Parliament watch: Bihar jobless rate in focus, no plan for OPS, Merchant Shipping Bill sails through RS

The unemployment rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in Bihar has come down to 3% in 2023-24 from 7.0% in 2017-18 compared to overall unemployment rate of 3.2% in the country in 2023-24, down from 6% in 2017-18, minister of state for labour and employment Shobha Karandlaje said in response to a question in Lok Sabha on Monday, citing the Periodic Labour Force Survey by the ministry of statistics & programme implementation.

No plan for OPS: There is no proposal under consideration of the Government of India for restoration of Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in respect of Central Government employees covered under National Pension System (NPS). The Government had moved away from OPS due to its unsustainable fiscal liability on the Government exchequer, said finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a written reply.

Merchant Shipping Bill sails through Rajya Sabha: The upper house passed The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 Monday. This law targets modernising India’s maritime framework, aligning domestic laws with international best practices and International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conventions. Union Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the Bill replaces an outdated, bulky framework with a progressive, streamlined law, "that will boost India’s bankability as a maritime hub, increase tonnage under our flag, reduce compliance burden and secure our coastline”