Rajya Sabha passes Right to Education bill

August 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Unhappy over provisions of the education bill passed in the Lok Sabha Tuesday to ensure free and compulsory education to children aged 6-14 years, a leading educationist Wednesday protested the "highly flawed bill" and said he will challenge it in the Supreme Court. Rejecting Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal's claim that it was a "historic legislation", eminent educationist Anil Sadgopal said: "It will be the most unfortunate day when the bill eventually becomes a legislation." According to him, many educationists and civil rights groups are organising a protest Friday against the bill at the Jantar Mantar here against the "highly flawed and anti-child legislation".

August 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Lok Sabha Tuesday passed what Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal termed "historic" legislation providing for free and compulsory education for all children in the 6-14 age-group. This is the first time an effort had been made to universalise education in the country.

August 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a historic step, the Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, 2008. The passing of the Bill allows children aged between 6 to 14 years to avail free and compulsory education as a fundamental right.

August 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Amidst protest from opposition benches the UPA Government deferred introduction of the Judges (Declaration of Assets and Liabilities) Bill, 2009 in the Rajya Sabha on Monday. The Bill seeks to exempt the contents of the assets declarations made by judges of the superior courts from disclosure.

July 16th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day Thursday due to chaos over the arrest of Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and the arson attack on her house. Joshi has been charged with insulting state Chief Minister Mayawati and has been sent to judicial custody.

June 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Senior BJP leader from Uttarakhand B. S. Koshiyari opted to withdraw his resignation from Rajya Sabha on Friday as per suggestion of the party's central leadership.

June 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Both Houses will discuss the Motion of Thanks on the President's address today. ormer Union Minister Girija Vyas and senior Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi will begin discussions in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday appointed senior leader Arun Jaitley as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. S S Ahluwalia has been appointed as deputy to Jaitley in the Rajya Sabha.

June 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Wednesday named Arun Jaitley as opposition leader in the Rajya Sabha and Sushma Swaraj as deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

May 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Is the Rajya Sabha a backdoor entry into parliament as opposed to the Lok Sabha? It's not just the Bharatiya Janata Party that has used such a taunt against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who represents Assam in the upper house. M.K. Stalin, Tamil Nadu's minister for rural development and local administration and the son of chief minister M.

April 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government's failure to enact legislation reserving 33 percent of seats in parliament and the state legislatures for women was a 'matter of great regret', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday. 'That is a matter of great regret.

March 13th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Thursday named senior party leader N. Janardana Reddy as its candidate for a by-election to the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.

February 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress party Monday approved the candidature of Saifuddin Soz and Ghulam Nabi Azad for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir. 'Congress president Sonia Gandhi has approved the candidates for the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu and Kashmir, Saifuddin Soz and Ghulam Nabi Azad,' said a statement issued here.

February 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Congress Monday renominated Vayalar Ravi, minister of overseas Indian affairs and parliamentary affairs, for the Rajya Sabha election from Kerala. 'Congress president (Sonia Gandhi) has re-nominated Vayalar Ravi for Rajya Sabha election from Kerala,' a statement issued here said.

December 24th, 2008 NEW DELHI - The Right to Education Bill, introduced in the Rajya Sabha last week, proposing that schools cannot fail students until they complete Class 8 has received flak from teachers. 'What is the use of promoting children from one class to another if he (or she) does not have that basic competency level,' said Vandana Puri, Salwan Public School principal.