Author: aitc

Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, the issue that I wish to bring to the notice of this House is very important. On 20th of July this year, a young 26-year-old woman, named, Anna Sebastian, suddenly died. She was found dead. Her mother then wrote an open letter on social media where the mother said that her daughter had died because she was made to overwork in the company where she was working. The company happens to be one of the big four consulting companies; it is a multinational company. Similarly, before that, in February, Satish Nandgaonkar, a journalist working with a very major Indian newspaper in Mumbai, suffered a cardiac arrest. At that time also, his family, even the Press Council, said that this happened because, at work, the boss allegedly was very toxic, who kept berating him and also insulting him. So, after these two shocking incidents, there has been a groundswell of complaints also on social media from people in the private sector saying that presently, at many places, there is a toxic work culture, a work culture where employees are made to work for long hours and are subjected to insults. A lot of this is happening in private companies today. Sir, for me also, this issue is very important because we are talking about private companies. Why it is important for my State is because Bengal means business. Today, this is a priority for me because we have more than 1.45 lakh active companies in our State. Today, the IT sector in West Bengal employs more than 2.6 lakh employees. So, the issue of reforms in private sector is very important. Sir, there is a reason as to why I wish to draw the attention of the House to this particular issue. This year, Government revenue from corporate tax was less than the Government revenue from income tax. Who are paying income tax? It is the people working in private companies. I will just give some examples in which they are subjected to a very toxic atmosphere. There is no overtime pay provision in the contracts in India. People are made to work 8 hours, 10 hours and even 12 hours. There is no provision for overtime unlike other countries. A lot of employees, who work in client-facing companies, are subject to whims of their clients, who call them on weekends, etc. So, there is a need that our labour laws regulate this. We do not have legislation right now to regulate it. What happens at times is that employees lose their jobs and unemployment happens. Today, the condition is so bad that people who have worked in my State of West Bengal have not been given their MNREGA dues. The total pending dues amount to Rs. 8,377 crores. These are the people who have worked. When people lose their jobs, they get this sort of deprivation… That is why I am saying that this toxic work culture and deprivation of people is something which the Government and this House needs to take seriously. People who are employed need a healthy work atmosphere and people who have worked need to be paid, be it the private sector or be it the MNREGA workers in West Bengal. Thank you very much.

Sir, this question pertains to women entrepreneurs and green mobility. But, our concern is financial mobility. Apart from Self Help Groups– I realize that this question is on rural entrepreneurs–, I feel that women-led MSMEs also form the backbone of economy of every State. Sir, in the last ten years, 57 lakhs new MSMEs have given 1.3 crore jobs in the State of West Bengal and women have played a very important role in it. I would like to tell the hon. Minister that in the traditional banking institutions, collateral is a problem for women. Apart from that, a lot of women do not have a credit history. So, I appreciate the training part, I appreciate the role private companies are playing, but what steps the Government is taking to overcome these hurdles with traditional banking institutions.

Sir, I rise to raise an issue that demands immediate attention of the Government. There is an urgent need to address the critical issue of under utilisation of funds under Project Tiger and Project Elephant, which are pivotal for the conservation of India’s wildlife heritage. Following the abysmally low utilization, there have been no significant developments as one-third of funds still remain under-utilized in 2023-24. This lack of fund utilization is particularly concerning given the recent mass deaths of elephants in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha. Such incidents highlight the urgent need for strengthening conservation measures and enhancing wildlife management practices. While Project Tiger has consistently received higher funding, the limited scope and resources under Project Elephant have significantly hampered efforts to manage and protect our elephant population effectively. This is concerning in light of the recent statistics that India has lost 528 elephants in the last five years due to unnatural causes. Thus, the merger of schemes is proving to be a poorly planned move. The situation demands for a speedy response by the Ministry. This includes an immediate action plan addressing gaps in habitat management, anti-poaching measures, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. Therefore, I urge the Government to take decisive steps to strengthen these programs and safeguard our wildlife. Thank you, Sir.

