The government on Wednesday alleged that the opposition has no commitment for the development of Jammu and Kashmir and their "discrimination" against the Union Territory continues as before.
Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal made the allegations in Lok Sabha after an MP from Jammu and Kashmir, Hasnain Masoodi, could not properly ask a supplementary question during the Question Hour due to the protests and sloganeering by the opposition over the fuel price hike.
The second half of the Budget session of Parliament resumed from March 14 and will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11.
The two Houses of Parliament are following the social distancing norms in the seating arrangements of the members by utilizing both the chambers and visitors' galleries.
Here are the Highlights on the Budget Session
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday rebutted the Opposition's charge that the BJP too shared the responsibility for the failure to check the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 as it was supporting the then V P Singh-led government at the Centre.
- Speaking in Rajya Sabha, the minister said that terror killings were being carried out in Kashmir before 1990 when the National Conference was in power in J-K in alliance with the Congress and recalled the then governor Jagmohan's warning about dark clouds of terror overpowering the Valley.
- She listed out "seven major events" or killings of Hindus by terrorists in 1989 along with the related FIR numbers.
- Congress president Sonia Gandhi urged the Centre to restart the mid-day meal scheme in schools which was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- "When schools were shut down, the mid-day meals scheme was also discontinued. It was because of the National Food Security Act and directions from the Supreme Court that people were given dry rations. But, for children, dry ration is no substitute for cooked and nutritious meals," she said.
- Mrs Gandhi said it was true that children and their families had to face difficult times during the unprecedented pandemic.
Petrol and diesel prices were on Tuesday hiked by 80 paise a litre while domestic cooking gas prices were increased by Rs 50 per cylinder, ending an over four-and-half month election-related hiatus in rate revision.