Naidu warns minister for skipping Parliament

New Delhi : After Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his displeasure over ministers skipping Parliament proceedings, Rajya Sabha Chairperson M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday embarrassed the government by pulling up Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairying, Sanjeev Kumar Balyan, for being absent recently when his named was called. Naidu cautioned the Minister not to repeat the mistake.

"Mantriji, day before yesterday your name was there in the agenda. But when called, you were not there. Please note that it should not happen in future," the Chairman said.

Balyan, who laid paper on the table listed against his name in the House, regretted for being absent and assured the same will not happen again.

Earlier, Modi cautioned ministers against skipping their roster duties in Parliament and said that he should be given names of all absentee ministers.

Modi's displeasure over the issue of absence of ministers came at a BJP's parliamentary party meeting.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday told Trinamool Congress member not to do "marketing" of West Bengal government as he was seeking to counter the Centre's charge that the state government was not joining its ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The Speaker's remarks came during Question Hour when Trinamool's Sudip Bandopadhyay said the West Bengal government has introduced a scheme called "Swasthya Sathi Prakalpa" through which every family gets Rs five lakh every year.

As he took the name of the scheme and the state government, Birla said, "You are not here for marketing West Bengal.

Ask your question."After this, the senior Trinamool leader sought to know from the minister it was only West Bengal or other states too that have refused to join the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Session till Aug 2

The government is likely to extend the ongoing session of Parliament to complete its legislative business, top government sources said Friday.

The ongoing session is scheduled to conclude on July 26, but the sources said the government is mulling its extension till August 2 to ensure passage of all the bills listed for business.

Union ministers are in touch with opposition parties to bring them on board for the extension.

Though, some opposition leaders said they are not in favour of such a proposal but the sources asserted that a decision on this session's schedule is the prerogative of the ruling dispensation.

People have elected parliamentarians to work, they should not shy away from this fact, a top government functionary said in response to the opposition's scepticism over extension of business.