Parliament: Parliament\'s approval for the Family Court Amendment Bill, will get statutory recognition in Himachal and Nagaland

The Family Court (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament on Thursday. Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju introduced the amendment bill in Rajya Sabha. Explaining the need for amendment, he said that during the hearing of a case in Himachal Pradesh High Court last year, it came to the notice that Family Courts have been established in Himachal and Nagaland without statutory authority. This amendment has been made to establish the judicial jurisdiction and authority of family courts in these two states.

Old decisions will also be valid by the new law

Through the amendment bill, a provision has been made to establish Family Courts in Himachal Pradesh with effect from February 15, 2019, and in Nagaland from September 12, 2008, through sub-section three of Section I of the Family Courts Act, 1984. Apart from this, Section 3A has been added to declare the decisions given by the Family Courts of Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland before these dates to be valid with retrospective effect.

nuclear security

The government told in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that the state of nuclear security in the country is very good as compared to many other countries. Nuclear plants have adequate safety measures in place. Union Minister Jitendra Singh informed that a pre-determined standard operating procedure is adopted to deal with emergencies in nuclear facilities. He said that earlier there were nuclear plants only in southern states but now many plants are functioning in northern states also.

Northeast projects

Northeast Space Applications Center will complete 110 projects in eight North Eastern states in two years for space, weather, research, and studies. Minister of State for Space Dr. Jitendra Singh said in Rajya Sabha, that the emphasis is on water, agriculture, forest and ecology management and development, UAV remote sensing, and disaster management. Singh said that India\'s satellite-based navigation system is as efficient and quality as the GPS of America.

14 IAS from 12 states in PMO

The Central Government told in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that 14 IAS officers from 12 states are posted on deputation in the Prime Minister\'s Office. Two of these officers are from Gujarat and Bihar cadre while others are from Uttarakhand, Telangana, Sikkim, Manipur, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and AGMUT cadre. Personnel Minister Jitendra Singh gave this information in response to a written question.

130 cases registered related to hate news in elections

The government told Parliament that 130 cases related to hate news on social media were registered in the 2019 Lok Sabha and assembly elections held in five states this year. In reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Election Commission has informed that in the last five years no complaint has been received from political parties regarding data leaks during elections. He said that during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, there were 58 cases of hate news.

No complaints were received during the Jharkhand elections of 2019 and the Bihar elections of 2020. In the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, 34 such cases were reported. Last year, 29 cases of hate news were registered in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry elections, the minister said. The number of such cases stood at eight during the latest round of assembly elections in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh earlier this year.

Fierce uproar in Rajya Sabha over the question of order

There was uproar throughout the day for raising the point of order in the Rajya Sabha. While the opposition members referred to the rules and regulations, Deputy Chairman Harivansh ruled that these rules are not current. He said, if you raise questions related to the related subject in the House, I will give it a chance. Referring to the rules of 2006 and 1990, he said that the rules of the rule book are made under the Constitution itself.

In the afternoon, Jairam Ramesh of Congress wanted to raise the point of order under Rule 258, but the Chairman refused citing rules. At the same time, DM KK Tiruchi Siva referred to the rights of the members by citing the rules. The Deputy Chairman said the point of order can be done on those who are in front of the business house. TMC MP Derek O\'Brien cited the rights of the Constitution under Rule 187. He said that under Rule 145 we have the right to freedom of speech.

Appreciates DRDO for reducing dependence on imported military material

A parliamentary committee commended the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for reducing the imports of major military systems including missiles, radars, and more. DRDO achieved this by promoting indigenous production of defense material. The Standing Committee on Defense, however, hit out at the government for reducing the funds allocated to DRDO for 2021-22 by Rs 3,002 crore. The 13th report of the committee headed by Jual Oraon was tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The committee comprises 30 members, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

Government should not spend much money on Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao only on publicity

The Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended that the government should refrain from spending huge sums of money on advertisements for the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme. Planned expenditure allocation in education and health needs attention. The Sixth Report of the Women\'s Empowerment Committee (2021-22) was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The panel noted that 446.72 crores were released from 2016 to 2019 for the scheme. Out of this, Rs 78.91 percent was spent on media advocacy only.

The panel said that in the last six years the BBBP scheme has been able to attract the attention of the political leadership and national consciousness towards the importance of girls. So, it is time to focus on others to help achieve the outcomes related to education and health under the plan. According to the committee, this scheme is very effective in improving the child  ratio in backward areas and ensuring the education of the girl child.

Need to develop an online portal

The panel has recommended that the Ministry of Women and Child Development review the meetings of the national, state, and district task forces. An Online Management Information System portal should be developed for village-level monitoring.

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