Lok Sabha Passes Two Bills in 14 Minutes Amid Opposition Protests

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed two important bills within a span of 14 minutes amid continued protests by opposition parties over police action against students demonstrating in Parliament and the issue of theft at the Ram temple. The proceedings of the House were disrupted during the morning session due to the protests. When the Lok Sabha resumed at 2 pm, the government introduced and passed the bill seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam. The government also introduced and passed another bill aimed at expanding the powers of the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The proposed changes will allow the NCDC to provide direct financial support to organisations and institutions that promote and support cooperative bodies. At present, the NCDC can provide funding only to cooperative societies. To finance institutions and organisations supporting cooperative societies across India, the corporation currently has to operate through cooperative and state government channels. The new legislation seeks to remove this limitation and enable the NCDC to speed up financing in the cooperative sector. The move comes as the cooperative sector has continued to receive greater policy attention since the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Cooperation in 2021, with Amit Shah appointed as the minister in charge. Despite the opposition's continued protests in the House, the government succeeded in getting both bills passed during the brief 14-minute period after the afternoon sitting resumed.