As All India Trinamool Congress, a voice of the people, we urge upon you,you will ensure security, you will ensure routes, but make it possible for the poor person to get on to that aircraft first. That is most important. I urge upon the hon. Minister that do not pass a law against a Supreme Court judgement, and Silchar but this airport, the way the land acquisition has been done, it has been on the blood, sweat and homes of tea garden labourers.So, we are for
development, we are for good policy. We are for the aviation industry to move ahead. Especially, coming from the North-East, we want that the people should be able to travel from distant places into the mainland. But whether it is possible is what you need to think. Subsidize the tickets. It has been done before by DoNER and Aviation
Ministry. It can be done again. We will support every pro-people policy, but, today, I am sad to say, Sir, through the Chair to the hon. Minister, there is every possibility of this Bill being struck down as ultra vires of Article 14 for Government unilaterally appointing an arbitrator. This Bill will get struck out for the grip you want on this
regulatory body. And last but not the least, the Legislature and the Executive- there is a difference. This is unconstitutional to, through rules, make criminal offences. Thank you, Sir.

Sir, please give me only one minute. I need only one minute to make two quick points. We want the Chair to
protect all of us, this side and that side. Please protect us. We want the Chair to protect us. Sitting at the desk, sitting in your Chair, and screaming is one. We are getting used to some new rules. When Zero Hour is three minutes, it is becoming six minutes. Protect us.

Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, this Government has a penchant for changing names. The Indian Penal Code has been changed to Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Now, the Indian Aircraft Act has been changed to Bhartiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024. But there is nothing much that is new in the Bill. There is a change in name but nothing much that is new. That is because this Government likes to think of itself as a game-changer Government. But it is only a name-changer Government. Sir, why do so many laws have Hindi names? This is imposition of Hindi. The mandate of the people in 2024 was for the diversity, dividend and for the federal principle. But the Government is persisting in the hindification of laws. This is Hindi imposition. Sir, I refer to Article 348 of the Constitution. ‘Any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of a State shall be in the English language.’ The Bill is actually a little too late. The Government has delayed in bringing the Bill. On 21st June, 2024, the TMC had pointed out the archaic nature of the Aircraft Act of 1934. When it comes to outdated legislation, actually, here, I have to say something good about the Government, I am glad the Government is thinking about modernizing outdated legislation. There are at least 10 to 15 Acts that need to be similarly updated. However, the delay in bringing this legislation has led to outdated regulatory framework, potentially jeopardized safety of passengers and stunted the industry’s growth. Sir, the first big problem with the Bill is that there is no provision for reasonable tariff in this Bill. Airfares are literally sky high. What protection is there for the common people against relentless price rise of tickets? There is no provision for making tariff reasonable. The holiday season is coming. Invariably, prices of tickets will go up. What provision is there in the Bill to protect passengers from surged pricing and huge spike in fares? I would like to know what modalities exist in this Bill to stop airlines from using their dominant market share to fleece common passengers. Today vegetable prices are at a 57- month high. Retail inflation has surged by six per cent. Household budgets are under strain. How can common citizens afford these exorbitant airfares? I would also like to say that the tendering process for airports and bidding must be made transparent. The process must not be hostage to this Government’s characteristic of crony capitalism. One of the top e-tendering States in the country today is Bengal. The Government should follow the Bengal model. From ground to sky, there should be no monopolies. Today, in aviation, a state-owned monopoly has become a private-owned duopoly. Is this to the benefit of the passengers? We must ask this question. Aviation must serve the common people, not just the maharaja class, not just the zamindar class. Sir, this Bill gives overarching powers to the Union Government. The Government has installed itself as the overseeing authority over three regulators, the DGCA, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The Minister said that the Bill has changed the appeal system. Appeals against an order of the DGCA or the BCAS will lie before the Central Government. No further appeals will be allowed against the Central Government’s orders. Therefore, the Government has the final word. If all control is with the Government, who will check the Government’s mistakes? These amendments should not be used as a tool by the Central Government to illegitimately expand the scope of its executive powers. The concentration of power raises grave concerns about potential misuse. The young Minister comes from a party which is strong in his State. He will understand when States are deprived … When States are deprived of a voice… When the Central Government is not mindful of the claims of a State… Stop depriving States who oppose you politically. Sir, the practice of this Government is not to send Bills for scrutiny to Standing Committees. The privatisation of Air India, leading to the transfer of its ownership in 2022, was not sent to a committee for wider deliberations. Within private airlines, are safety norms being maintained? Cabin crews are meant to share rooms on layovers and thus are not well rested for flights. This poses huge dangers for passenger security. Sir, there are inadequate provisions in this Bill for new technology. New technology like drones and issues involving the use of drones, such as aircraft targeting and surveillance, have not been provided in this Bill. We cannot leave regulation of new technology to delegated legislation. It is important to expand the scope of the parent Act itself. This year, there have been 999 bomb threats, hoax bomb threats on Indian carriers. What provision is there in this Bill to deal with these kinds of technological threats? The Minister spoke of pilot training. But every year in winter, hundreds of flights are delayed due to fog. The main reason for flight diversion is that pilots are not trained for operating CAT-III navigation control system. What technology has been provided for in this Bill so that CAT-III can be adequately upgraded so that pilots can land in fogbound airports? Sir, there are some infrastructure issues. More than 56 accidents have taken place in the airline sector in the last five years until 2023. There have been around 100 cases of structural collapse and 10 cases of rainwater leakage across airports in India from 2019 to 2024. For the Airports Authority of India, civil works maintenance dropped from 11.9 per cent in financial year 2021 to 8.5 per cent in financial year 2023. In GMR-led Delhi International Airport, funding on airport maintenance dropped from 4.9 per cent in financial year 2022 to 4.4 per cent in financial year 2023. This comes at a time when User Development Fee being charged from passengers is on the rise. There are 164 aeroplanes lying idle at airports of 15 major cities as of December 2023. This has been stated by the Government itself in Parliament. The Minister said that there are 74 airports. But how many of these airports are functional? And how many airlines do actually fly to these airports? We have to ask that question. How many airports under UDAN scheme have been completed? Sir, I want to make a point here. This is important. It is about the moral economy of our country. Airlines have a public responsibility and a social responsibility. They must be encouraged to practise their corporate social responsibility. When people need to be moved for medical emergencies or for other emergencies, we must have flights on standby. For example, there have been 244 consequential train accidents between 2017 and 2022. When there are train accidents or there are floods, airlines could operate more airlines at reasonable rates to fly people to the spot. Airlines should not seek to profit from disaster. Airlines should not seek to make profit from the suffering of people by charging more rates, by charging higher fares, and by reducing capacity during a disaster. So, this is the moral, social, corporate and public responsibility of airlines. Sir, I would like to say that safety and accessibility to all must be the buzzwords. Air travel must be accessible to all and possess the highest safety standards as possibly as can be met. Civil aviation must be people’s aviation. Not all of us can fly in Maharaja class. Civil aviation must be the people’s aviation; civil aviation must not just be for the billionaires. Thank you.

Sir, let me express gratitude to the hon. Minister for the fact that India has always, previous Governments included, been a supporter of a two State solution in Israel and Palestine, and for the aid that is being sent by the Indian Government. Because the question pertains to India’s position on Palestine, I have two very specific questions on which I would like to know the Government of India’s position. Number one, the hon. Minister just said that we will be providing five million dollars of aid to the UNRWA. The UNRWA has now been banned by the Israeli Government. So, what is our position on the UNRWA being banned and how are we sending aid? The second point on which I want to know the position is that India has, traditionally, always, including this Government, supported a two State solution. In the United Nations, we abstained on a resolution against Israeli illegal settlements in the West Bank. What is India’s position on the illegal settlements made by Israel in the West Bank and Palestine?

Sir, through you, I want to know from the hon. Minister, given the modernization process of post offices under Viksit Bharat, whether the law of the land, the labour laws as per the Constitution, is being maintained by the Ministry or the Department. Incidentally, the citizens of our country, that is, we the people of India, according to the Constitution, got service or job in post office through or by passing the UPSC examination. And then they are being deprived now with disinvestment and corporatization process. I would like to ask whether this is called modernization.