New Delhi Mar 21 PTI Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday urged the government to bring in a provision for withholding of funds if a district development coordination and monitoring committee DISHA does not regularly hold its meetings in states Several members cutting across the party line supported Chowdhurys suggestion with thumping of desk as he raised the issue in the Lower House during Question Hour complaining that meeting of the DISHA committee in his district in West Bengal has not been held for past several years He said Lok Sabha members can seek all information from DISHA committee and ask questions relating to implementation of various schemes and programmes in their respective district But I am sorry to say that despite pleading for it in this House again and again no meeting of the DISHA committee has been called in my district for last 12-13 years even as I am its chairman Chowdhury said I want to say this to the government this House and the Speaker that make it mandatory Stop releasing funds if DISHA committee meeting is not held properly in any district Then they will learn They will be forced to call in the meeting a member like meThis is my request he added He also suggested that a discussion on the issue be held in the House and a decision be taken to compel the authorities call DISHA meetings regularly PTI PK RCJ

New Delhi [India], March 13 (ANI): As the second part of the Budget session is slated to resume on Monday, the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill will be presented in Lok Sabha tomorrow.

New Delhi Jan 30 PTI Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has demanded that a privilege motion be moved against Minister for Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw for allegedly misleading the Lower House of Parliament on the Pegasus issueHe wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday after the New York Times in its report claimed that the Indian government bought the Israeli spyware in 2017 as part of a USD 2-billion package for weaponsChowdhury said the government on the floor of the House always maintained that it had nothing to do with Pegasus and that it never bought the spyware from the NSO GroupIn light of the latest revelations by New York Times it appears that the Modi government has misled Parliament and the Supreme Court and lied to the people of IndiaIn view of the above I demand that a privilege motion may be initiated against the Minister of Information Technology for deliberately misleading the House on the Pegasus issue the Congress leader said in his letter to the speakerHe also alleged that the government lied to the Supreme Court when it was directly questioned about the purchase and deployment of PegasusThe Congress leader pointed out that in a sworn affidavit the government unequivocally denied any and all of the allegations against it on the Pegasus issueThe Pegasus issue rocked the monsoon session of Parliament last year when the Opposition demanded a discussion on the issueChowdhury alleged that the government was targeting political leaders journalists judges and civil society activists using the Israeli spywareThe Pegasus issue is likely to cast its shadow on the budget session of Parliament starting Monday with the opposition parties set to raise the pitch in both houses PTI SKC RC

New Delhi [India], November 26 (ANI): Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Friday said that the Opposition parties should have participated in the function of the Constitution Day as it was a function of Parliament not of the government.