Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6358301" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="monsoon">Monsoon</keyword> Session of the <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> commenced today and will have a sum total of 18 working days. </li><li>While the proceedings will be derailed by a vote of <keyword id="123465" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="no-confidence">no-confidence</keyword> against the government, a number of key bills could be passed. </li><li>Around 28 bills are slated for discussion, including the <keyword id="6360066" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="triple-talaq">Triple Talaq</keyword> Bill, the Women’s Reservation Bill and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill.</li></ul>The Budget Session of the Indian Parliament might have proved to be <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mKrTrXeVAIIOMEIhmYYNYZpiXoqx7j4fuDZgGdYcuZk/edit">a washout</a>, so here’s hoping that the short Monsoon Session, which started today and goes on till 10 August, doesn’t follow suit. From the outset, it will be hard to get a lot done, given that the session has only 18 working days and a number of issues that are slated for discussion are mired in partisanship. But here’s what could be in store for the next few weeks. The return of the no-confidence motion Proceedings will be derailed again by a vote of no-confidence. The no-confidence motion against the government in the last session didn’t get anywhere as a result of disorder in the House. Hence, a new one was moved by the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> and Andhra Pradesh’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and is scheduled for discussion within the first hours of the session in Lok Sabha today itself after receiving more than 50 signatures. It will likely be debated within 10 days. The TDP raised the motion in response to the government’s refusal to grant special category status to the state of Andhra Pradesh, following its split into two states in 2014. The party is seeking additional funding from the central government for its spending, saying that it had been given assurances in this regard. Of course, the <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> won’t be too worried about the motion, other than the points raised in the debate which could lead to bad press. In order for the no-confidence motion to pass, it needs the support of the majority of the house. In the 539 member house, the BJP currently has 275 seats excluding those belonging it to its allies, so the motion will, in all probabilities, fail. A lot of arguing Barring the no-confidence motion, a lot of issues will be argued with varying degrees of anger and/or disagreement. With less than a year to go for the national elections, the Opposition will take any chance it can get to single out the government’s failures. Blame for the recent spate of lynchings in Maharashtra as a result of the circulation of fake news on Whatsapp will be placed squarely on the ruling party in the state - the BJP. Other issues which will likely get significant airtime include the rise in fuel prices, the depreciation of the rupee, the build-up in bad loans, the dissolution of the government in Jammu &amp; Kashmir and the non-feasibility of the minimum support price scheme. Discussion on a number of key bills Amidst all this arguing, the government will try and muster support for pending bills. Prior to the commencement of the session, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reached out to a number of leaders of Opposition parties, seeking their help for the passage of important bills. Around 28 bills are slated for discussion in this session. These include the extremely contentious Triple Talaq Bill, the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Fugitive Economic Offenders Bill, the Transgender Rights Bill and amendments to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and the Right to Information Act. For its part, the BJP has reportedly said that it will pass the Women’s Reservation Bill, which reserves 33% of all seats in the Parliament and state assemblies for women, in exchange for the Congress’s help in passing the Muslim Women Bill, which bans the practices of instant divorce (triple talaq). If the Congress does play ball and a fair degree of order is maintained, a lot of politically significant decisions could come out of this session. If not, well, we’ll just to have wait until the Winter Session to do this all over again.

