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Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Question Hour is one of the few tools still available to hold this government accountable
The Monsoon Session of Parliament begins next week. The dates were announced 45 days ago. Unusual. Normally, schedules for Parliament sessions are put out 18-20 days in advance. The reason for the early announcement of dates for this Monsoon Session, by a skittish NDA government, is simple: Avoid a Special Session of Parliament and delay a discussion in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha where hard questions on Pahalgam, Poonch, and Rajouri have to be answered. In the forthcoming session, in what format will this discussion be held? This government has shied away from allowing even one discussion proposed by the Opposition (under any rule) since December 2023. A dubious record. What can we look forward to in the upcoming 21-day session? For Narendra Modi and his team, there is no running away from answering 21 hours of questions in each House this session. A total of 42 hours. Question Hour, for 60 minutes a day, puts Union ministers in the hot seat. They are obliged to reply, either orally on the floor of the House (starred questions), or in writing (unstarred questions). On average, nine questions are answered orally on the floor of Parliament every day, and over 400 questions receive written replies daily. With notices for discussions on important subjects not being accepted for the past one-and-a-half years, Question Hour is one of the few tools still available in our parliamentary democracy to hold this government accountable. Here are 12 questions asked in the Budget Session of Parliament, 2025. Each answer from the government tells a story. Atal Pension Yojana: The reply to Mallikarjun Kharge's (INC) question on the Atal Pension Yojana revealed that over 1.11 crore accounts have been closed since the scheme's inception. From 1 October 2022, the scheme's rules were revised and income tax payers were made ineligible to be enrolled in the scheme. PM Internship scheme: Prakash Chik Baraik's (AITC) question revealed that in Phase I of the scheme, only 28,141 applicants had accepted internships out of the 1.27 lakh opportunities published. A meagre 22 per cent. UDAN scheme: In reply to a question by Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena-UBT), the government stated that 619 routes were operationalised under UDAN, of which 48 per cent are non-operational now. 114 routes had been discontinued before the completion of three years. Samagra Shiksha scheme: John Brittas's (CPM) question was on the integrated scheme for school education. The answer showed that Rs 2,152 crore was allocated for Tamil Nadu, Rs 1,746 crore allocated for West Bengal, and Rs 329 crore for Kerala. No funds were released to any of the three states. Vacancies in Kendriya Vidyalayas: In response to Ramji Lal Suman's (SP) question, the Union government replied that as of December 2024, there were 8,977 vacancies in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, of which 7,414 (83 per cent) were for teaching posts. Manual scavengers: K Gopinath's (INC) question on manual scavenging revealed that 430 deaths occurred due to hazardous cleaning of sewers and septic tanks between 2019 and April 2025. Consider this: Manual scavenging has been banned in India since 2013. Cyberattacks: Sanjeev Arora (AAP) sought details on cyberattacks that target India's critical sectors (banking, healthcare, energy, and others). The government gave a composite figure which showed that between 2020 and 2024, there have been over 75.86 lakh cybersecurity incidents. A 76 per cent increase in 2024 compared to 2020. Digital frauds: In an answer to Neeraj Dangi's (INC) question, the government answered that from 2022 to 2023, the number of digital payment frauds had increased by 334 per cent. In rupee value, the rise was 425 per cent (from Rs 277 crore in 2022 to Rs 1,457 in 2023). PM Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM): The PM-KUSUM scheme was launched to provide energy and water security to farmers. Bajrang Manohar Sonwane's (NCP-SP) question revealed that out of the 10,000 megawatts (MW) sanctioned for renewable energy-based power plants, 431 MW has been installed; that is, only 4.3 per cent. Loan write-offs: Amra Ram (CPM) asked a question on loan write-offs by scheduled commercial banks. The answer stated that between 2014 and 2023, loans worth more than Rs 16 lakh crore were written off, out of which 57 per cent were of large industries and services. Malnutrition: Rajeev Rai (SP) and Hanuman Beniwal (RLP) asked about children suffering from malnutrition. The answer stated that two out of five children up to five years of age who are enrolled in Anganwadis and registered on the poshan tracker of the Ministry of Women & Child Development are stunted in India. Indebtedness of farmers: Your columnist (AITC) questioned the government on the increasing debt burden of farmers. In response, government data revealed that the average amount of outstanding loan per agricultural household was Rs 74,000. The highest levels of debt were in Andhra Pradesh (Rs 2.46 lakh), followed by Kerala (Rs 2.42 lakh), Punjab (Rs 2.03 lakh), Haryana (Rs 1.83 lakh), and Telangana (Rs 1.52 lakh). The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party. Additional research: Ayashman Dey, Dheemunt Jain
