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Waqf Bill Among 19 Legislations On Government’s Agenda For Parliament’s Budget Session; Opposition Parties Highlight Their Issues

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New Delhi: The budget session of Parliament will commence on Friday with the government outlining its legislative agenda including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and the opposition parties pressing on issues of their concern including price rise and unemployment.

The budget session will commence with President Droupadi Murmu addressing joint sitting of the two Houses. The Economic Survey will also be tabled on Friday ahead of the presentation of the Union Budget on Saturday.

Congress Leader Pramod Tiwari Accuses Govt Of Economic Failure

After the all-party meeting convened by the government, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari accused the government of failing on the economic front.

“Congress expressed concern that the BJP government is systematically killing constitutional values and traditions…We expressed concern over the manner in which the incident occurred in the Kumbh Mela. We are seeing that now the date of independence of the country is also being changed by the Chief of the RSS. Not only this, we also expressed concern over the insult of Babasaheb Ambedkar by Home Minister Amit Shah… Gandhi ji was assassinated on this day but this government is killing him every day and promoting the principles of Godse,” he alleged.

“The Waqf Board meeting was held as if all the decisions were already written… The committee that has been formed for One Nation One Election deliberately has 2 fewer members of the opposition and 2 more members of the ruling party, it makes it seem that all the preparations are already done. We also discussed how the government has completely failed on the economic front… The government is not concerned about Manipur,” he added.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the party will press for special category status for Odisha.

“There were very critical issues that were raised by the BJD today in the all-party meeting right before the Budget session. Party President Naveen Patnaik advised and directed the BJD parliamentary party to strongly take up the issue of demanding special category status for the state of Odisha. This has been a long-standing demand. In 2014, the BJP in its election manifesto had specified on its first page of the manifesto that if they came to power, they would ensure special category status for the state of Odisha,” he said.

“They say they are a double-engine government. They are in Delhi. They are in Odisha. So, therefore, why is the special category status not coming in? So BJD will very strongly demand special category status for the state of Odisha,” he added.

The all-party meeting was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by 52 leaders from 36 political parties including union ministers.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that tentatively 16 items of legislative business and three items of financial business have been identified for being taken up during this session.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs also stated that the Government is prepared and ready to discuss any other important issue on the floor of the Houses as per rules of both Houses.

The legislative agenda of the government includes Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024, the Boilers Bill, 2024, the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 and the Finance Bill, 2025

The two Houses will take up discussion and voting on Demands for Grants for the year 2025-26 and introduction, consideration and passing of the related Appropriation Bill.

There will be discussion and voting on Second and Final Batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants for the year 2024-25 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related appropriation bill.

There will also be discussion and voting on Demands for Excess Grants for the year 2021-22 and introduction, consideration and passing/return of the related appropriation bill.

Rijiju said with the Rajya Sabha Chairman and Lok Sabha Speaker, the Business Advisory Committees will decide the duration of discussions on the President’s address and the budget discussion.

He said Parliament will not function on February 5 due to Delhi polls.

Congress Leader Jairam Ramesh And Opposition Members Strongly Protest

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that at the all-party meeting, the opposition members expressed their strong protest of the way Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf Bill functioned.

“In the traditional pre-session All-Party meeting this morning, all Opposition leaders have expressed their strongest protest on how the JPC on the Waqf Amendment Bill was made to function. It has made a complete mockery of all parliamentary traditions and practices. Such committees used to be a force to be reckoned with – now they have been reduced to be a farce to be reckoned with,” Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.

“Since the establishment of the Standing Committees in the mid-1990s, Parliament has followed a One MP, One Standing Committee rule. Now there are 26 BJP MPs who are members of 2 Standing Committees. This shows how the Duo are seeking to control the Standing Committees,” he added.

The first part of budget session will continue till February 13 and the two Houses will again meet on March 10 after recess with the session concluding on April 4.

Crime

Two apprehended for firing at house in Nand Nagri to create fear

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New Delhi, Sep 14: The Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of North-East District Police worked out a firing incident reported under the jurisdiction of Nand Nagri Police Station by apprehending two accused persons who allegedly fired at a complainant’s house to create fear.

The accused were identified with the help of extensive CCTV footage analysis and technical investigation.

According to police, on September 4, two unidentified persons riding a scooty fired at the complainant’s house in the Nand Nagri area with the intention of creating fear and fled from the spot.

Following the incident, FIR No. 485/26 dated September 4 was registered at Nand Nagri Police Station under relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act, and an investigation was initiated.

Considering the seriousness of the incident, the AATS team of North-East District was tasked with identifying and apprehending those involved.

A dedicated team led by Inspector Deepak Pandey, In-charge of AATS/NED, analysed numerous CCTV recordings and developed clues through technical investigation and other sources. Sustained efforts and detailed examination of the available evidence helped the team identify the suspects.

