Congress seeks JPC review for Nuclear Energy, Rural Employment bills

Congress called for a JPC review of two key bills on nuclear energy and rural employment. The government agreed to a discussion in Lok Sabha. Meanwhile, Congress also protested the renaming of the MGNREGA scheme outside the MP Assembly.

Congress Demands Parliamentary Review of Key Bills

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal on Wednesday called for the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 and the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB - G RAM G Bill, 2025 to be referred to Parliamentary Standing Committees or a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed review. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju responded in the Lok Sabha, stating that the government is willing to discuss both bills, provided the Chair permits the proceedings.

Lok Sabha Takes Up Nuclear Energy Bill

Following the exchange, the House took up discussions on the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025. The Bill seeks to provide a comprehensive legal framework for the promotion, regulation, and expansion of nuclear energy and radiation applications in the country, and to produce 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047. Union Minister of Science and Technology and Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh today introduced 'The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025' in the Lok Sabha, which he termed as a historic bill which will transform the future of India and the next generation of Indians.

Rural Employment Guarantee Bill to be Introduced

Further, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will introduce the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the ongoing winter session of Parliament. The proposed legislation seeks to establish a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 by providing a statutory guarantee of one hundred and twenty-five days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work; to promote empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation for a prosperous and resilient rural Bharat; and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto, be taken into consideration.

Congress Protests Renaming of MGNREGA

Meanwhile, outside the Madhya Pradesh legislative Assembly, Congress leaders are holding a protest against the renaming of MGNREGA to VB-G Ram G. Speaking to reporters, LoP Umang Singhar said the central government insulted Mahatma Gandhi and stopped funding the scheme, which is now being changed. "The central government is insulting Mahatma Gandhi. They stopped funding the scheme and now they want to change the name? Are they afraid of Mahatma Gandhi? Why is the PM insulting him? Congress will not tolerate this they changed the name of a lot of schemes and we demand that they be changed back as well. They don't want to talk about giving employment to the common man," Singhar said. (ANI)

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