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Parliament rules tweaked, MPs to mark attendance at their seats

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday said the attendance of MPs will now be recorded only when they are present in the House and seated at their designated seats. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the 86th All India Presiding Officers’ Conference (AIPOC) in Lucknow, Birla said the new attendance rule would come into effect from the upcoming Budget session. He added that the move was aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in parliamentary proceedings. Additionally, the previous provision allowing members to mark their attendance from outside the House chamber will be discontinued. The Speaker said to ensure discipline in legislative proceedings, no member would be allowed to mark attendance once the House had been adjourned, even in cases of disruptions. He said the decision would ensure that attendance reflected actual participation in House proceedings, rather than just being present within the Parliament premises.

Centre notifies eco-sensitive zone around Kumbhalgarh sanctuary located in Aravalli

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The Union Environment Ministry has notified zero to one km around the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Aravalli mountain range, as an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The sanctuary in Rajasthan’s Udaipur, rich in flora and fauna, hosts the leopard, striped hyena, jungle cat, Indian pangolin, blue bull, and chinkara. It is also home to bird species such as painted francolin. The wildlife sanctuary is considered to be one of the most ecologically fragile regions. Over 94 villages will fall within the ESZ. “Forests, horticulture areas, agricultural areas, parks and open spaces earmarked for recreational purposes in the Eco-sensitive Zone shall not be used or converted into areas for major commercial or residential or industrial activities,” the notification said.

Mining, establishment of new and expansion of existing polluting industries, hydroelectric projects, erection of windmills are prohibited within the ESZ. “No new commercial hotels and resorts shall be permitted within one kilometre of the boundary of the protected area or up to the extent of Eco-sensitive Zone whichever is nearer. New commercial construction of any kind shall not be permitted within one kilometre from the boundary of the protected area or up to the extent of the Eco-sensitive Zone, whichever is nearer,” the Ministry notified.

Don’t shut down 'Punjab Kesari' printing press, SC orders Punjab Government

In a relief to the Punjab Kesari newspaper group, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the Punjab Government not to take any coercive steps to shut down 'Punjab Kesari' printing press over alleged violation of environmental norms until a week after the Punjab and Haryana High Court decided the issue. The Punjab State Pollution Control Board has ordered snapping power supply to the newspaper’s printing press for alleged violations of environmental norms. "Newspapers cannot be stopped… Don't close the newspaper part. Hotels or other commercial establishments one can understand can be closed for a few days. But allow the newspaper (to function)," a Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant told Punjab Advocate General Maninderjit Singh Bedi who attended the proceedings via video conferencing. The interim order will continue even a week after the pronouncement of the judgment by the high court to enable the parties to seek appellate remedies, said the Bench – which also included Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi. The order came after senior counsel Mukul Rohatgi mentioned an urgent petition filed by the newspaper group that the publication of some of its editions will be affected due to the decision of the state’s pollution control board to cut electricity supply to its printing press. “Our newspaper should not stop because of an article published against the state government… Our press electricity will be disconnected,” Rohatgi said, seeking an urgent hearing. "All this happened in a matter of two days because we published articles which are not favourable to the dispensation in Punjab… The press working for the last 20 years has been directed to be immediately closed over some alleged water pollution issue,” Rohatgi submitted.