Author: aitc

Sir, my question here is for Q.No.46. Currently, post-harvest losses of food grains in India are estimated to be between 18 per cent to 25 per cent and for fruits and vegetables, the post-harvest losses are even higher at about 45 per cent. Also, the other thing is that because of these post-harvest losses, food inflation has gone up drastically to about 9.4 per cent in India. So, my question to the Minister is: “What steps are being taken by the Ministry to bring down the amount of postharvest losses of food grains and fruits and vegetables?” Thank you, Sir.

Many jute mills in West Bengal have drastically reduced their operational shifts in the past few months due to financial constraints and insufficient orders from the States for packaging of food grains with jute bags. Despite its critical role in the agrarian economy, jute is being sold below the Minimum Support Price, destabilizing farmers’ finances and discouraging further cultivation. The implementation of supportive policies has been ineffective, and the Ministry of Textiles has not shown the required assertiveness in addressing the pressing issues of the jute industry. This ineffectiveness s reflected in the reluctance of State Purchasers to place orders with the Jute Commissioners Office, the regulatory authority, for the implementation of the Jute Packaging Materials Act and the Jute and Textiles Control Order. The combined effects of reduced production, sales below MSP and lack of effective support from Central authorities, Jute Commissioner, JCIL and the Ministry of Textiles have created widespread distress. Therefore, I would urge upon the Government to intervene without further loss of time to bail out the jute industry from this critical situation in public interest. Thank you.

Sir, my submission pertains to the response given by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to my Unstarred Question dated 22nd July 2024 concerning the closure of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation. The closure of the foundation comes at a critical juncture intersecting with the overall crackdown on minorities. The Budget allocation trend for the Ministry of Minority Affairs over the past five years is alarming with a reduction from Rs.5,000 crore to Rs.3,000 crore. Despite multiple interventions by opposition MPs, including myself, several schemes such as the Maulana Azad National Fellowship, Naya Savera and Padho Pardesh have been discontinued. Sir, the priorities are clear. This 35-year-old foundation established to honour the legacy of India’s first Education Minister has been a beacon of hope for thousands of minority students. The rationale given by the Ministry for the closure is ‘to avoid extra cost to the exchequer’. This is absurd. The foundation received zero funds in the last two years. The BJP Government between 2014 and 2022 spent Rs.7,000 crore on advertisements. This organisation was spending just one per cent of it. Sir, where does this stop? References to Maulana Azad were deleted from NCERT textbooks; the fellowship in his name was discontinued; and now the foundation in his name has been shut down. This is not about politics or jumlas. This is about the future of thousands of students from disadvantaged sections of the society. This is not “sabka saath, sabka vikas”. This is “kuch logon ka saath, kuch logon ka vikas, baki sab saff.

Sir, I have the privilege to represent two States. I live in Assam and I have found space in this august House because of the people of Bengal. What is common between the two States is that both these States are reeling under severe floods. Assam is one of the most impacted States. When the national average is 10.2 per cent of flood-prone areas, for Assam, it is almost 40 per cent – four times! The floods of the Brahmaputra River, of the Barak River, of the Kushiyara River, of the River Ganga in Bengal are so devastating that thousands of hectares of crop land, lakhs of houses, hospitals, schools, bridges get devastated because of flooding during the monsoon. But the irony is, this is recurring every year and what we generally see is that States like Assam, Bengal, Uttarakhand, Bihar, all these States demand money from the NDRF Funds. But such is the scheme of things that when SDRF Funds and NDRF Fund have to be coordinated, the guidelines are such that a State has discretion of spending the SDRF Fund only up to 10 per cent and 90 per cent is monitored by the Centre. So, how do the Chief Ministers of States spend this money efficaciously? Sir, last but not the least, I am pained to say that when hundred people died in Assam in this flood and when 24 lakh people are impacted, and an eight-year old boy died in Guwahati, hon. Home Minister of India said that Assam has a flood-like situation. Sir, what is a flood-like situation  aap batayein. We have been fighting for decades saying to declare it as a national calamity. When Siliguri to Sikkim, NH10 breaks down, or Silchar to Shillong, NH-6 breaks down, it impacts the entire North-East. I am asking to give sufficient funds to the States. Don’t say north Bengal separate ho jao Barak Valley separate ho jao. We want funds. Solve our problem, Sir, and give us funds to mitigate these floods, prevent these floods and for rehabilitation of Assam and Bengal. Thank you, Sir.