Here’s what to expect from the Indian Parliament this Monsoon Session

<ul><li><keyword id="919" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Prime-Minister">Indian Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> endorsed a camera developed by students of the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras (IIT-M). </li><li>The camera can detect when people are not paying attention. </li><li>Modi wants to employ these cameras in Parliament to catch napping MPs. </li></ul>It’s not uncommon to see members of parliament (MPs) zone out during parliamentary sessions — some even take short naps. A new camera developed by students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) could be a solution to this problem, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I especially like the solution for the camera to detect who is paying attention. Now what will happen you know, I will talk to my Speaker in Parliament and I am sure it will be very useful to Parliament," Modi said during the prize distribution ceremony at the Singapore-India Hackathon Event. The famous dozing MPs Napping in parliament has become a fairly common occurrence with at least one politician grabbing the limelight every season. HD Deve Gowda became infamous in his short stint as Prime Minister for regularly dozing off during Parliamentary sessions. But he was not the only one. Since then, everyone from the former President Pranab Mukherjee to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have been caught on camera sleeping in the background as other MPs go about their unending speeches. Smriti Irani, India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and Santosh Gangwar are among the many others have also been spotted catching a quick nap in the Lok Sabha. Back in 2011, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s catnaps became common enough for the Lok Sabha speaker to issue an order to wake him up, as he snoozed off in the very first row. Others may not necessarily nod off, but they are seen zoned out of the conversation as they rub eyes, and fight off fatigue. Not just India India isn’t the only country fighting against his phenomenon. Many MPs in the British House of Commons has been seen dozing off too. So much so that more than one petition has been endorsed by the public to bring in consequences for MPs found to be asleep — like cutting off their salaries, which are funded by taxpayer money. The <a href="https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/255879">UK Parliament</a> always rejected these petitions saying that MPs are not employed by the Parliament, and do not fall under the responsibility of the UK government.

Indian PM endorses IIT camera to catch inattentive MPs in Parliament

<ul><li>After Twitter appearance in front of the Parliamentary Committee in India, Facebook along with WhatsApp and Instagram have been summoned on March 6.</li><li>The panel is concerned that social networking sites should not interfere or manipulate the upcoming general elections in India.</li><li>Twitter has been issued a deadline of 10-days to respond to the panel’s unanswered questions. </li><li>Facebook states that it ‘appreciates the opportunity’ to share its practices ahead of the elections with the Parliamentary Committee.</li></ul> Most social networking sites seem to be on their toes with the upcoming general elections in India but Twitter seems to be having a particularly difficult go of it coming under fire by the Indian government.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-sets-up-a-panel-to-monitor-fake-news-ahead-of-the-general-elections/articleshow/65386960.cms"> India’s Parliamentary Committee</a> has given Twitter a 10-day <a href="https://www.newsnation.in/india-news/modi-government-gives-10-day-ultimatum-to-twitter-over-unanswered-questions--article-215142.html">ultimatum</a> to respond to the panel’s unanswered questions. Now, senior officials from Facebook and its umbrella networks, Instagram and Whatsapp, have been summoned before the panel as well on March 6. The social network issued a <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/battle-hardened-facebook-says-ready-for-indian-parliamentary-hearing/">statement</a> saying that it ‘appreciates the opportunity’ and will be happy to share the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-has-new-norms-for-political-advertisers/articleshow/67145040.cms">safeguards</a> its put in place to ensure that the elections aren’t influenced in anyway. 
 
 <div type="ExtQuote" text="“Facebook is deeply committed to India and to safeguarding our users and their rights on our family of apps. We deeply appreciate the opportunity to answer questions from the honourable parliamentary committee and to outline the specific steps we have taken to help ensure the safety of our users.”" auname="Statement by Facebook spokesperson"></div>





