Parliament roundup: Day 4 session adjourns without much progress

New Delhi, July 21: Since the Monsoon Session began on July 18, the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha have failed to transact any significant business so far, and the fourth day of the Session also started on a stormy note on Thursday, with both the Houses getting adjourned minutes after assembling.

Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the day on Thursday following a request from the government that the Indian Antarctic Bill, 2022 be taken up for consideration when Opposition members are also present in the House. Several Opposition members were not present in the House with many of them protesting outside over Congress president Sonia Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald money laundering case.

Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned twice during the pre-lunch period after Opposition members created uproar over issues of price rise and Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike on daily essentials.

Here's how the day unfolded:

Nearly 1.59 lakh people recruited for government jobs during Covid-19 pandemic period: Centre
Nearly 1.59 lakh people were recruited for government jobs during the coronavirus pandemic period of the last two years, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. Recruitment in central government is a continuous process. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) have been conducting their examinations duly complying with all COVID-19 safety protocols, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply.

61 lakh 'pucca' houses made under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana: Puri to LS

A total of 61 lakh all-weather 'pucca' houses, out of 1.22 crore houses, have been constructed or delivered to beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban's (PMAY-U) 'Housing for All' mission, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday.

Under PMAY-U, central assistance has been provided to states and Union Territories (UTs) since June 25, 2015 for giving all-weather pucca houses to eligible urban beneficiaries, including homeless people. Puri, said in Lok Sabha, that based on the project proposals submitted by states/UTs, a total of 1.22 crore houses have been sanctioned during the mission period, that is, till 31 March 2022, and completion of the projects generally takes 12-36 months in different verticals of the scheme.

Out of 563 IAS officers available for central deputation, only 397 joined: Govt

Out of 563 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers available for central deputation, only 397 joined the Centre in the last five years, the government said on Thursday.

As many as 124 IAS officers were on offer for central deputation in 2021, 112 in 2020, 127 in 2019, 101 in 2018 and 99 in 2017 (total of 563), Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply. Of these, 71 IAS officers were appointed on central deputation during 2021, 69 in 2020, 101 in 2019, 71 in 2018 and 85 in 2017 (total 397), he said.

A total of 147 IAS officers were repatriated from central deputation during the last five years on various grounds such as to avail benefit of promotion in the parent cadre, personal grounds and administrative grounds, Singh said.

5,651 kg heroin seized in 2021 from border states: Govt

Drug law enforcement agencies seized 5,651.68 kilograms heroin in border states last year, the government informed the parliament during the ongoing Monsoon session. Gujarat topped the list of seizures with over 3,335.17 kilograms of the banned substances confiscated in 2021, the government said.

In a written response to a question by member of parliament (MP) Anil Agrawal, Union Minister of State Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai gave a detailed break up of drugs seized by various Drug Law Enforcement Agencies in states having international boundaries in 2020 and 2021. While 5,651.68 kilograms was seized in 2021 from 18 such states, about 3,285 kilograms of heroin was seized from 17 such states in 2020.