Standing committee discuss data security; CERT-In issues notice to WhatsApp

19:26 November 20

Lok Sabha adjourned till 11 am tomorrow.

18:19 November 20

Matters of Urgent public importance being taken up in the Lok Sabha. MPs raise rail accidents, tourism opportunities, dairy product management etc.      

18:13 November 20

CERT-In issued notice to WhatsApp seeking info on Pegasus spyware: Prasad

Cybersecurity agency CERT-In has issued a notice to WhatsApp seeking details on targeting of mobile phones of Indian citizens by Israeli spyware Pegasus, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

Replying to a Lok Sabha question, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government is committed to protecting fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to privacy and added that attempts to malign the government for reported breach are "misleading".

Last month, the Facebook-owned company had revealed that Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using Pegasus spyware.

According to WhatsApp, the spyware was developed by Israel-based NSO Group and had been used to snoop on about 1,400 users globally, including 121 users from India.

Following government's notice seeking more information on the attacks, WhatsApp had responded saying it had alerted the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in September that 121 Indian users had been targeted by Pegasus.

"Based on media reports on October 31, 2019, about such targeting of mobile devices of Indian citizens through WhatsApp by spyware Pegasus, CERT-In has issued a formal notice to WhatsApp seeking submission of relevant details and information," Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The minister pointed out that the CERT-In had published a vulnerability note on May 17, advising countermeasures to users regarding a vulnerability in WhatsApp.

On May 20, WhatsApp reported an incident to CERT-In stating that it had identified and promptly fixed a vulnerability that could enable an attacker to insert and execute code on mobile devices. WhatsApp had also told CERT-In that the vulnerability can no longer be exploited to carry out attacks.
 

18:11 November 20

Lok Sabha passes the Chit Funds (Amendments) Bill, 2019.

16:46 November 20

Cyber attack on Kudankulam: Minister says error, if any, confined to admin block

Amid reports of a cyberattack on the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, Union Minister Jitendra Singh earlier in the day told Lok Sabha that "if at all an error like this happened, it was confined to the administrative block".

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy, had recently admitted of a malware attack on one of the computers in the plant but said the plant systems were not affected. There is a secured system to tackle cyber attacks.

Allaying concerns over spent fuel storage facility, Singh said the design of the Away From Reactor (AFR) spent fuel storage facility for Kumdankulam Units 1 and 2 has been completed and the process of obtaining environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forest is underway.

The AFR facility is designed with a comprehensive approach to safety to withstand extreme natural events like earthquakes and tsunamis with provisions of large operational safety margins for safe, sound and reliable performance, he said.
 

16:14 November 20

MPs raise waiver of passport requirement for Kartarpur pilgrims, death of thousands of migratory birds 

BJP MP Shankar Lalwani on Wednesday asked the Centre to work to waive passport requirement for pilgrims visiting Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

Making the demand in Lok Sabha, Lalwani also urged the government to take up the issue of waiving fees for pilgrims visiting the shrine while noting that Pakistanis visiting religious places like the Sufi shrine in Ajmer are not required to pay extra fees.

Congress members from Punjab were seen raising their hands in an endorsement of the Indore MP's plea.

Among other issues raised during the Zero Hour, Satabdi Roy of the Trinamool Congress said the Ministry of External Affairs has refused to give her a no-objection certificate for attending a film festival in China.

AIMIM's Imtiyaz Jaleel sought construction of an express highway between Aurangabad and Shirdi, the home of revered Sai Baba, saying the current highway is in a very bad shape.

Meanwhile, Hanuman Beniwal of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party expressed shock at the death of thousands of migratory birds in Rajasthan and sought the Centre's intervention.

Mohan Delkar, an independent MP, said the administration in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli was not consulting elected representatives for implementing central government schemes.
 

15:46 November 20

Standing committee meet on IT begins

Parliamentary standing committee on Information Tecnology meet to discuss issues ranging from data security and privacy. Union Home Secy and Secy of Ministry of Electronics and IT will brief the committee.

15:18 November 20

Govt committed to protecting right to privacy: RS Prasad on Pegasus spyware

Union Minister RS Prasad in Lok  Sabha on "whether govt has taken cognizance of reports of alleged use & purchase of Pegasus spyware by govt agencies': Some statements have appeared, based on media reports, regarding this. These attempts to malign govt for reported breach are misleading. Govt is committed to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, including the right to privacy. Govt operates strictly as per provisions of law & laid down protocols. There are adequate provisions in IT Act, 2000 to deal with hacking, spyware etc."

14:55 November 20

Many MP's skip session despite listing questions

As the NK Premchandran, a member of 'Panel of Chairpersons', calls out MP's to ask the questions listed by them, most of the members of Lok Sabha remain absent.

14:33 November 20

Proceedings resume

13:29 November 20

House adjourned till 2:30 pm

13:00 November 20

BSP's Kunwar Danish Ali raise the issue of pending court cases in UP

Kunwar Danish Ali:"More than 75 Lakh cases are pending in the subordinate courts of Uttar Pradesh alone. The honourable minister has admitted that there is a lack of infrastructure and I understand that. But can the government provide any assurance that the pending cases would reach a conclusion by a certain period of time?"

"It is the government's duty to ensure an affordable justice delivery system to its citizens."

"A person from Saharanpur has to travel for 800 kilometers to reach the nearest court. Can the government set up High Court benches at Meerut Mandal or Moradabad Mandal."
 