 There’s also <a href="https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/twitter-may-be-asked-to-go-silent-48-hours-before-polls/article26367644.ece">reportedly</a> a possibility that Twitter may have to observe a 48-hour ‘silent period’ in areas where the elections polls with be conducted. The Twitter bias The Parliamentary Committee had initially called Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey to address the panel on 25 February. While he declined to appear before the committee, Dorsey sent his vice president and global policy head, Colin Crowell, instead. The Indian government’s concerns are that the elections should not be undermined or influenced by foreign entities. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/-protests-held-outside-office-of-twitter-india-for-anti-right-wing-policy-1445967-2019-02-03">Protests</a> by the Social Media Democracy against Twitter acquiring an anti-right attitude doesn’t help. Twitter has already issued a <a href="https://www.newsnation.in/india-news/modi-government-gives-10-day-ultimatum-to-twitter-over-unanswered-questions--article-215142.html">statement </a>to address the bias saying, “Twitter is a platform where voices from across the spectrum can be seen and heard. We are committed to the principles of openness, transparency, and impartiality. Our product and policies are never developed nor evolved on the basis of political ideology.” According to PTI, Twitter informed the committee that it will be appointing a nodal officer who will work in collaboration with the Election Commission. Facebook’s track record Twitter isn’t the only social networking giant to come under fire for being biased. Last year’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-says-it-will-continue-probe-despite-cambridge-analytica-shutdown/articleshow/64029610.cms">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a> where Facebook harvested user data for without informed consent and used it for political purposes was a watershed moment that led to massive fall in the company’s stock and global calls for tighter regulation of user data and privacy. Later that year, Facebook was the target of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/50-million-facebook-accounts-breached-why-indian-users-should-care/articleshow/66087091.cms">another data breach</a> where 50 million Facebook accounts were exposed and another 40 million were pegged to be ‘at risk’. Even its regulation practices have been called into question when its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebooks-secret-rulebook-for-content-moderation-just-leaked-online-and-some-of-its-directives-could-contradict-indian-laws-report/articleshow/67288862.cms">‘secret rulebook’ was leaked</a>. Even the Facebook-owned messaging service, Whatsapp has been at odds with the Indian government after the spread of misinformation on the platform led to a series of lynchings in certain parts of the country. The government asked Whatsapp to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/what-india-needs-from-whatsapp-might-not-be-so-easily-attainable/articleshow/65497255.cms">undo its end-to-end encryption</a> of messages in order to track down the original sender of a message in cases of misinformation, which Whatsapp was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/whatsapp-restricts-message-forwarding-in-an-attempt-to-reduce-fake-news-lynchings/articleshow/65073335.cms">unable</a> to comply with. Facebook, Twitter and Google have made public libraries where politic ads are catalogued as well as announced the launch of their respective <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">transparency reports</a> to provide ‘comprehensive information’ about who is purchasing politic ads and how much money is being spent. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-facebook-twitter-reveal-political-ad-spending-ahead-of-the-lok-sabha-2019-polls/articleshow/67651472.cms">Here's how global tech giants are tackling 'fake news' ahead of elections in the world's largest democracy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-sets-up-a-panel-to-monitor-fake-news-ahead-of-the-general-elections/articleshow/65386960.cms">India sets up a panel to monitor fake news ahead of the general elections</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facebook-has-new-norms-for-political-advertisers/articleshow/67145040.cms">Facebook ‘hits the street’ to verify political ads in India — but that might not be enough</a>

After Twitter, Facebook will face questions from the Indian Parliament

An Opposition Party refers to a position in the Indian parliament (both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha). The political party that secures the second largest number of seats in the general elections in the upper or lower houses will be designated as the position party. Eligibility criteria to become the opposition party In order to get the designation as the Opposition party, the party must have secured at least 10% of the total number of seats in the parliament. It is important to note that the single party and not an alliance must meet the 10% seat criteria in this regard. A number of state legislatures in India also go by the 10% rule while the remaining will prefer the single largest party to play the opposition role as per the rules of their respective houses. The role of the opposition party The main role of the opposition party is to question the government on all matters and bills so that the government remains accountable to the public. The opposition party is also responsible to safeguard the interests of the general public. Mainly, the opposition party must ensure that the government does not resort to any drastic step that would have harmful effects on the people of the nation. As per the constitution, the opposition party is entrusted with the responsibility of checking the excesses of the ruling party. At the same time, it must not take an altogether antagonistic stand. If the actions and moves by the ruling party appear to be beneficial to the public, the opposition party must support such moves. The opposition party must also alert the population as well as the government on the content of a given bill that will go against the country’s interests. Why is an opposition party important? Stressing on the importance of the opposition party’s role in the democratic governance of the country, National Party leader Dr Don Brash says that the opposition represents an alternative government. It is also responsible for challenging the policies of the government. It must work to produce different policies wherever they are appropriate. The opposition party in India provides a practical criticism of the ruling party’s moves and decisions. During important appointments, the opposition parties are consulted by the ruling party. It is very important that the opposition has a suitable leader who can ably represent the interests of the non-dominant parties in the Lok Sabha. The principal role of the opposition party in India’s Lok Sabha In the democratic governance of India, the principal role of the opposition is to identify the weaknesses of the government and also give their inputs in legislation. The opposition is expected to give a tough time to the government and the ruling party so that the country’s governance happens in the best way. Hence it is important that the opposition is given due importance and a role in the country’s governance so that the health of the democracy is safeguarded.

