RS lost 52.30% of scheduled sitting time during first week of winter session: Secretariat
New Delhi(PTI): The Rajya Sabha lost 52.30 per cent of the scheduled sitting time during the first week of the ongoing winter session on account of disruptions and forced adjournments, the RS secretariat said.
The productivity of the House during the last week has been 47.70 per cent of the scheduled time, officials said, adding that with the House sitting for 33 minutes beyond the scheduled time last Thursday, the overall productivity for the first week against the scheduled time improved to 49.70 per cent.
The best productivity of 100 per cent was reported on Friday and 95 per cent on the previous day last week, showing signs of return of the House to normal functioning, the secretariat said in a statement.
Rajya Sabha had taken up the Private Members' Business for the full scheduled time of two-and-a-half hours Friday last, doing so after one year, nine months and 24 days, and after 66 sittings.
The last time it happened was on February 7, 2020 during the budget session, the 251st session of the House, the officials said.
The Private Members' Business was not scheduled during the 252nd session, the first full session held under Covid protocol. It was dispensed with during the 252nd session to take up other business. No business could be transacted during the 254th session on Fridays, meant for Private Members' Business due to disruptions, they added.
On Friday last week, 22 Private Members' Bills were introduced in Rajya Sabha and one was discussed. Introduction of one such Bill seeking to amend the Preamble of the Constitution was put on hold.
During the first week of the current winter session, two bills -- the Farm Laws Repeal Bill and the Dam Safety Bills -- were passed by the House. A total of 27 Zero Hour and 15 Special Mentions were made in the House, the data compiled by the secretariat said.
Twenty-three of the listed 67 starred questions were orally answered and eight listed questions had to be deleted further to suspension members who raised those questions.
On Friday last week, Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu discussed with some opposition leaders and ministers their views on suspension of 12 members of the House in the wake of the demand of the opposition for the revocation of the decision.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
