said the Government is doing everything for total evacuation of Indian citizens stuck in Afghanistan after the Taliban asserted control over the nation.
“Developments in Afghanistan are quite worrisome. The Indian government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will strive to bring the last Indian citizen stuck there,” Joshi told reporters here.
He added that the government is trying to bring the remaining Indian citizens stuck there.
ALSO READ| PM chairs meeting with Doval, Foreign Secretary Shringla; India completes evacuation of diplomats
“The entire system has collapsed there (in Afghanistan). Flight services are hit and aeroplanes are not flying. Not only airport but also the air space is jammed. In this scenario, the Indian government is doing whatever best it can do. We are very concerned about individual citizens,” Joshi said.
Stating that the government of India is closely monitoring the developments, Joshi said the Government led by Modi is capable of handling all kinds of situations.
ALSO READ| India is self-sufficient to face threat of cross border terrorism, says Pralhad Joshi
To buttress his point, he said no terrorist activity has taken place in any part of India except for “things happening” in Jammu and Kashmir unlike earlier when terrorist activities were happening in many parts of India including Hubballi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Guwahati and Hyderabad.
“Today not a single incident is taking place. The reason is that we follow zero tolerance towards terrorism. Accordingly, we have made our preparations whatever is necessary and we are doing everything to put the terrorist organisations in their place,” Joshi said.
ALSO READ| What we know and what’s next after Taliban take over Afghanistan
The minister said for the past seven years, the Government is monitoring “every development at the micro-level” and, hence, there was no need to panic.