What is an opposition party? What is the Eligibility Criteria to be an Opposition Party in the Indian Parliament?

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6355187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> lost 127 hours and 45 minutes due to disruptions while the Rajya Sabha wasted 121 hours. </li><li>In the time spent sitting by the Lok Sabha, a grand total of five bills were passed as against a planned target of 40. Two of these, the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, were passed in less than half an hour. </li><li>Around ₹3.7 billion rupees of taxpayers money was lost as a result of the disruptions to the Budget Session. </li></ul>The 2018 Budget session, which concluded on April 6th, saw India’s <keyword id="6354721" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="parliament">Parliament</keyword> record another unflattering statistic. According to PRS Legislative Research, Delhi-based think tank, it was the <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Budget%202018/Vital%20Stats%20-%20Budget%20Session%202018.pdf">least productive Budget Session</a> since 2000. Based <a href="http://164.100.47.193/statement/files/statementofwork.pdf">on information</a> from the Lok Sabha secretariat, 127 hours and 45 minutes were wasted in the Lower House of Parliament while business was conducted for only 34 hours. The Rajya Sabha (Upper House) fared slightly better, sitting for 44 hours and wasting 121. All in all, 249 out of a total of 327 hours were completely wasted, culminating in a productivity level of 24%. If you can call it productivity. In human terms, if an MP in the recent session was given four hours to do something, he or she spent three hours arguing about this responsibility, 45 minutes sitting down to think about it and 15 minutes actually doing it. In the time spent sitting by the Lok Sabha, a grand total of five bills were passed as against a planned target of 40. Two of these - the Finance Bill, which comprises taxation measures, and the Appropriation Bill, which details spending plans for government ministries - were passed in quick succession on March 14th. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Sumitra Mahajan, was able to pass the bills in less than half an hour without any discussion by administering the “guillotine process”. When a guillotine is applied, all outstanding proposals need to be voted on once a fixed time for discussion is over. The hours wasted by Parliament aren’t borne by MPs but by taxpayers. In September 2012, following a washed-out Monsoon session, the Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pawan Kumar Bansal, said that the cost to the Exchequer of running the Parliament for <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/each-minute-of-running-parliament-in-sessions-costs-rs-2-5-lakh-govt-498784">one minute was ₹250,000</a>, a figure which has since been routinely quoted. Based on this estimate, around ₹3.7 billion rupees of taxpayers money was lost as a result of the disruptions to the Budget Session, excluding the salaries of MPs. But one can’t just look at this in monetary terms. There is a significant cost to bills being delayed, not only for the intended beneficiaries of such bills, but in terms of the time they take up in future sessions of Parliament which would normally be reserved for newer bills. At the end of the Budget Session, there were <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Budget%202018/Session%20wrap%20Budget%20Session%202018.pdf">68 bills pending</a> for discussion and passage, including the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill and the Whistleblowers Protection Bill. India’s electorate aren’t unfamiliar with washouts in Parliament. A number of sessions in recent years have been been largely unproductive and beset by interruptions. For example, the Winter Session in 2016, which took place right after the demonetisation, lost 19 of its 21 days due to disruptions. In the absence of institutional incentives to be productive, India’s MPs have no qualms in substituting debate with protests. These disruptions, rather than individual actions, are usually a coordinated ploy by opposition parties too highlight the government’s failings and are met with a equal reaction by ruling parties who wish to stall discussion over a topic. The blame game This Budget Session was no different and both sides were to blame. First, the <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> and <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> pointed fingers at each other over the Nirav Modi scam at Punjab National Bank. Then, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), along with opposition parties, started protesting against the Centre’s decision to not give the state special category status. This led to a notice of a no-confidence motion, which was never brought to the floor, which only served to amplify the Opposition’s protests. Even though the BJP had the seats to quash the no-confidence motion, it probably did not want to risk the scrutiny and questions that came with such a motion. Finally, the latter end of the session featured disruptions related to the Cauvery water sharing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu as well as the Supreme Court’s dilution of the SC/STs Act. The blame game and hollow gestures continued well after the end of the Budget Session. On April 5th, the members of the ruling administration said that they would <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/nda-mps-wont-take-pay-for-23-wasted-days/articleshow/63618705.cms">forgo their salaries </a>for the 23 wasted days in the second part of the Budget Session, which they attributed to the Congress. On April 9th, Rahul Gandhi led <a href="https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/rahul-gandhis-fast-at-rajghat-sajjan-singh-jagdish-tytler-asked-to-leave-top-developments/1126556/">a nationwide, day-long fast </a>to protest against the BJP government and the Parliament’s inability to function. The BJP responded with <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/pm-narendra-modi-fast-on-april-12-why-is-pm-fasting-bjp-protests-rahul-gandhi-congress-amit-shah-parliament-5133495/">its own fast</a> against the stalling of Parliamentary proceedings by opposition parties few days later. <keyword id="834154" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="No-work-no-pay">No work no pay</keyword>? The decision of the BJP MPs to forgo their salaries has brought the notion of “no work no pay” back into the spotlight. As part of the latest Union Budget, the finance minister, Arun Jaitley, decided to double MPs monthly salaries from ₹50,000 to ₹100,000. In 2007, when the BJP led the Opposition, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/somnath-wants-no-work-no-pay/articleshow/2225592.cms">proposed the concept</a> of “no work no pay for MPs”, pointing to the obvious flaw in a system that allowed them to claim their daily allowance for sitting in Parliament even when the session was disrupted. Last month, Manoj Tiwari, a BJP MP and head of its Delhi unit, <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/manoj-tiwari-wants-no-work-no-pay-rule-for-mps/articleshow/63385053.cms">proposed the rule again</a>. While the rule makes sense on paper, it presupposes that MPs are motivated to work by their salaries. Many of them are rich to begin with. According to the Association of Democratic Reforms, <a href="https://adrindia.org/media/adr-in-news/13rd-mps-have-criminal-records-82-cent-are-crorepatis-adr">82% of the new Lok Sabha MPs </a>in 2014 had a net worth of over ₹10 million. In fact, the average worth of an MPs assets was ₹146 million. Perhaps the number of days could be increased. While this won’t raise productivity and will likely increase the burden of taxpayers, it could help tackle the growing pile of pending bills and allow more time for matters of public interest to be discussed. The Indian Parliament meets for roughly <a href="http://www.prsindia.org/media/articles-by-prs-team/the-house-is-not-in-session-4425/">70 days a year</a>, compared to 150 in the UK and 140 in the US. Furthermore, MPs are primarily motivated by votes. They are elected to represent the interests of the people who voted for them, not to add numbers to their parties’ protests in the house. It is the responsibility of voters to keep their representatives accountable. Parliamentary disruptions inhibit the functioning of our democracy. The disruptors should be rewarded accordingly when elections come around.

