Bill to remove jailed minister: Om Birla says names sought from parties on House panel

“It will be my attempt that the highest traditions, good traditions (of Parliament) are promoted, there will be a dialogue with all political parties, we will discuss with them… we have sought names for the committee from all parties, and we will soon form the JPC and it will see comprehensive discussions,” said Birla, responding to a question on whether the decision of a few Opposition parties to not participate in the House panel will affect its formation.

At least four Opposition parties – TMC, SP and Shiv Sena (UBT), part of the INDIA bloc, and the AAP have decided not to participate. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had tabled the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha on August 20, before the conclusion of the Monsoon Session.

Speaking on the deliberations during the national conference, Birla said that a ‘Vision 2025 Bhubaneswar’ resolution will be soon submitted to the government, which will include recommendations of the Parliamentary committee and state legislature committees for welfare of SCs and STs. “These committees are not meant to criticise governments. They work as a mini-Parliament and at the state level, they function as a mini legislature. Whether it is about scrutiny of Budget spending or their impact on ground, committees can seek transparency and governments are answerable to them,” he said.

Around 105 delegates from 19 states and one union territory and 26 committees dealing with SC and ST welfare were represented during the conference, said Faggan Singh Kulaste, Chairperson of the Parliamentary standing committee on welfare of SCs and STs. Kulaste said that 32 delegates presented their suggestions, ranging on issues from education, reservations, to appointments in government jobs.

Raju Todsam, a BJP MLA from Maharashtra’s Arni-Kelapur constituency, said he and his colleagues presented views on the diversion of Budget earmarked for STs to other schemes, and also pointed out the trend of fund under-spending meant for development of STs. “We proposed during the deliberations there must be a law for preventing funds from lapsing, and against diversion of funds meant for STs and SCs,” Todsam told The Indian Express.

An award-winning journalist with 14 years of experience, Nikhil Ghanekar is an Assistant Editor with the National Bureau [Government] of The Indian Express in New Delhi. He primarily covers environmental policy matters which involve tracking key decisions and inner workings of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He also covers the functioning of the National Green Tribunal and writes on the impact of environmental policies on wildlife conservation, forestry issues and climate change. Nikhil joined The Indian Express in 2024. Originally from Mumbai, he has worked in publications such as Tehelka, Hindustan Times, DNA Newspaper, News18 and Indiaspend. In the past 14 years, he has written on a range of subjects such as sports, current affairs, civic issues, city centric environment news, central government policies and politics. ... Read More

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