Lok Sabha passes bill on pharmaceutical education institutes, Rajya Sabha sees repeated adjournments

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to enhance the status of six pharmaceutical education institutes while the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments over the demand of opposition members for revoking the suspension of 12 members.

Home Minister Amit Shah made a statement in both the Houses on the unfortunate killing of 13 civilians in Nagaland by security forces on Saturday. He said it was "a case of mistaken identity" and that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed with direction to submit its report within one month.

The Home Minister also said that all agencies should ensure that no such unfortunate incident recurs in future while undertaking operations against insurgents.

In the Rajya Sabha, the opposition members continued their protests during the statement by the Home Minister.

Lok Sabha witnessed normal working with members raising issues of their concern.

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the House.

The Lower House of Parliament also passed a bill to declare six institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research as institutes of national importance and to provide for a council to ensure the development of pharmaceutical education and research.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya replied to the debate on the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

The bill seeks to amend the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Act, 1998 under which NIPER at Mohali in Punjab was declared an institute of national importance.

The Act was subsequently amended in 2007 to empower the Central Government to establish similar national institutes in different parts of the country and six new institutes were established at Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Raebareli in 2007-08.

The bill provides that every institute established after the commencement of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (Amendment) Act, 2021 shall also be an institution of national importance.

The bill seeks to rationalise the board of governors of each such institute from its existing strength of 23 to 12 members and widen the scope and number of courses run by such institutes.

The Rajya Sabha saw five adjournments with opposition members refusing to participate in the short discussion on inflation.

Members of Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, TRS, AAP and the Left continued their protest the entire day. Some of them also came to the well of the House. The Chair repeatedly urged them to take their places.

Twelve opposition members were suspended for "unruly conduct" on the last day of the monsoon session of parliament.

The suspended members comprise six from the Congress, two each from Trinamool Congress and Shiv Sena, and one each from CPI and CPI-M. They have been protesting near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in parliament.

The government has conveyed that they should apologise or express regret for a way forward out of the impasse.

( With inputs from ANI )