The recently-concluded Budget session of the Indian Parliament was the least productive in 18 years

<ul><li>Yesterday, the <keyword id="6355187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lok-sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword> passed a bill that allows Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) to cast their vote through an Indian resident. </li><li>The bill amends the Representation of People Act, which only allows government officials abroad or members of the army to submit their votes through a proxy. </li><li>As of December 2016, there were 13 million NRIs around the world, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. </li></ul> Till now, if you were a Indian citizen living abroad and you wished to vote in an Indian election, you would have to physically travel back to your constituency in India and cast your vote. However, that looks set to change. Yesterday, the lower house of India’s Parliament passed a bill that affords Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) the privilege of submitting their votes through “proxies”, or a person living in India. The bill amends the Representation of People Act, which only allows government officials abroad or members of the army to submit their votes through a proxy. The move has been in the works for a while. A proposal to allow NRIs to cast their votes electronically was mooted by the Election Commission in 2015, however after the central government accepted the proposal the following year, there hadn’t been any real movement on the issue. Additionally, a proposal to allow NRIs to vote through postal ballots was shot down over concerns that it would too difficult to implement. The issue of <keyword id="6357804" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="NRI">NRI</keyword> <keyword id="43546" type="EVENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Voting">voting</keyword> was given a new lease of life <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/government-clears-proxy-vote-move-for-nris-4779759/">in August 2017</a>, when the Cabinet cleared a proposal to allow proxy voting, thereby preparing the policy for discussion in the Parliament. At the time, the proposal included a provision that made it mandatory for NRIs to nominate a new person every time they vote in an election, unlike service personnel who are allowed to nominate a permanent proxy. A number of concerns NRIs are an important vote bank. As of December 2016, there were 13 million NRIs around the world, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. They have consistently complained about their inability to vote in <keyword id="6355644" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="elections">elections</keyword> and the bill addresses their complaints. However, the bill also raises a number of important issues. Firstly, the party that is currently in power, the <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword>, enjoys a huge following among the NRI community, and this bill could be an important ploy to win them over ahead of national elections next year. Secondly, the proxy voting process is vulnerable to misuse. There don’t seem to be any sufficient checks and balances in place to ensure proxies vote for the NRI’s choice of candidate. Lastly, and this issue is largely unsolvable, only parties with sufficient financial resources will be able to roll out significant promotional campaigns abroad, which tilts the balance of power against smaller, regional parties. There is no adequate mechanism to track how much is spent by these parties outside India. All things considered, however, the move is a step in the right direction. A number of NRIs, especially manual workers, are unable to travel back home for elections. The bill allows them to have a say in India’s democracy. The amended act will now be sent to the upper house of Parliament. After it is approved by the Rajya Sabha, it will be codified into law.