Madam, to say in one sentence, this Budget is anti-people, anti-poor and anti-Bengali. This is the Budget that deprived Bengal of Rs. 1,71,000 crore, which is pending from the Union Government. But it didn’t say a single word about it. In this Budget, we have seen how it has become a budget for Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. It is not the Union Budget; it is a Budget to satisfy the ally constituents to save the Government only. We don’t have any problem if the Union Government gives something to other States, but why have they deprived Bengal? It is painful to see how this Budget has ignored the underprivileged in our country, especially those in the unorganised sectors. They are neglected in this Budget. This Budget has failed to address the needs of the unorganised sector workers who are 43.39 crore, according to the Economic Survey 2021-22. Sir, 83 per cent of India’s workforce is employed in unorganised sector and my concern lies here. The Government often doubts the registration of workers on the eSHRAM portal and Pradhan Mantri Yojana to deflect criticism from Opposition Members of this august House. However, the Government’s action repeatedly has demonstrated lack of concern for unorganised sector workers. Just before the Budget was presented, the Supreme Court criticised the delay in verifying migrant workers registration on the e-SHRAM portal for the issuance of ration cards. I would like to know when this task would reach a substantial stage. It is disheartening that the Court had to remind us about the plight of migrant workers who are a vital part of the unorganised sector. Government’s own NSO Report has revealed that unincorporated enterprises in the manufacturing sector lost some 5.4 million jobs from the middle of 2015-16 to 2022-23 and that 1.8 million establishments were lost. In contrast, West Bengal is the only State to have established a Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board under the leadership of our hon. Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, dedicated to the development of those who toil with honesty. My demand is simple and clear. Why couldn’t the Union Government announce a similar National Migrant Workers’ Welfare Board for the migrant workers in this Budget? Hundreds of migrant workers die in workplace accidents or during their travels, yet this Budget has failed to announce a comprehensive insurance scheme to support their families. At a time when inflation is a major issue and a constraint for the survival of the poor, the Government should have announced a project to aid migrant workers in child education and healthcare. According to the Census data of 2011, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have the highest number of migrant workers, with a combined total of approximately 239 million workers. However, the Union Government, currently, lacks accurate data on the number of migrant workers. The Ministry of Labour and Employment initiated a nationwide review of migrant workers on April 4, 2021. The grim reality of migrant workers became painful during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. The Finance Minister proclaimed about linking the eShram portal to other portals for workers and labourers to facilitate them in availing different services. I wonder if the Finance Minister, or her colleagues in the Cabinet, has ever spoken to any of the migrant workers. Try to understand whether registering on eShram has given them the benefit of even a single rupee so far. The Finance Minister announced r industrial rental housing with dormitory type accommodation fo workers in PPP mode with VGF support, yet the ARHC scheme launched by the Union Government in the aftermath of Covid- 19 for migrant workers in cities has failed miserably and has not found any takers from the private sector .This is only lip service and just an eye wash. Apart from the migrant workers, crores of people are involved in unorganized sector, agriculture and the MSME sector. After the Budget, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, said that this Budget the MSME sector . Unfortunately, this would help in propsering Government did not favour those small, medium and micro entrepreneurs. This Government has systematically ruined the MSME sector during the past ten years under Narendra Modi regime. I am proud to come from Bengal, which, in the last ten years, has always been in the top d a burden of GST on the MSME sector and disbursement methods have been so designed as to discourage medium , small and micro level investors. In th is Budget , we did not see any announcement to promote the MSME sector. When unemployment became the prime constraint of development in PM Modi’s regime, the systematic destruction of the MSME sector ensured another step to worsen the problem of unemployment. It is vital to reiterate that not only migrant workers, but this Budget also failed to outline any benefit for tribal people, dalits, SCs and minority communities. Recently, a BJP MLA in Bengal, the LoP, suggested abandoning the PM’s slogan, “Sabka saath Sabka vikas”and replacing it with “Jo hamara saath hum unke saath” This is the real face of BJP. He has revealed the hidden agenda of the Government, which aims at undermining India’s fabric, depriving minorities, SCs, STs, dalits and all the marginalized sections of the society in our country. This Budget did not announce anything related to welfare of the minority communities. I urge the Government to introduce a fresh and new scheme for minority communities. The Finance Minister did not utter a single word on minority welfare in her speech, nor has she announced any special measure for education, skilling, employment or livelihood of minority communities. The Budget allocation for the pre-matric scholarship has been reduced from Rs.400 crores to Rs.326 crores. Over the last few years, the Union Government’s only focus is to change the names of the Central schemes of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. After the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana, this time, the Finance Minister has announced the launch the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan. I want to ask the Union Government as to what has been the outcome of the previous schemes which meant for the tribal welfare. Surely, your colleagues in Madhya Pradesh have shown the way and diverted crores of rupees of Government funds meant for tribal welfare to construction of cowsheds and gaushalas. Sir, I am a young Indian of 37 years living in Bengal. I am absolutely sure that our great nation will keep the divisive and destructive forces out, just like what we did on June 4, 2024. Thank you.