Delhi

Cuttack, Jun 18 (PTI) Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) vice chairman Justice Arijit Pasayat Tuesday suggested appropriate amendments in existing tax laws to curb the use of money power to win elections.

"It has come to the notice of the SIT that nearly Rs 3,800 crore was seized from across the country during the time of elections in April-May this year," he said.

New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) Rajasthan MP Om Birla was on Wednesday chosen as speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The motion to choose Birla as the speaker was moved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is also Leader of the House, and passed by a voice vote

"That Shri Om Birla, a member of the is House, be chosen as the Speaker of the this House," read the motion

New Delhi, Jun 18; PTI/GANASHAKTI: Two-time BJP MP Om Birla was named NDA's nominee for Lok Sabha speaker's post Tuesday.

Once nominated, Birla, who won from Kota-Bundi parliamentary seat in Rajasthan, will easily become the speaker as the National Democratic Alliance has a clear majority in the lower house.

A notice has been given to the Lok Sabha Secretariat by the BJP proposing Birla for the post and bringing a motion for his election. The motion has been backed by all NDA allies, including AIADMK, as well parties like YSR Congress Party and Biju Janata Dal.

New Delhi, Jun 16; PTI/GANASHAKTI: A day before the budget session, an all-party meeting convened by the government was held Sunday in which the opposition demanded that issues such as farm distress, unemployment and drought should be debated upon in Parliament.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting, attended by representatives of all parties, including Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah and TMC leader Derek O'Brien.

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday sworn in seven-term member of Parliament Virendra Kumar as the protem speaker of Lok Sabha.

Kumar will oversee the oath-taking of newly elected LS members on Monday and Tuesday.

On Wednesday, as soon as a new speaker of the 17th Lok Sabha is elected, his role will cease to exist

Kumar, 65, won the Lok Sabha election from Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh on a BJP ticket.

He was a minister of state in the previous Modi government.

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Leader of the House and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who took oath as Members of the 17th Lok Sabha that commenced here Monday.

As soon as the House met, the Members stood in silence for a few minutes as per the convention after the assembling of the new House.

When Modi's name was called out by the Secretary General for taking oath, Members from the ruling NDA thumped the desk greeting the Prime Minister with slogans such as 'Modi Modi' and "Bharat Mata ki Jai.

New Delhi, Jun 17 (PTI) Healthcare services at government and private hospitals in the national capital will be hit on Monday as scores of doctors, including those at AIIMS, have decided to boycott work for a day in support of their striking colleagues in West Bengal.

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) India on Saturday announced a hike in customs duties on as many as 28 US products, including almond, pulses and walnut, in response to higher tariffs imposed by Washington on Indian products like steel and aluminium.

The increased customs duties will come into effect from Sunday, an official notification said.

The move will hurt American exporters of these 28 items as they will have to pay higher duties, making those items costlier in the Indian market.

New Delhi, Jun 14; GANASHAKTI: CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Friday accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of politicising the issue of doctors' agitation and the BJP of communalising it.

Protesting doctors demanded Banerjee's unconditional apology and set six conditions for the state government to withdraw their four-day-long stir that disrupted healthcare services across West Bengal.

New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) Delhi High Court has said it does not have the jurisdiction to entertain criminal contempt reference received from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and remitted back the matter to the tribunal.

Hearing a case, it said the CAT has exclusive jurisdiction to entertain such contempt proceedings.