THE BIG STORY
Finance bill cleared by Parl amid Oppn uproar
The parliamentary process for approval of the Rs 45 lakh crore Union Budget ended on Monday with the Upper House returning the Finance Bill to the Lok Sabha without any discussion, a fact that Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar termed “most unfortunate”.
The Opposition continued its demand for an investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee into Hindenburg Research’s report alleging that the Adani Group indulged in fraud and the manipulation of its stock price, which meant that no debate was possible despite 10 hours being allocated for it. The Rajya Sabha, however, recommended an amendment , correcting a typo on the tax rate on the Securities Transaction Tax. The Lok Sabha then cleared the Finance Bill, marking an end to the year’s budgetary process. Read more.
