The Newshour Debate: Can The Govt Be Blamed For Taking Ordinance Route? (24th Dec 2014)

Subscribe Now To Our Network Channels The NewsHour Debate : http://goo.gl/LfNgFF ET Now : http://goo.gl/5XreUq Times Now : http://goo.gl/U9ibPb Social Media Links :- Twitter - http://goo.gl/FzJIpz In a debate moderated by TIMES NOW's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, panelists -- GVL Narasimha Rao, Natl Spokesperson & Member Electoral Reforms, BJP; and Salman Soz, Spokesperson, Congress -- discuss the issue of Govt taking the Ordinance route to push through key Coal and Insurance legislations, and Oppn led by the Congress and Left trying hard to obstruct Govt move. Moving at rapid pace, the Union Cabinet today approved key insurance and coal sector reforms which were stuck in Parliament logjam and also liberalisedforeign investment policy in the medical devices sector. A day after the conclusion of the Winter session of Parliament, the Cabinet approved promulgation of the Ordinance on Insurance Bill, re-promulgation of the Coal Ordinance and allowing up to 100 per cent FDI in medical devices in the pharmaceutical sector under the automatic route. Briefing reporters, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressed the hope that hiking of the foreign investment cap in the insurance sector to 49 per cent, which has been pending since 2008, will result in capital inflow of USD 6-8 billion.The Insurance Laws Amendment Bill, 2008 could not be taken up for discussion in Parliament despite being approved by the Select Committee of the Upper House because of the uproar over the conversion and other issues. The Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Bill, 2014 has already been approved by the Lok Sabha during the session but could make no progress in the upper House. The re-promulgation of ordinance on coal will facilitate e-auction of coal blocks for private companies for captive use and allot mines directly to state and central PSUs. Liberalising of the FDI policy for the medical device segment in the pharmaceutical sector is expected to help attract more investments and boost the domestic manufacturing. Congress slammed the Cabinet decision to bring Ordinances on insurance and coal block allocation, saying the government was "subverting and weakening" institutions and vowed to oppose the "Ordinance Raj". "This is a government which believes in weakening institutions. This is a big issue. This government wants to subvert institutions," party spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here. "It is wrong for any government to bring Ordinance in such a manner just a day after the session is over," he said, adding "We are against Ordinance Raj technically."