Arab News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Volleyball returns to Azad Kashmir border village as fragile India-Pakistan ceasefire holds
Battal Sector, Azad Kashmir: On a dusty, uneven patch of ground beside the Poonch River, the rhythmic thud of a volleyball hitting palms and sand rose above the late afternoon quiet. It's a familiar sound in the border village of Jhawara, located in the Poonch district of Azad Kashmir, the part of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that is governed by Pakistan. But until recently, it had fallen silent under the roar of artillery and gunfire. Just weeks ago, the area bore the brunt of intense cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan. The Line of Control (LoC), a jagged and heavily militarized de facto boundary slicing through the disputed region, once again became a flashpoint for conflict, forcing families into hiding and pausing everyday joys like this daily volleyball match. Now, with a tenuous ceasefire in place since May 10 — brokered with help from Washington — the boys are back on the field. For them, the return to play is more than a pastime. It's an act of defiance, remembrance, and quiet hope. 'There has been firing here before but now it doesn't feel scary,' said Hamid Fareed, 18, as he waited to serve. 'There is a ceasefire in place now, which is why we play with peace of mind. Before, when there used to be firing, we didn't play here.' The Battal sector, situated at one of the most sensitive stretches of the LoC, was at the heart of last month's escalation, with the shelling so heavy residents were forced to evacuate, and even the simple joy of a volleyball match became too dangerous to risk. Among those displaced were the families of the boys who now fill the field each evening from 4pm until the sunset maghrib prayer. Many had sought shelter with relatives in safer villages farther from the border during the latest fighting. Others, like Fareed, stayed behind but refrained from venturing out unnecessarily. The violence still didn't spare the players. Anwar Taskeen, a 17-year-old student and regular at the matches, was killed in shelling on his home just hours before the ceasefire was announced. 'Our brother who got martyred [on May 10, 2025] used to play volleyball with us,' said Muhammad Nawaz, one of Anwar's closest friends. 'He used to come every day.' 'When they [Indian forces] fire, they target civilians and army posts as well,' he added. SYMBOL OF NORMALCY Now that calm has returned, at least for the moment, the boys are determined to reclaim the ground and the normalcy it represents. Most days, they split into two teams of six, playing until darkness falls. Laughter, shouts, and the squeak of rubber slippers on hard soil fill the air. But the volleyball field isn't just a space for play. It's also a space of memory. Taskeen's absence lingers. So too does the knowledge that peace here is often fleeting. 'There are beautiful places on that side, people should get to enjoy them. And people from there should be able to come here,' said Abdul Hannan, another student who recently completed his intermediate studies. 'Many people there [Indian-administered], in Jammu and Kashmir, play as well,' Hannan added. 'We watch their videos to gain skills. They are playing better than us. We also get motivated by watching them.' The boys recalled that some former players who used to compete on this very field had now moved abroad in search of better opportunities. From afar, many continued to support the volleyball tradition, pooling together funds to help maintain the ground. Their latest contribution helped install a protective net, now in place for six to seven years, which keeps the ball from rolling into the river and drifting downstream toward the Indian side. 'WE JUST WANT PEACE' The Poonch River marks both a border and a lifeline for the region. On hot days, the boys often dive into its cool waters to beat the heat, even as Indian army posts watch from across the bank. That same river has seen far more than games but carried the sounds of shelling, the cries of displaced families, and now, the echoes of a volleyball match played in the name of peace. During Ramadan and other special occasions, the field hosts semi-annual tournaments. Teams travel from neighboring towns and villages to compete, a reminder that even in a conflict zone, community and competition endure. 'When there is peace, we can play. That's all we want,' Fareed saiid. India and Pakistan have long shared a contentious relationship over Kashmir, with flare-ups along the LoC occurring frequently despite periodic agreements. The current ceasefire too is fragile, its future uncertain. But on this side of the Poonch River, young players are daring to imagine something more permanent — not through diplomacy, but through volleyball, through shared videos, playful rivalries, and quiet tributes to friends lost. And through simple, hopeful wishes — that one day, the people of Kashmir might cross the border not as enemies, but as guests. 'We just want peace,' Hannan repeated softly. 'That's all we've ever wanted.'