The Indian Parliament has passed a bill that allows “proxy voting” for Non-Resident Indians

At last, our lawmakers are taking their work seriously. As per a data, the <keyword id="83167" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Parliament-session">Parliament session</keyword>, which concluded on Wednesday, was one of the most productive in 15 years. 
 The <keyword id="6355187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Lok-Sabha">Lok Sabha</keyword>, or Lower House of the Parliament, worked for 123% of the scheduled time, whereas <keyword id="48510" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rajya-Sabha">Rajya Sabha</keyword>, or Upper House, worked for 101%. 
 
Surprisingly, the Question Hour was also attended keenly, giving high number of responses, and money bills were also discussed more than they have been in the last three years. 
 
As per data collated by a think-tank, PRS Legislative Research, in Rajya Sabha, 31% of the scheduled questions were answered orally, the highest ever in the last 10 years, while in Lok Sabha 22% questions were answered orally. 
 
The session had the highest instances of recorded voting in the past 15 years. However in the 16th Lok Sabha, 17% of the bills were passed by recorded vote. 
On an average, in the past 15 years each Lok Sabha session recorded nearly 5% of the bills being passed by recorded voting. 
 
Another highlight was that no private members' bill has been passed in either of the Houses in the last 47 years and in this session, such a bill mooted by Tirucha Siva giving equal rights to transgenders was unanimously passed by the Upper House. 
 
Economic Times reported that in this session, one-third of the bills introduced replaced ordinances. As compared to 39% ordinances replaced by bills in this session, previous session like the 14th Lower House session saw 11% bills replacing ordinances, while in the 15th Lok Sabha, the number was just 8%. 
 
The session also saw passing of important legislations such as the black money bill and constitutional amendment for the Indo-Bangladesh land boundary agreement. 
 
(Image:Indiatimes)

