19092023-TT-01.qxd 9/18/2023 11:06 PM Page 1 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 143 NO. 259 | 12 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2021-2023 ESTABLISHED IN 1881  HIMACHAL PRADESH ARMS DEAL WITH US ON KYIV HELPED PAK GET LOAN: REPORT WORLD /thetribunechd MISSING SOLDIER’S BODY FOUND NEAR ENCOUNTER SITE J&K ADANI-HINDENBURG SET TIMELINE FOR PLEAS ON ROW: NEW PROBE DISQUALIFICATION, SC TELLS PANEL SOUGHT BUSINESS MAHA SPEAKER BACK PAGE tuesday | 19 september 2023 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com approves Nation bids adieu to old Parl as Modi Cabinet quota Bill women salutes Nehru,Shastri,other ex-PMs 33% reservation in Parl, Assemblies AjayBanerjee Divide blurs briefly as Cong lauds Vajpayee | Special session shifts to new building today Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 18 The last working day of old Parliament witnessed a temporary blurring of political divide as Prime Minister Narendra Modi led an emotional tribute to the iconic House, saluting 15 past Prime Ministers, including Jawaharlal Nehru, whose “Tryst with Destiny” speech, he said, “would keep inspiring us”. In an hour-long speech, the PM lauded the majesty of Indian democracy, which sent “a poor boy like me, working on a railway platform, to Parliament” and sought crossparty solidarity for national good in Amrit Kaal. “Who would not feel like clapping when Pt Nehru is praised?” said the PM with Congress parliamentary party chief Sonia Gandhi thumping her desk in applause when Modi wound up. Congress’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury later reciprocated PM’s gesture by lauding late PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for Pokhran despite the threat of continued on page 9 edit: new house for mps Tribune News Service NewDelhi, September 18 The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today okayed a Bill to ensure reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, sources said. The government, however, did not announce it. The customary briefing after the Cabinet meeting was not held. The Cabinet meeting had evinced political interest as Modi had stated today that “historic decisions” would be taken in the special session of Parliament from September 18 to 22. Earlier in the day, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Parliamen- tary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had met Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda, making it clear that something “path-breaking” was expected. The Women’s Reservation Bill was first tabled in 2008 and has been on freeze since it was passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2010. It was not presented in the Lok Sabha in these 13 years. A Bill passed by the Rajya Sabha does not lapse under rules of the business of Parliament. The BJP and the Congress have always supported the Bill, but there were hurdles in the form of opposition by other parties and demand for quota for Backward Classes within continued on page 9 IN BRIEF Punjab ex-minister’s kin drugged, robbed LUDHIANA: Former Akali minister Jagdish Garcha and his family were looted after being drugged at their house here. INSIDE Investigation over, SC dissolves Kheri SIT NEW DELHI: The SC has dissolved the Lakhimpur Kheri case SIT saying it had done its probe and submitted chargesheet. TNS Debt played down by ~2 lakh cr: CAG As Parliament gets a new address, the old building that was inaugurated in 1927 will live on as an architectural wonder. PTI BACK PAGE ENTERING WITH NEW HOPE As we enter new Parliament building, we will go there with new hope and confidence. ❝ Narendra Modi, PM TRANSITION TO NEW HOUSE ■ 3 photo shoots of RS/LS MPs in old Parl ■ Commemoration of India’s rich Parl legacy in Central Hall; VP & PM to lead ■ Address by veteran MPs Maneka Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Shibu Soren likely ■ 90-minute event to culminate with MPs walking over to the new Parl building ‘SHIFTING NO GOOD, IMPROVE CONDITIONS’ ■ Asserting that nothing new would be achieved by shifting to new Parliament, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government to change the way it did politics, accusing it of using ED to scare the Opposition. “I urge treasury to focus on improving country’s conditions,” he said. c m y b Sandeep Dikshit Tribune News Service New Delhi, September 18 A CAG report has frowned at the Centre’s practice of disclosing the actual situation through footnotes that resulted in the main part of the Union Budget showing external debt of Rs 4.39 lakh crore at the “historical rate of CITES FOOTNOTES TO FLAG FACTS ■ CAG points out large num- ■ Footnotes put the actual ber of footnotes inserted in all 16 statements of the Centre’s financial accounts for 2021-22 external debt at ~6.58 lakh crore instead of ~4.39 lakh crore, as indicated in the Union Budget exchange” whereas at current exchange rate, shown in small print as a footnote, the actual debt was Rs 6.58 lakh crore. “It was observed that the latter was Rs 2.18 lakh crore higher than what was shown continued on page 9