Par panel expresss 'deep concern' over MoC's response on 'untraceable monuments'
New Delhi (PTI): The Union Ministry of Culture could manage to provide action taken notes on "only 21 out of the total of 35 recommendations" made in a parliamentary panel report relating to untraceable monuments, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture in its report also expressed a "deep concern and disappointment at this apparent lack of seriousness," on the part of the ministry in responding to the panel's recommendations addressing critical issues.
The report 'Issues relating to Untraceable Monuments and Protection of Monuments in India' was presented in both Houses on Friday, according to the the statement issued by the Rajya Sabha secretariat.
The committee in the statement reiterated that the ministry and ASI must "conduct the survey for identifying monuments on priority, in a time-bound manner."
It said that the details and criteria for classification of monuments may also be furnished to the committee.
The committee recommended that the survey results "must be placed in public domain" and include the data relating to expenditure incurred on them and the problems in and around the monuments.
The parliamentary panel noted since the said monuments come under the jurisdiction of the state government, it is recommended that the ministry work in coordination with the state governments to take required action in this instant case.
According to the committee, the report was forwarded to the Ministry of Culture for necessary action on June 15, 2022.
"The ministry not only failed to send an interim reply within the stipulated period of three months but also failed to respond to the multiple reminders issued by the Secretariat throughout 2022 and 2023," it said.
".... the Ministry could manage to provide Action Taken Notes (ATNs), on only 21 out of the total of 35 recommendations as contained in the 324th Report, by 4th October, 2023, i.e., after a period of 1 year and 19 days," the statement said.
The committee said that "disregarding or trivialising" its views undermines the trust, credibility and seriousness of the ministry.
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Uttarakhand Assembly passes censure motion against opposition over women's reservation bill
Dehradun (PTI): The Uttarakhand Assembly passed a censure motion against the Congress and other opposition parties on Tuesday for allegedly blocking the passage of the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026, in Parliament.
The motion, which expressed the House's formal disapproval of the opposition's conduct, triggered a massive uproar by Congress members, leading to the adjournment of the House sine die.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Subodh Uniyal moved the censure motion, citing the "uncooperative attitude" of opposition parties toward the bill seeking 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative bodies.
Addressing a special daylong session convened specifically to discuss "Nari Samman -- Rights in Democracy", Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the bill's passage would have benefitted every political party.
Dhami noted that after delimitation, the number of Assembly seats in the hill state would have gone up to 105, with 35 reserved for women. He added that the number of Lok Sabha seats from Uttarakhand would have risen from five to seven or eight.
"The opposition fears that if women from ordinary households enter politics, the shops of dynastic politics run by certain parties will shut down," the chief minister claimed.
He compared the opposition's conduct in Parliament to the assembly in Mahabharat where Draupadi was insulted. Dhami further likened the opposition's behaviour to the "arrogance of Ravan".
The chief minister highlighted his government's initiatives, asserting that Uttarakhand was the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to protect women's rights. He said the UCC freed Muslim women from practices like "halala", "iddat", polygamy and child marriage.
Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya questioned the technical feasibility of the bill, calling the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) claims of providing reservation by 2029 "misleading".
He argued that the bill is linked to census and delimitation processes. The Congress leader said the 2026 census would conclude by 2027 and the final data publication would take two more years.
"The delimitation process will take another six years. The actual implementation of this bill is not possible before 2034," Arya said, describing the move as a strategy to protect the BJP's "political ground".
The session also saw high drama outside the Assembly gates, where Congress MLA Virendra Jati staged a protest, demanding the payment of "outstanding" dues to farmers by sugar mills.
Jati arrived at the Assembly's main gate with a tractor-trolley loaded with sugarcane and dumped it on the road. The move brought the traffic to a halt, prompting traffic and security personnel to intervene and clear the area.
Women Congress workers also staged a demonstration against the "anti-people policies" of the state government.