Arab News
03-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
‘Nothing left': Indian artillery strike wipes out three generations of women at Azad Kashmir home
Abbaspur, POONCH: Blackened from the explosion, shards of a tin roof loosely hang from the branches of a wild apricot tree in the border village of Chaffar in Azad Kashmir's Poonch district. What once used to be a modest kitchen is now littered with shattered stone, twisted metal and rubble. It was here that a mortar shell struck hours before a ceasefire was announced between Pakistan and India. The Indian mortar shell instantly killed three generations of women, a mother, her daughter-in-law and two-year-old granddaughter, on the morning of May 10. India and Pakistan engaged in a four-day military conflict that killed around 70 people on both sides last month, with the two nations attacking each other with fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery until the United States (US) brokered a ceasefire. Wajid Kayani, a Pakistani army soldier posted in Lahore at the time of the strikes, took heavy, reluctant steps as he led Arab News to a heap of rubble where his wife, mother and infant daughter had breathed their last in the wake of the cross-border skirmishes. '[Just a night before], I had spoken to my mother and wife over the phone. They were both worried about the shelling,' he said. 'My mother told me and my younger brother [also a soldier], 'May God protect you both. If someone has to go [die], let it be me.' That's what she said… and I can't forget it. It's unbearable,' Kayani said as he broke down. The deceased women were identified as Qaisra Bibi, Kayani's mother, his wife Areesha Qayyum and their daughter Hadiya Wajid, who would have turned two on May 27. All three of them were inside the kitchen for morning tea when the first shell struck the house, according to the family. Another shell landed just meters away, striking a tree and punching holes into the surrounding walls. The kitchen, once used to prepare meals for a large joint family, now wears the look of a charred, cratered space. Broken plates, half-melted pots and a ruined gas cylinder are scattered around. Faiz Muhammad Kayani, the 70-year-old head of the family, struggled to speak as he entered the drawing room of the house with the help of a walking stick. Dozens of mourners have been visiting the family since the attack, but the elderly man, father to three sons and four daughters, is unable to come to terms with the horror he witnessed. That morning, Faiz was at his younger son's adjacent house and was coming to feed the livestock when he heard the shell strike his elder son's house. 'I ran… I ran fast. But what was left to see? There was nothing left… just mud and stones,' he said in a shallow voice. 'They were buried underneath.' The 70-year-old fell silent before excusing himself from further conversation. Bitter rivals India and Pakistan have fought three wars, including two over the disputed region of Kashmir, since gaining independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety but rule it in part. The latest conflict was sparked by a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir's Pahalgam town that killed 26 tourists on April 22. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which Islamabad denied and called for a credible, international probe. 'SCATTERED ACROSS BUSHES' Kayani's younger brother, Muhammad Sajid Kayani, also a soldier posted in Azad Kashmir's Kotli sector, reached the house around 2 p.m. on the day of the tragedy. 'Despite the shock, [our] father pulled out the first body. Her [sister-in-law Qayyum] legs had been blown off,' Sajid said. Their neighbors were unable to help as the shelling continued for hours. Sajid's sister, who lived nearby, arrived shortly afterward and began searching for their mother. 'She found only our mother's face. The rest of her body was scattered across the bushes. We had to collect the limbs piece by piece,' Sajid said. 'She found my little niece Hadiya under the rubble. Her left arm was missing. Her stomach was ripped open, and her intestines were outside.' But Hadiya was not the only child hit by the artillery fire. 'One of our nieces was just stepping inside through the kitchen door into the main house when the shell hit,' Sajid said. 'She was badly injured, shrapnel tore through her legs. She's still recovering.' The family held the funeral by 2:30 p.m. on May 10, hours before their eldest son, Kayani, could return home from Lahore. 'I couldn't even attend the burial of my wife, daughter, and mother,' Kayani said, citing heavy shelling and road closures as the reasons. The two brothers returned to the wreckage the following day to search for anything left. 'We started clearing mud and lifting stones. That's when we found more of our mother's remains, her abdomen, and other parts. It must've weighed around 20 kgs. We buried them in a separate grave,' Wajid said. 'On the third day, we found even more, collected in a [huge metal] plate, and buried again in the same cemetery.' Kayani's daughter, Hadiya, was laid to rest in the same grave as her mother, Areesha. Her small body was torn apart by the attack and the family had no choice but to bury them together, given the intense shelling and chaos at the time. His older daughter, just four years old, survived the attack. Her trauma, however, continues to run deep. 'She flinches at every little thing,' Kayani said. 'She barely speaks anymore… just sits there, quiet. Too quiet.'