12:36 November 20

BJP's Nishikant Dubey raises sissue of illegal occupation of land by Indian Army in Ranchi 

Dr. Nishikant Dubey, BJP, Godda, Jharkhand: "Earlier the Indian Army establishment was situated outside the city area of Ranchi, but since the circular was issued, it now falls within the city as Ranchi has expanded over the years. The land has been occupied by the Indian Army on lease, which they have failed to renew for over 25 years now, meaning that the Indian Army has illegally occupied the land in Ranchi for the past 25 years."

"We had to build a road connecting the airport through the land occupied by the Indian Army, but despite several attempts, we have not been able to build the road," added Dubey.
 

12:11 November 20

Village in Delhi cantonment yet to receive electricity connection: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary

Congress' Leader of Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary said, "Can you even imagine that a village within the vicinity of a defence establishment (Delhi cantonment) in the national capital doesn't have access to electricity since independence? I request you to inform the House about its plans to address the issue."
 

12:01 November 20

TMC moves adjournment motion over telecom blackout in Kashmir 

TMC has give Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha over "telecom blackout in Kashmir valley".

11:51 November 20

Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury moves adjournment motion in LS

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has given Adjournment Motion Notice in Lok Sabha, over 'purchasing of paddy from Chhattisgarh in Central Pool'.

11:50 November 20

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responds to Tapir Gao's request

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha: I can commit myself that I had gone there, sat with the CM of Arunachal Pradesh & cleared many of the compensations which was due for the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

11:48 November 20

Requested govt to compensate people of Arunachal, but no response yet: BJP's Tapir Gao

BJP's Tapir Gao, BJP, said, "I had requested the former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman & present Def Min Rajnath Singh too to provide compensation to the people of Arunachal Pradesh for the land of the locals that have been acquired by Army. But no compensation has been." 

11:33 November 20

Tharoor asks Defence Min to relax restrictions on civilians living close to miltary camps

Referring to the Pangode Military camp in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, INC's Shashi Tharoor representing the constituency requested the Defence Ministry to issue a quick list exempting areas that are not in a high-security zone.

"Military camp set up in my constituency. It is an extremely peaceful area, there has been no war in the area since 1799. It is inexplicable that people's houses within 10 metres of the camp are not allowed to renovate them. If a house collapses one day on some passersby it will be a monumental tragedy, " said the MP.

"I urge the government to kindly be reasonable about these matters. I urge them to issue a quick list at least exempting areas that are not in high-security zone so that ordinary citizens can live their lives normally. We have been put into a position where a blanket rule, followed by court cases, further delays, massive suspensions is leading to the suffering of a lot of people, " added Tharoor.

He further said, "I would urge the government to have a flexible humane approach to the problem."

Hundreds of people who own land in the vicinity of the Pangode Military camp have been facing many difficulties over the past few years owing to the restrictions imposed on construction within 100 metres of the camp boundary. Among those affected are those owning land in the wards of Pangode, Tirumala, Poojappura and PTP Nagar.
 

10:56 November 20

Some important questions to watch out for:

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant:

INC's Manickam Tagore, Member of Parliament of India, representing Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu  has listed questions addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi pertaining to the recent cyber attack at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)

Pending Cases in Subordinate Court:

BSP's Kunwar Danish Ali, Member of Parliament from Amroha, Uttar Pradesh has listed questions addressed to the Minister of Law and Order over the number of pending cases in the subordinate courts of UP.

Mobile Phone Data:

Asaduddin Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, representing the Hyderabad constituency in Lok Sabha along with Imtiyaz Jaleel Syed, member of the same partyrepresenting Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Aurangabad Central constituency of Maharashtra have listed questions seeking a response from  Minister of Electronics and Information Technology if the government has  taken note of the fact that a spyware/malware ‘Pegasus’ of Israel-based NSO group has reportedly been used to infect/spy/steal mobile phone data of many human rights activists, journalists and other eminent persons of the country.

Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership:

INC's Dean Kuriakose from Kerala, along with Prof. Saugata Roy of AITC representing Dum dum constituency, West Bengal has listed questions seeking answer to  whether the Government has any plan to sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and if so, and the details thereof.
 

09:47 November 20

Standing committee discuss data security; CERT-In issues notice to WhatsApp

New Delhi:The third day of Parliament Winter Session began at 11 am on Wednesday.

While the discourse on the second day was largely dominated by the agrarian crisis, it also witnessed an uproar by the Opposition over several issues including the police brutality on protesting JNU students over hostel fee hike, detention of Kashmiri political leaders, and pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR, among other issues.

More than 20 members from the Congress and the National Conference trooped into the Well of the House during the Question Hour even as Speaker Om Birla asked them repeatedly to go back to their seats. Amid the uproar, five questions and supplementaries were taken up during the Question Hour.

The Lok Sabha took up the debate on pollution in Delhi, with Congress MP Manish Tewari opening proceedings.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar is expected to reply later in the evening. "It's important that today this House gives a message to the nation that this (House), comprising the people whom they chose as their representatives, is sensitive and serious about this issue. It's not only about air pollution; our rivers are also polluted today," said Tewari in his opening address.

"When the pollution issue occurs every year in Delhi, then why is it that no voice is raised from the government and this House over this? Why do people need to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court every year over this issue? It is a matter of grave concern."