MPs haven't worked this hard in 15 yrs

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6355729" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="data">data</keyword> protection bill is one of the major bills to be a part of the winter session of the Parliament.</li><li>As per the draft bill released in 2018, global companies have to store their data locally.</li><li>It also asked businesses to seek user consent before taking their data – by explicitly citing the reasons for use. </li></ul>One of the major bills to be introduced in the winter session of the Indian Parliament is the Data protection bill. From the Cambridge Analytica <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/facebook-data-breach-continues-more-than-a-year-after-cambridge-analytica/articleshow/71941273.cms">scandal</a> to the most recent <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/investigating-the-whatsapp-hack-should-it-be-the-judiciary-or-the-parliament/articleshow/71933271.cms">WhatsApp data breach</a> where an Israeli company spied over the data Indians – left many worried about using platforms they otherwise use every day. In a digital first world where cyber attacks and breaches are common, this bill is a first step in answering the question -- who has access to my data? The draft bill was released in 2018 requires global companies to store their data locally. It also asked businesses to seek user consent before taking their data by explicitly citing the reasons for use. However, it also said that “the State is not required to seek the individual’s consent while providing benefits or services”. The bill has been a point of contention since it was released as corporates would have to restructure the way they work. In spite of the many pain points, experts believe that the bill is the need of the hour.. “Our research showed that 63% of Indian businesses are concerned about being exposed to cyber threats due to employee error. The bill comes at a time when data breaches have cost Indian firms dearly and IT managers having to deal with cyberattacks coming from all directions, that too with a limited budget, outdated technology and a dearth of security expertise,” said Sunil Sharma, managing director sales, Sophos India &amp; SAARC. The bill dictates that personal data that is collected must be processed only for purposes that are clear, specific and lawful - and that makes it a powerful law. “As per the new Data Security Council of India (DSCI) report, India has been the second most cyber-attacks affected country from 2016 to 2018. With this law, we hope to see that corporates will use the personal data of citizens in a responsible, fair and reasonable manner that respects the privacy of the data principal,” said Neelesh Kripalani, Sr. VP and Head – Center of Excellence (CoE), Clover Infotech. The bill also plans to levy heavy penalties for those who violate the norms. Entities which violate sensitive data are liable for a penalty of up to ₹15 crore or 4% of the total worldwide turnover, whichever is more. If non-sensitive personal data safeguard terms are violated, then the penalty will be up to ₹5 crore or 2% of the annual turnover, whichever is more. The bill also puts the user first. “Till now we needed to accept the company’s terms and conditions, where the company used to only state about the usage of the data. But with this bill now it will be mandatory for companies to explain, how the data will be processed or used by them which will make the data handling a transparent process. With this protection bill we will have full self-control of the data,” said Prathamesh Sonsurkar - Cyber security expert &amp; Ethical Hacker. Sonsurkar adds that the bill will bring transparency to the end users, and it will become difficult for the corporates to carry on with malpractices. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/investigating-the-whatsapp-hack-should-it-be-the-judiciary-or-the-parliament/articleshow/71933271.cms">Investigating the WhatsApp hack — Parliament probe might trump the judiciary</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/facebook-data-breach-continues-more-than-a-year-after-cambridge-analytica/articleshow/71941273.cms">Facebook data breach continues more than a year after Cambridge Analytica</a>

Personal data protection bill puts user first and has heavy penalties – cyber experts are happy about it

Indian opposition member Manish Tewari today shocked the country by referring to the popular erotic novel, 50 shades of Grey in the Parliament. The Congress MP from Punjab was debating government’s move to take away Kashmir’s independence and bring it under Delhi’s rule. “There is a book in English, which says there is nothing in black or white. There are ‘50 Shades of Grey’ in between. I believe that Article 370 cannot be scrapped without the involvement of the J&amp;K assembly,” Tewari said, debating government’s move to scrap J&amp;K’s special status and divide it into two union territories. What Tewari might or might not know is that the controversial novel is an erotica where the principal characters vacillate in their relationship, where one of the partner is dominant and the other is submissive. Watch the video from Lok Sabha today. <div type="Youtube" id="HUxGhRQXFbM" title="Watch: Manish Tewari's 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Reference During Kashmir Debate In Lok Sabha" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HUxGhRQXFbM/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

You Searched For "Indian Parliament" and got 9 results

Here’s what to expect from the Indian Parliament this Monsoon Session

Dilsher Dhillon

Indian PM endorses IIT camera to catch inattentive MPs in Parliament

Prabhjote Gill

After Twitter, Facebook will face questions from the Indian Parliament

Prabhjote Gill

What is an opposition party? What is the Eligibility Criteria to be an Opposition Party in the Indian Parliament?

BI India Bureau

The recently-concluded Budget session of the Indian Parliament was the least productive in 18 years

Dilsher Dhillon

The Indian Parliament has passed a bill that allows “proxy voting” for Non-Resident Indians

Dilsher Dhillon

MPs haven't worked this hard in 15 yrs

BI India Bureau

Personal data protection bill puts user first and has heavy penalties – cyber experts are happy about it

Sanchita Dash

The erotica ‘50 Shades of Grey’ gets whipped up in the Indian Parliament without context

Katya Naidu

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides