The New Indian Express News

RS Chairman expresses displeasure over disruptions by Opposition members during G RAM G Bill passage

NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan on Friday conveyed his displeasure over disruptions by Opposition members during the passage of the rural employment guarantee Bill (Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission - Rural Bill). Terming the conduct 'unbecoming of Members of Parliament', he urged them to introspect and refrain from such behaviour in future. Disruption created during yesterday's sitting by the Opposition Members by shouting slogans, displaying placards, disrupting the Minister replying to the discussion, tearing up papers and throwing them in the well of the House showed conduct unbecoming of Members of Parliament. I earnestly hope that Honble Members would introspect and not repeat such unruly behaviour in future, he said. Radhakrishnan read out a synopsis of the legislative and other business transacted during the 15-day sitting of the Winter session before adjourning the proceedings sine die. The Winter session of Parliament started on December 1. The Rajya Sabha proceedings continued till midnight on Thursday as the House debated the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission - Rural (Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission - Rural) Bill. The Bill was passed with a voice vote amidst a ruckus created by Opposition MPs. The legislation replaced the 20-year-old rural employment scheme -- the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA) -- by boosting the number of guaranteed workdays to 125, up from the current 100 days per household for unskilled manual labour. Opposition MPs protested the removal of the name of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, from the new legislation. PM suffering from 'acute acronym-itis': Congress' dig after passage of G RAM G Bill In his valedictory remark, as the 269th Session of the Rajya Sabha concluded, the Chairman also highlighted the productivity and constructive debates during the winter session. Overall, the House functioned for a total of about 92 hours, and the productivity of this Session stood at 121 per cent, said Radhakrishnan. The Session witnessed an unprecedented number of Zero Hour Notices, with an average of over 84 notices received per daynearly a 31 per cent increase as compared to the preceding two Sessions. Further, the number of matters actually raised during Zero Hour significantly surpassed previous benchmarks, averaging more than 15 matters per daynearly a 50 per cent increase as compared to the preceding two Sessions, he added. Winter Session began with Centre insulting Tagore, ended with insult of Gandhi: Congress The Chairman further noted that a remarkable number, as many as 59 Private Members' Bills, were introduced during this session. In the discussion on each Private Members' Bill and Resolution, 22 Members participated, he stated. Highlighting the quality of deliberations, Radhakrishnan said that the House held a two-day special discussion on the 150th anniversary of the national song 'Vande Mataram', with 82 members participating. A three-day discussion on electoral reforms saw interventions from 57 members. During the session, the Rajya Sabha passed or returned eight Bills and adopted a statutory resolution on the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Amendment Act, 2024, with participation from 212 members. As many as 59 Private Members' Bills were introduced, reflecting what he described as the vibrancy of parliamentary democracy. Rahul Gandhi slams VB-G RAM G Bill as anti-village, says Modi Govt destroyed 20 years of MGNREGA