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Amit Shah's STERN Warning To Pakistan From Poonch In First J&K Visit After Op Sindoor
Amit Shah's STERN Warning To Pakistan From Poonch In First J&K Visit After Op Sindoor Source: Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir in his first visit following Operation Sindoor. During his trip, he met with families affected by Pakistani shelling and inspected damaged religious sites, including a Gurudwara and a Hindu temple. Shah distributed government job appointment letters and announced a special relief package for the victims. He emphasized the government's commitment to the region's progress, stating, "Development in J&K will not stop. Those who harm us will face a befitting reply." Highlighting national unity, Shah affirmed that terrorists had received a strong response "on behalf of crores of Indians."#amitshah #poonch #jammuandkashmir #pakistanishelling #operationsindoor #jobrelief #indianews #nationalsecurity #jammu #kashmir #loc #pahalgamattack #toi #toibharat
India Gazette
29-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"What Jairam Ramesh said is condemnable and concerning": BJP's Gaurav Bhatia
New Delhi [India], May 29 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National spokesperson Guarav Bhatia on Thursday condemned the 'MPs are roaming around, terrorists are roaming around too' remarks by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and said that the country sought to know weather Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge agree with what Jairam Ramesh said. Speaking to ANI, Bhatia said, 'What Jairam Ramesh said is condemnable and concerning. It puts all Indian citizens to shame that how an Indian leader can compare Indian MPs to terrorists. It won't be wrong to say that after #OperationSindoor, the sole attempt of Lashkar-e-Pakistan Congress, at the behest of Nishan-e-Pakistan Rahul Gandhi has been to see how the successful initiatives by Narendra Modi-Government be weakned internally while being in India. This is another attempt in the same series. He questioned, 'I would like to ask Jairam Ramesh, all-party delegation of our MPs which has gone abroad and is presenting India's side strongly by rising above bipartisan politics, should these MPs be compared to terrorists?' The BJP leader accused the Congress of weaking the country. 'It should be asked of Jairam Ramesh that he is using such slurs for MPs, but this delegation also includes Shashi Tharoor, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Salman Khurshid. These belong to the Congress. So, you have such hatred for Modi ji that you use such words for your MPs. If someone is attempting to weaken the country, it is Congress party. It is very sad. I condemn it. The country too is asking Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge if they agree with what Jairam Ramesh said,' the BJP leader said. Congress leader and the party's General Secretary (Communication), Jairam Ramesh, took a jibe at the Central government for sending out parliamentarians across the world while the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack are 'roaming around.' 'It has been a month since the Pahalgam attack on April 22. Today, those terrorists are roaming around. They had a role in the December 2023 Poonch terror attack; the Ganderbal attack in October 2024; and in the same month, another attack took place--they had their role in that too. This means that the Pahalgam terrorists are responsible for four attacks in 18 months, and they are roaming around. Our MPs are roaming around, and our terrorists are roaming around too,' Ramesh told ANI here. Seven groups of MPs have been sent to various countries to present India's stance against terrorism and expose Pakistan's links to it. The delegation of MPs is meeting various political leaders, think tanks and the Indian diaspora in various countries. (ANI)