On September 12, acting on a specific tip-off, the AATS team conducted a raid in the Sunder Nagri area and apprehended Azim Khan. During interrogation, his associate Imran alias Rahul was also apprehended at his instance. Both accused were subsequently handed over to the local police for further legal proceedings.

Police said Imran alias Rahul, 25, son of Ibrahim and a resident of Bhopra Chowk, Siddqi Building, Uttar Pradesh, was previously involved in two theft cases.

Azim Khan, 36, son of Illiyas and a resident of Gali No. 1, Sunder Nagri, Delhi, has nine previous cases registered against him, involving murder, attempt to murder, culpable homicide, robbery, snatching, rape, kidnapping, theft and offences under the Arms Act. He is a Bad Character of Nand Nagri Police Station.

Further investigation into the case by the police is underway.

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Business

India okays 18 hours a day power supply to Nepal till Dec 31

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New Delhi, Sep 14: India has approved a proposal to supply power to Nepal for 18 hours a day till December 31 this year, following the extensive damage caused to the Himalayan country’s hydropower projects in the devastating flash floods, an official statement said on Monday.

“The Ministry of Power has accorded approval for the export of power, for 18 hours a day to Nepal Electricity Authority till December 31, 2026,” according to the statement.

Approval has been given for up to 600MW of export through Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV D/c line and up to 54 MW through Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV S/c line. The quantum of power to be exported from January 2027 will be reviewed in December, 2026, the statement said.

The recent floods have caused significant damage to hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, reducing its domestic power generation capacity and creating an additional requirement for electricity.

The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal, the statement explained.

“India remains committed to supporting Nepal and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector,” the statement added.

India also intensified its humanitarian assistance to Nepal in the wake of the floods, delivering relief material and deploying personnel to support search, rescue, and forensic operations. Indian Air Force aircraft were used to carry relief and rescue supplies to Kathmandu.

The country also dispatched specialised technical gear, including mud rescue suits, gas detectors, breathing apparatus, inflatable walkways, portable generators, lighting towers, and dewatering pumps. India has provided DNA kits, reagents, and equipment for DNA profiling to aid in victim identification.

Meanwhile, the death toll from flash floods has risen to 1,386, with more bodies recovered from eight affected districts.

The floods, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 104 of the recovered bodies have so far been identified and handed over to families. Around 5,130 people are still reported missing.

Security forces continue search and rescue operations. More than 13,700 people have been rescued so far, while 339 people are undergoing treatment in hospitals.

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Crime

‘Felt unsafe’: Woman biker alleges car attack after asking occupants to maintain distance in Gurugram

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Gurugram, Sep 14: A woman biker in Haryana’s Gurugram has alleged that a car repeatedly followed her before hitting her motorcycle and fleeing the spot, leaving her shaken and raising concerns over road safety in the city.

“I have nothing to say, but today I felt unsafe on Gurugram roads. People like these aren’t afraid of hitting people and running away,” the woman said after the incident.

The rider, who identifies herself as Sia and operates the Instagram page ‘rebelwheels_sia_’, uploaded footage of the incident on social media and described what she said happened before the collision.

According to Sia, the incident occurred on Sunday while she was riding her Aprilia RS 457 sports bike along Golf Course Road with members of her biking group.

In the video, she alleged that the occupants of a car had been following her from the beginning of the ride. She claimed that the people inside the vehicle behaved aggressively and attempted to get close to her motorcycle.

Sia said she asked the occupants to maintain a safe distance, but instead, they allegedly asked her to stop. She also claimed that the men appeared to be under the influence of alcohol.

The rider said she continued moving ahead in an attempt to prevent the car from cutting her off. A friend riding behind her also tried to intervene by positioning his motorcycle in a way that prevented the car from repeatedly coming alongside her.

Despite this, Sia alleged, the car continued following her. She claimed that at one point, the driver attempted to cut across the path of her motorcycle, resulting in a collision.

The impact knocked Sia off her bike, while her motorcycle was dragged several metres along the road. The car then reportedly left the area.

The incident was captured on an action camera fitted to Sia’s motorcycle.

She further alleged that one of her friends pursued the car and attempted to stop the driver. The vehicle eventually halted at a traffic signal, where the friend confronted the driver and allegedly told him that he was responsible for the collision.

However, according to Sia, the driver denied causing the accident and subsequently drove away from the traffic signal.

In a social media post, Sia appealed to the Gurugram Police to take action against motorists who allegedly put other road users at risk and flee after causing accidents.

She also shared the vehicle’s registration number and identified the registered owner mentioned in the vehicle’s registration certificate.

The video subsequently gained significant attention online, with social media users expressing support for the rider and calling for action against the alleged driver. Several users tagged the Delhi Police, Gurugram Police, Gurugram Traffic Police and Haryana Police, urging authorities to investigate the incident.

Some users also called for an FIR to be registered, while others highlighted concerns over rash driving and the safety of motorists, particularly on busy roads in Gurugram.

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