Ministers brief parliament today on Ukraine, missile misfire into Pak: 10 points

Defence minister Rajnath Singh will address the parliament on Tuesday on a missile 'accidentally fired' into Pakistan earlier this month. The statement comes as the second phase of the budget session - that resumed Monday after a month-long break- enters Day 2. The parliament will also be briefed by foreign minister S Jaishankar on the Ukraine war that led to the return of thousands of Indians, including medical students, back to the country. Russia's offensive in Ukraine has entered Day 20.

Here are ten points on the budget session of parliament:

1. In a statement last week after Pakistan's protest, the defence ministry had attributed the accidental firing to "technical malfunction" and a high-level court of inquiry was ordered. “On 9 March 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident,” the ministry said.

2. Registering a protest, Islamabad had claimed, “Besides, the flight path of the flying object endangered several domestic/international flights within Pakistani airspace and could have resulted in a serious aviation accident as well as civilian casualties."

3. S Jaishankar will also brief the parliament on Tuesday on 'the situation in Ukraine'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has held several high-level meetings on the crisis amid wide concerns. Nearly 20,000 students have returned to India since the war started on February 24.

4. The government had launched an operation for bringing back the citizens via special flights from countries bordering Ukraine. There have been appeals to let the medical students who have returned from Ukraine to continue their studies in India.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday got a rousing welcome in parliament after the BJP claimed victory in four of five states in the fresh season of assembly elections. Chants of "Modi, Modi" and thumping of desks were the highlights in the videos shared on social media.

6. The Congress had said it would raise the Ukraine crisis, inflation and unemployment in this session.

7. On Day 1 of the second phase of the budget session, the government said it took proactive steps of the pandemic on the tribal community.

8. Bhagwant Mann, who is set to take oath on Wednesday as Punjab's chief minister after a landslide AAP win, on Monday resigned as the Lok Sabha MP.

9. The budget session of the parliament will continue till April 8.

10. The first half of the budget session was held between February 1 to February 11.